My little Hunt-man

We've had nicknames for both of the boys. As a baby, Holden was always, "Bubbs." Don't ask; Jay started calling him that and it stuck. We also called him "Boss-Man" because he could boss a whole room of adults with a single whimper. :) Hunter has become "Chubbs," due to his adorable cheeks and thighs (sorry, buddy!) and one day Holden called him, "Hunt-man," and we've been calling him that ever since. Anyway, this post is for Hunt-man.

I can't believe my baby is almost 4 months old already. He is doing new things daily, and changing by the minute. I swear sometimes when I get him out of his crib in the morning, he has grown or looks older. Love, love, love my baby boy! This month has been really fun because he has started rolling and laughing. There's nothing like a baby belly laugh to make you smile. He was laughing and squealing when I took these. He has a lot more hair at this point than Holden did; maybe he won't lose it. It has also started to stick up like peach fuzz on the top of his head. :) I must add that I LOVE his loooong eyelashes. "Wasted on a boy," as they say, but they are beautiful!

Hunter adores his big brother! Holden gets more smiles and laughs out of him than anyone else. He will be crying, and Holden will walk up and say, "Hunt-man, whatcha think you're doin'?" and Hunter's face will split into a grin. If Holden is active, (which is most of the time!) Hunter will crane his little neck around or roll so that he is in a position to see him. I am so glad that they already love each other, and will have each other as a buddy as they grow.

Hunter and Mommy. He really likes to "fly" in the air now. Just watch out for the drool below!

Daddy pictures. As you can see, Daddy's genes are very strong. We definately know they are related. :) If you look closely at the pictures to the right and left, you can see that the top of Hunter's shirt is completely soaked. He has started teething very early; nothing to show for it yet, but I could fill a cup with the drool. He will take his tongue and push on his gums, chomp on his fingers, and is starting to be able to grab objects to chew on, including my thumb on occasions. Poor baby has a nasty diaper rash bothering him, which I think is a result of the teething. I don't think it's fair that such tiny little people have to suffer so many issues. Being a baby is hard!

Hunter rolls from his back to his tummy almost the instant you lay him on down these days. He is getting better at propping up on his arms and holding his head up for longer lengths of time, but then he tires out and gets mad. He can't get himself back over yet so someone, often Holden, has to come to his rescue and push him back over. Then he rolls and the game begins again. :) A lot of times, he is content to lay and rest on his tummy awhile, often sucking on his fingers. He won't take a paci, but he soothes himself with his middle and index fingers. His pinky, pointer, and thumb stick out on either side of his mouth. This is how he falls asleep, too.

Getting a drink from big brother. Holden is very helpful with "his baby."

My sweet boy. He is wearing 6-9 mo. clothes (can fit into some 3-6 still depending on the brand but they are snug), drinking 6 oz. of formula about every 3 hours, and naps about every 2 hrs. I just stopped nursing him at the 3.5 mo. mark. I always had to supplement as I just don't get much milk in, but I am proud I was able to do it much longer than with Holden. He loves his bottles and lets us know when he is overdue for one!

Recently, he started sleeping in his crib. Being that he is probably my last baby, I wanted to keep in the bassinet longer, but he is so long that his legs were sticking out the end! :) I am curious to see how many more inches he has grown since 3 mos; he was 25 inches then. I am guessing he is around 27 now. How we got a tall kid out of the two of us, I have no idea! Ha! He sleeps in his little wedge so that he doesn't roll and wake himself up, although he can still manage to get himself sideways in it, and sometimes on his tummy with a leg over it. Acrobat! The burp cloth is under his head since he drools so much, and usually he has padding under his tush because he pees soooo much, just like Holden did. I put him in Pampers Baby Dry diapers, which boast 12 hrs. of coverage. Yeah....not so much with my babies...after 3 hrs. his diaper is bulging and he wets through every time. I even tried doubling up and putting two diapers on him and he still leaked! I don't know if it's the way he positions himself or what. (?) He is still waking up once a night, usually around 2 or 3 am, and wanting a bottle. Half the time I think he wakes up because of his loaded diaper though, poor guy. I was hoping to have him sleeping all night before going back to school, but I don't think it's going to happen. And that's okay; this time I have the perspective of knowing how very quickly this baby time goes.

Hunter absolutely loves his swing! I am so glad we are getting more use out of it this time around, because Holden wasn't a big fan of it. I think Hunter has gotten used to it very early out of necessity; being a second child, he has to get put down more. When I put him in it, he immediately looks up at the spinning monkey and birds and starts babbling at them. He has found his voice recently, and it often sounds like some kind of prehistoric bird is in our living room! He is so LOUD! He will hang out in his swing very happily, and also falls asleep and naps well in it. (Like how the pacis are sitting on his tray even though he doesn't use them? I am always trying since it is so nice to be able to soothe a baby!)

This picture just makes me laugh. This was at my friend, Bridget's house, when we were over for a playdate recently. It's hard in the summer with such a young baby because he can't wear sunscreen yet, and doesn't handle the sun or the heat well. But being a second baby, he gets dragged along everywhere, so we have come up with many contraptions like this to keep him somewhat sheltered and cool. He is a good sport!

LOVE this picture!!! This sums up his personality well; sweet but also a bit ornery.

We love you, Hunter! You make life so much fun. We can't imagine it without you!