4 Months Old!

Dear Carter,

Can time really be flying by this quickly? It has been an exciting month! Your personality is really beginning to shine through. You love meeting people and will smile at anyone who gives you attention. Being so social, you enjoy the nursery at church (which is a relief to us!). You gave us your first real laugh on May 22nd, and we have learned that tickling you will produce more chuckles. We can't get enough.

You can certainly make us laugh as well. You are obsessed with your feet, and you love to stick them in your mouth and suck on them! You also make adorable gurgling sounds and try so hard to "talk" to us.

You are very curious about the world around you and love to observe everything. You are now reaching out and grabbing toys. You will stay glued to the TV for a whole video of Baby Mozart, Baby Bach, or Praise Baby. We just put you in the exersaucer a few days ago, and you kept craning your head around to check out all the flashy new toys at your fingertips. You also discovered that it's a great place to check out Sadie and Jackson as they chase each other around the coffee table.

This month contained several new adventures. You had your first roadtrip (9 hours to North Carolina and 8 hours home from South Carolina). While in Myrtle Beach, you went to the beach for the first time and loved sinking your toes into the sand. (Sadly, Mommy had her camera but not the battery for it, so we have no pics of this.) You met your great-grandmother Mimi, you attended your first birthday party, and you sat in your highchair to watch Mommy cook. On May 11th, you were dedicated to the Lord at our church. Your daddy and I vowed to raise you in a godly home, to provide for you to the best of our abilities, and to serve as examples for you. I hope that even now, you can sense Christ's love radiating from and through us.

You have a new talent...breakdancing! When lying on your activity mat, you'll reach your head backwards, arch your back, and use your feet to spin yourself around. We are quite impressed! We think you're trying to roll over to your tummy...that will come in time. Keep working on it!

One of my favorite moments this month occurred when we were visiting the Staplers in Myrtle Beach. We had gone up to our room to take a nap, and I had you resting in the crook of my arm. I opened my eyes to see you gazing at me through half-opened eyelids. You had such a sweet expression on your face. I smiled at you, and you smiled back at me, so deliberately and warmly! At that moment, I felt such a connection with you. That is a memory I will treasure for years.

After having you in our lives for four months, your daddy and I feel like we know you well. We can usually discern your cries. We can read when you're tired. We have learned what makes you smile, laugh, and coo. We have also discovered what makes you upset and pushes you past your limits. We know what toys you love and what will soothe you when you're upset.

At the same time, we still feel somewhat inadequate. Every time I think I can predict your schedule, it changes. Sometimes you cry and we cannot figure out the cause. This last week, you have woken up, crying, several times each night...perhaps you're beginning to cut teeth? I sometimes fret over whether I have made the right decision, and I always feel overcome with guilt and shame when those choices turn out to be wrong. It's only going to get harder.

Carter, I love being your mother. Your daddy has said that he has never seen me happier. We have difficult days for sure, but you seem to bring out the best in me. You challenge me to make better decisions, to take my focus off of myself, to seek Biblical wisdom. Some might say you were a missing piece of my life that I now have. But that implies that I was incomplete beforehand. I think you could compare each person to a diamond. It's whole, beautiful, and valuable to begin with, despite its rawness. But as flaws are chipped away, as new facets (such as marriage, motherhood, or other opportunities and roles) emerge, the diamond becomes more beautiful and reflects more light. I like to think that being your mother has added a new facet to my being. One that is refining me as well as bringing forth new beauty. And I pray I am reflecting God's light.

Carter, your daddy and I love you so very much. We are treasuring each day and looking forward to what lies ahead.

Happy 4 months!

Love,
Mommy


Carter and DaddyI am four months old!
Hey Bear, I have a secret.If my paci isn't in my mouth, my fingers are.Hey Mom, I can only hold this leaning pose for so long....
Falling!!!