4 Months!

4 Month Stats

Weight: 17 lbs 15 oz (85th percentile)
Length: 24.75 in (25th percentile)
Head Circumference: 16.88 in (85th percentile)

I can't believe Carter is already 4 months old! He's grown so much in only 4 short months! My little baby is getting big! At least I know he's not starving! :)

Carter and I had quite the traumatic experience today at the doctor. The older he gets the worse he is at the doctor. I have to document it so that I can tell Carter about it when he's older. :) We got off to a bad start when Carter had a little explosion up his back as soon as we checked in. So I took him to the bathroom to get him cleaned up. He wasn't too happy about not having any clothes on. No reason to put his extra onsie on when I would just have to take it off when they called him back. So I just wrapped him up in a blanket and they were ready for us when we walked out of the bathroom. 

First we took Carter to measure his weight and height. He barely held off crying while we weighed him and then started to cry when they measured his head circumference. Then he started screaming when I laid him back down to measure his length. We went back to our room and I tried to calm him down, but nothing would get him to stop crying. I tried to feed him and that just made him madder. Finally I set him in his car seat and walked around with him. For some reason that is the cure all. 

When he doctor came in about 5 minutes later Carter was asleep. He woke up when we started talking so I got him out and he started crying. The doctor and I talked while he continued to cry and then I put him back in his car seat. Once again he stopped crying as soon as I set him down. We finished talking and then I got Carter out so the doctor could examine him. Of course he didn't like that. :) Carter is very attached to his parents. He does not like anyone, but Mommy or Daddy to hold him or touch him. When the doctor was done Carter went back in his car seat to wait for his shots. He passed out pretty quick. 

When the lady came in to give Carter his immunizations we decided to try and give him his oral one while he slept. It worked really well! He drank almost all of it before he woke up. He finished it without crying too much. But then I had to get him out of his car seat to get the fun ones. One injection in each of his chubby thighs. The second one is the worst! That one has a sting to it. As soon as that was done I gave him a hug and put him back in his car seat. The screaming stopped and then he just had a sad little cry. I felt so bad for him! 

Carter went right back to sleep and then took a 2 hour nap when we got home. I finally woke him up to feed him so that he wouldn't be up to late at night. So far I don't think he's gotten a fever from the immunizations. He's been a happy camper tonight and he went right to sleep in his crib! For his 2 month shots he got a fever and wasn't too happy that night. Thank goodness tonight went better than that! 

New things for Carter this month:

He loves to "stand!"
Does not like to lean back in his bouncer anymore. The whole time he tries to sit up.
Is starting to laugh!
Loves to talk to Mommy and Daddy.
Does not like to be held by other people.
Is now taking all his naps in his crib!
Takes 3 naps and doesn't usually sleep longer than an hour anymore.
Goes to bed between 7 and 8pm.
Sleeps 10-12 hours straight at night. Occassionaly waking up once to eat.
Usually gets up at 7am. Carter loves the morning!
Gets really worked up when he's excited.
Is always smiling!
Loves it when we sing to him.
Loves his stuffed animal Cosmo.
Can grab his toys now!
Gets frustrated when he can't get his toys to his mouth.
Has started drooling.
Does not like loud noises.

We finally splurged on a toy for Carter. So far everything we have is either borrowed from friends, was given to us as a gift or we bought at garage sales. Since Carter no longer likes to be in his bouncer for very long and he's working on grabbing toys we decided he needed a play mat. Plus nothing was keeping his attention very long anymore. He loves his play mat! In the picture below he's staring at the lights on the beams above him. There are toys that hang down too that he loves to swat. There is one that has a rattle sound that really scared him the first time he swatted it. But now he hits it over and over again. :)

This is the face Carter makes when he's worked up and really going at something. He's eating his hand and Cosmo's paw. :)

Here he is talking to me. :)

This month Carter figured out that he LOVES to stand! For the first week after he discovered this he would break out into a huge grin every time we stood him up. He doesn't freak out quite as much now, but he still loves it. He likes to be up and looking around. 

Here's Carter in his car seat trying to lift up his head. He doesn't like to be laying back. He has to up looking around. :) I'm afraid he's going to get whiplash in the car! I rode next to him during one of our car rides and thankfully he usually just lifts his head up when we are stopped. He's such a funny boy!

These next two pictures are kind of blurry, but I still had to include them. Carter loves his Cosmo. We put it on his chest and he grabs it around the middle or by the ear or a paw and then eats his face. It's pretty funny to watch. 

When you push Cosmo's stomach he growls. When Carter was like a month old Rory wanted to see what he would do if it growled. Needless to say he did not like it. His lower lip puckered out and then he started the saddest cry. But it doesn't scare him anymore! Once when he grabbed him around the stomach he actually made it growl all by himself. He always smiles when it's done growling.

Carter isn't the biggest fan of tummy time. A lot of that is probably my fault because when he was younger I didn't make him do it very often. He's getting a lot better at it though. The problem is he doesn't like to put both arms back so he can push off. He likes to leave his left arm up, like it shows in the picture, so that he can suck on it. But we're working on it!

Daddy was a little tired after work. :) Carter just wanted to play! He's looking at Rory's leg. :)

I love this picture of Carter! His smile makes my whole day! Everything else is forgotten when I see his little face grinning at me. :)

Carter we love you more than anything! You have brought so much happiness into our home! We are so lucky to have such a happy baby! You smile all the time and always remind us of why we love you so much! We are so happy that Heavenly Father sent you to us. Hopefully we can be the parents you deserve! We love you to pieces!