Four Months

Four Months


Not a lot to post about lately, but Cooper had his four-month checkup this past week, and once again everything went swimmingly. His current notable numbers and percentiles:

  • Weight: 16lb 6.5oz (66%)
  • Head Circ: 16.73″ (72%)
  • Height: 26.75″ (97%)

Basically his weight and head size are normalizing, but he’s still very tall. I still envision a 6’9″ 15-year-old…

Everything else went well until the shots came–three needles and a vial of goo to drink–and although he didn’t enjoy them, I think they were a bit less traumatic than the two-month volley. He certainly seemed less irritated by the injection sites that evening and the next day.

In any case, we’re moving closer and closer to the really big milestone of daycare. Not exactly sure how I feel about that.

Six weeks!

For those checking in, it’s time for a little update. Thursday was Cooper’s six-week mark, and by all accounts he’s doing everything he’s supposed to be doing.

First off, in the measurable areas, he’s up to 13lb 1oz, which is right on track for the 1oz/day gain we’re looking for. A length measurement is just a little trickier – we need to give it a try when he’s not so wiggly – but he’s probably at or a little past 24 inches.

And then there are the developmental milestones. I’m sure that nearly every parent gushes about how smart and ahead of the curve in some way or another, so I’ll apologize now if I sound predictably proud. But Cooper’s hitting all of his milestones… and then some.

Looking at the lists at WebMD, here’s where Coop’s at:

Cognitive
Here I’d say he’s right on track, in the 2-month group. He’s starting to understand that there’s a cause and effect to his behavior, although mostly it’s understanding that crying makes us respond. There’s subtle differences also in his body language and actual cries depending on what’s wrong (wants food/diaper/swaddle). He tracks objects well and often turns to look when people enter or leave a room. Different voices also seem to register with him pretty easily, especially new voices.

Social/language
Likewise, the 2-month description sums it up pretty well: “Coos, squeals, and gurgles; smiles responsively; shows emotions, like delight or distress; quiets self with thumb; holds eye contact; studies faces and vaguely mimics facial gestures; tracks moving persons.”

Of course, the emotions are still pretty binary right now – happy and content or fussing and crying – but they’re easy to recognize, and he knows we’re listening.

Physical
Here’s where the kid is impressing us most. From the start, we’ve noted that he’s STRONG. He’s not keen on doing tummy time, but when he does, he’s already able to push up and keep his head aloft. He also controls his head remarkably well when sitting upright, but he was able to lift his head almost from day one, so that’s not too much of a surprise.

The thing he’s most ahead of the curve on is leg strength. If he gets a solid surface beneath his feet, he instinctively pushes off. Holding him upright, arms under his arms, he will push himself to a standing position and stay there. Occasionally he will even attempt to ‘walk,’ stepping forward one leg after the other, which is amazing and terrifying all at once.

I’m going to bet this kid is standing and walking well before he’s supposed to.

The dog is in trouble.