Four Months Old

No new pictures to post today. On Sunday, though, Brennan turned four months old. He has been developing a lot over the last few weeks -- changing before our eyes. No major developmental milestones really -- he's just becoming ever more alert, and he loves reaching out for and grabbing things. I'll have to get a video of him playing with some of his noisy toys that he grabs and shakes.

We didn't have any gifts for Brennan for turning four months old, but he had a little gift for us. Sunday night, he crashed around 7:15 pm, and slept in until 7:30 am (and even then, he wasn't fussing, just hanging out in his crib when we went in to check on him when we woke up). Then Monday night, he slept through the night again, not making a peep until I came and got him around 6:45 because I was up anyway. Brennan had slept through the night on a few random occasions over the last month or two, but never two nights in a row, so we're hoping this becomes a habit! It's great to walk into his room in the morning with him just hanging out waiting patiently for us, and then greeting us with a big smile when we walk in (as opposed to what he'd do a few weeks ago -- waking up at the first hint of sunlight and crying until we came in and picked him up).

The last few weeks

It's been a while since we posted. Papa went back to work on May 20 during a very busy time at work. There were a lot of late nights at work those first couple weeks back, but things have improved since. Brennan has been going to a family day care the last 2 1/2 weeks, which he enjoys. Only one week more then Daddy will be home to take care of him. The whole family care thing has sort of thrown his schedule for a loop -- he crashes earlier now, and he's gotten on this smaller-but-more meals kick. One of daddy's tasks when we is home from work will be to undo these habits and get Brennan eating some bigger meals. With us both at work these last few weeks, we haven't had much time for pictures. We did get a bunch of pictures a few Fridays ago when Daddy's friends from Brimmer through Brennan a shower:






Opening presents:






And of course, a couple of videos from the last week or two. First, Brennan "standing up":





Some giggling with daddy:



Lounging around:



The next few weeks are going to be a lot of fun. Daddy will be home with Brennan and they are going to take some classes together. Daddy's birthday is next week. We also have our first Father's Day coming up! In three weeks is Brennan's dedication. A bunch of our friends here in Boston will be there to celebrate with us, along with some friends and family who are coming in from out of town. Patrick's parents, Aunt Yvonne, and Uncle Bill are coming as well as Carl's good friends Adrienne, Sarah, Nikki, and Nikki's daughter Ella. Carl and Brennan will also taking the girls to Maine and to Newport, RI when they are in town.

The last 11 days

Papa has been enjoying the tail end of his leave time with Brennan very much -- going to parks, the grocery store, and other fun outings. And even trying to sneak the camera out to catch a good smile:



Hanging out with Daddy last week:


Papa taking a few videos while hanging out with Brennan last week:






Playing with Daddy after he got home from work and getting distracted by the camera:



Some more playing with Papa on Papa's last few days of leave (I'm sure we'll have more videos of Daddy when he's home with Brennan!)








This past weekend, Aunt Amy came to visit. Amy brought Brennan a new toy, which he loves:


On Saturday afternoon, we went to a park in Arlington that overlooks the burbs & the city. It has a great playground too that Brennan can't wait to play on with his cousins.






The view from overlook park





Chillin back at home:

Rolling Over & Other Stuff

Brennan rolled over from tummy to back for the first time this weekend. He had done this on mattresses before, but this was the first time on a harder surface. Of course, after he did it once and we got out the camera, Brennan denied our first attempt at getting this achievement on video:




We tried again, this time with success:




After that, it was easy:




But all this work had a minor side effect:




A few pictures to post too. Brennan has been smiling like crazy lately, but every time we bring out (or even reach for) the camera, he drops the smile. Here's my best attempt at capturing the smile yesterday:


Here's Brennan sitting on Papa's lap at dinner. He likes to sit with us at the table and watch us eat. We're going to set up the high chair soon.


I had a little better success at capturing some smiles today:



Hanging out watching hockey with Papa:


Hanging out on the floor:

Finally another update

Much has happened since we last posted. Carl went back to work on April 22, so Brennan and I have been home having some fun. The weather became great right around the same time, so we've been going to a bunch of parks, going on long walks, and opening the windows to enjoy the breeze. Brennan continues to grow and get strong and smarter. We weighed him using the Wii Fit a few days ago -- he's about 14 1/2 pounds. Now when we put him down for a nap or to sleep at night, when we check on him, we find he has moved himself around in his crib. And he can very slowly move during tummy time, as he kicks his legs and reaches with his arms. He probably moves a couple inches a minute -- not exactly crawling, but a good start! He smiles like crazy. He smiles when he's done with a nap and you pick him up from his crib; he smiles when he's just cuddling and looking up at you. And over the last week, he's started giggling. The time he giggles the most is when you're changing him -- he finds this amusing for some reasons. He giggles pretty hard when you fuss with his arms to get them in and out of his shirts (ticklish a little?).

Here are some pictures and videos from the last few weeks.

Here's a big smile just hanging out on the floor (one of Brennan's favorite hobbies):


Brennan also loves just hanging out on the couch with Papa:


Although he stays awake a lot more in his carseat when we take him on walks or to the grocery store, he still occasionally ends up in nap mode when strapped in:


Stopping by Priscilla last Sunday: (Look how big he looks!)


Greeting Daddy when he gets home from work:


Brennan loves just kicking his legs and his arms around while on the floor:




Brennan really does giggle a lot, but every time we take out the camera to capture it, he gets distracted by the camera. Below is our best attempt so far at capturing the giggle: