Signs of progress ... maybe

For a while there, Alex was doing great sleeping at night, going 10 hours on a regular basis and giving Mommy sweet, uninterrupted sleep. But then, about two weeks ago, the progress stopped and he began to regress, waking at about 3 a.m. to feed and then making noises and waking off and on from about 5 a.m. on. I've been told that regression can be indicative of a growth spurt or the onset of a major milestone. I really hope this is the case. Losing sleep would be made more bearable if he started flipping both ways or sitting up or prepping for his SATs.

In all honesty, though, Alex really is making progress day by day. It's amazing how much babies change in such a short amount of time. It is so much fun to watch as he discovers new and exciting abilities and things in his environment. It's a little sad, too, to think about how quickly it's going and that each "first" is, in a way, a "last" as well. But I keep telling myself we'll have another kid, so wait and get really sad when he or she has his or her "lasts."

Just in case you needed another reason to think that babies are God's greatest gift: Yesterday after I balanced the checkbook, I looked down at Alex, sighed, and said "oh, baby, we're running out of money." (Don't worry, we aren't really; I was being dramatic.) As I said this, he looked up at me with those beautiful baby blues and gave me the biggest grin. As if to say "I love you mommy! At least you have me!"

Here are some of Alex's newest favorite things to do:

1. Scream (I know I had this on the list last time, but he's taken it to a whole new level)
2. Pull things into his mouth (pacifier, blanket, stuffed lion, Mommy's fingers)
3. Push his bottle nipple out of his mouth (then get frustrated that he's not getting food; does this mean he's ready for solids?)
4. Squat thrusts (you know the dreaded exercise - he loves it)
5. Be Superbaby (It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's Superbaby!)
6. Be lifted in the air by his hands (Yes, this makes Granny very nervous, but Daddy is VERY gentle)
7. Blow rasberries
8. Pee in his eyes (Yes, still)
9. Watch sports on TV, especially golf (he was enthralled by the Masters)
10. Sport a mini-mullet (he's rubbed the hair off the back of his head, but left a tuft at the nape of his neck)

I'm glad my son isn't crookneck squash ...

Otherwise he would look like this:

The sad part is that this is the best-looking one. I guess it's good that I'm better at raising a baby than produce. Though, to be fair, the squash was looking a little sad before I even put it in the ground. Andy's peppers, on the other hand, are looking great.

This is our first stab at growing a vegetable garden (we haven't faired well with flowers in the past). Hopefully our friends and family can enjoy the fruits (or veggies) of our labor in a couple months.

On to Alex news ...

We took Alex to his first Auburn football game on Saturday. We promised him the Tigers would win no matter what (it was the A-Day game), but he still didn't enjoy it. I don't know if it was the crowd, the noise, the blazing heat, or the sunlight, but he was not a happy camper (can't you tell by the picture?). It was his first time in Alabama heat and it appears he has his father's distaste for humidity. But he did look awfully cute in all orange.

He had his 4-month checkup today and weighs in at 16 lbs, 7 ounces. He is 26 inches long. He is doing great. He and Andy have formed a bond and, while I am a little jealous, any parent (or anyone who loves their family, for that matter) will tell you that there is something special about seeing those you love the most happiest in one other's company. Here is a list of Alex's favorite things to do:

1. Clench his fists so hard it's impossible to clip his nails

2. Lock his legs

3. Smile in the mornings and tell us what's on his mind

4. Fuss in the evenings and tell us what's on his mind

5. Flirt with strangers by smiling shyly and turning his head away while maintaining eye contact (it works well with the ladies)

6. Suck on everything in sight, from his paci to our shirt collars

7. Listen to Sullivan howl and bark (it's weird, sometimes it's the only way to get him to quit crying)

8. Try to stuff his entire fist in his mouth

9. Poot loudly and frequently in the mornings, especially when he stretches

10. Drool