It’s true what they say about “the second one.” They don’t get nearly as much attention from the Parent-Paparazzi, there are far fewer sticky notes with mediocre mile-stones jotted down on them (or are they “inch-pebbles?”) and they spend a lot less time “engaged” by various stimuli. My William Flint is 4-months old and I know by this advanced age, our genius-baby Lyla had at least triple the blog entries and snapshots.
We recently visited our new buddy, Baby Gideon. I held his little 8-pound self and became instantly sentimental. Commenting on Gideon’s size in comparison to Flint’s, I was met with, “You know, you never talk about your son without mentioning how big he is.” Ha! And so true! I rarely talk about poor Mr. Flint without suggesting he’s monstrously ginormous. So I will mention it once again on our blog. He’s huge. Simply a beast. In all seriousness, though, it makes the already flying time seem to whiz past all the quicker! My baby boy already wears clothes a child more than double his age should be wearing!
At his four-month checkup, Flint weighed in at 18 lbs. 15 oz. His head measured 45 cm, and his height, 27 inches. Dr. Dickey stated what we already knew to be true ("He's too big!") and stomped on any fear that he was overweight by reassuring us that he is, indeed, proportionate. Proportionately and impressively the size of an "average" 8 month old, putting him in the 97th and 98th percentiles on height/weight/head circumference.
In his four short months, though, Flint has really accomplished more than physical growth. We thought we’d never get a smile to turn his serious chubby cheeks, but then he floored us with his perfect gummy grin around Christmastime. We are still a regular comedy troupe around him trying to get a snippet of his adorable giggle, but he is certainly not the liberal ham we were used to with his sister. At just four months, there seems to be plenty more time for us to perfect our stand-up bit, though, and in the meantime, we’ll take any brief guffaw we can get. And they are brief. In fact, we’ve discovered that much of the time when Flint is on the verge of laughter or has even amused us with a short smirky chuckle, it turns quickly to tearful sobs. It’s almost as if exploring this new emotion is just too much for him to handle. At times it makes the situation all the more humorous, but most of the time, it’s just plain sad.
Apart from his sharp wit and keen sense of humor, Flint’s personality is slowly emerging. He is mostly easy-going and content to lump around and observe. He’s a good observer. Mostly facing up, really… he is not a fan of the tummy-time, but who really is? Lately, he’s experimenting with some new vocals, serenading us with “Meh, mah, mmmm’s” and breathy squeals beyond levels of fathomable adorability. That’s right. He’s a true charmer. He’s been grasping at objects and bringing toys to his mouth to, well, mouth. It takes some practice, depending on the object, but some things are tough to hold! Flint definitely prefers blankets and soft toys over hard plastic ones, though, and loves to gnaw on a knuckle or fingertip if permitted (he may, in fact, be teething already... eek!). Grandma and I think he’s going to be a blankie-boy, which pleases me (I still have my blankie in my nightstand and I do believe it took marriage to break me of my blankie-sleeping habit). Oh! And while we’re on the subject of comfort, guess how this boy self-soothes? He must have gotten some advice from his older and wiser sister, because he's officially a finger-sucker. And not just a finger, but fingers. Plural. And not just any fingers – the exact two fingers Lyla (still, ohmygoshwhenwillitstop?) sucks.
Flint is officially rolling from tummy to back, though perhaps not easily. Occasionally when I go to get him out of his crib, he is sunny-side up when I had let him have a tummy nap. I suspect this skill will be super sharp and frequent by our next blog entry, along with sitting up. Currently, the boy holds himself up in sitting position just briefly before falling over, but his doughy abs are engaged and working hard to stay upright. He's always been quite good at being vertical. I'm positive he'll have the sitting thing figured out soon.
(Flint being vertical)
We also introduced Flint to his first food - rice cereal. Under doc's advice, we can start "having fun" with solids - even fruits and veggies. She shared something about some recent study on diabetes and allergies and apparently the "standard" with Lyla just two years ago has already changed. My theory is just to wing it, anyhow. Flint was not such a fan of opening his mouth for food, but my guess is that he'll catch on real quick and continue in his stout Quattrochi ways of hearty eating. We'll try other foods when he gets the hang of the whole spoon and mouth concept.
His personality is blossoming every day and if it's possible, I think I love him a little more every day, too. He's a sweet, sweet, Mommy-loving, easy-going, eye-smiling, finger-sucking, drooly, silly, handsome, perfect little man.
