close to crawling

Here are some very grainy shots of Tony (our video camera doesn't take good indoor pictures at all) the closest to crawling we've seen yet. He was very excited about moving closer to the Happy Apple, but still lacks the coordination to get his arms and legs working together. I am hoping he waits just a couple of weeks before he takes off so that we have time to really go around the living room and baby proof everything. It amazes me how strong he is! He loves to be held up over my head now, and loves to bounce on my foot. And, of course, he spends a large amount of his playtime in the Jumperoo.

eating and bathing: our precious time with Tony

Bobby and I are both back at work now, which means Tony is now with Ms. Aurora and Ms. Dee every weekday. It is disheartening the small amount of time we now have with him during the week, but we are learning to treasure every second of it. The two main events of the evening are now a dinner of formula and rice cereal, and then bath time. We love putting Tony in his puppy robe our friend Jennifer gave us. Infancy is probably the only time in which this boy will ever allow me to put blue puppy ears on his head, so I might as well take advantage! The robe is getting a little snug around the middle (our Tony is quite round), but it is a constant favorite and so soft!

Yesterday while giving Tony his gourmet meal of "oatmeal with applesauce and bananas" he grabbed onto the spoon and decided to work it for himself. He pulled it in and out of his mouth several times, working on his aim a little more with each attempt (he only missed and got it in his ear once).

This going back to work thing is a huge transition, but we are all adjusting as best we can. Tony is getting the best deal, I think. According to all accounts from the church secretary and other nursery staff, he laughs and smiles all day and seems to be having quite the grand time. Mommy and Daddy are the ones dragging their heels and wishing school still started after Labor Day.

My first cereal

Tony ate rice cereal from a spoon semi-successfully for the first time today. He had a grand old time figuring out what all that mush was in his mouth and what to do with it. He also discovered it really makes blowing rasberries more fun, because more stuff flies out of your mouth, and it goes further. I don't know if he even got 1/2 an ounce of it down his throat, but we did have a good time.

can you guess this baby's weight?

(No, this picture is not upside down... Tony is rolled on his side with his head bent back, watching me take the picture).

Our little Tony isn't exactly little anymore... he is tipping the scales at a whopping eighteen pounds!!! I knew the number was going to be in the teens, but my guess was 14 or 15. You can imagine my shock when I saw the scale! In a couple of weeks he won't be able to fit in his car seat anymore. It is already a struggle to carry him around in it.

He is also 24 inches long and doing all the things he should be doing at four months. He is grabbing at things a little, laughing and smiling a lot, sleeping 7 hours at night, and he can put his hands in his mouth very well. He is rolling over, but only on his right side. (For you Zoolander fans: he is not an ambi-turner).

tummy time

Tony is growing by leaps and bounds. Every day there is a new little achievement to celebrate. He is settling into a new four hour feeding schedule, and, thank the Heavens, is sleeping seven hours at night! Saturday he successfully rolled onto his right side all by himself, and he is getting better and better at lifting his head. Here are a few pictures from some playtime on the blanket today.