Drew turned 4 months old this week- we can't believe how quickly he is growing! (Both in a literal, physical, way and a more developmental one.) He weighed in at 18 and a half pounds this week at the doctor's- holy moly. Let me just say that I have the buffest arms I've ever had in my life, but even so my body is struggling to gain the muscle as fast as he's gaining the weight, and he's definitely a heavy load to truck around all day long. I'm definitely going to have long-term back problems that I can blame on him! When we showed up at our Lamaze class reunion he was the youngest baby but also the largest- although one of the other dads said he has met a baby their age that is bigger than Drew, so at least we can be comforted that he's not Guinness Book of World Records large!

People constantly assume he's a couple of months older than he is, as a result of his size and also the nosiness factor- he's fascinated with what people are doing and is very aware of others, an alertness that is not always shared by other babies his age. And of course we're not biased when we say that he's incredibly developed for his age... What he's up to and doing these days: He can sit up unsupported for brief periods of time, although he does tend to tip if you're not close by to catch him. He can roll over but seems completely uninterested in developing this skill, so it only happens sporadically. He is, however, determined to begin walking as soon as possible. He likes to be standing up pretty much all day long if feasible. I hate to break it to him but I think simple physics alone will preclude that for some time- his legs are still very bowed and his weight distribution is not exactly going to help him overcome that yet. But I'm sure he'll get there eventually, if not quite as soon as he's hoping (aka now).

He is also BIG into sticking everything he can find into his mouth and is particularly fascinated with everything we stick in our mouths, so we think he's trying to tell us that he's ready for food already. I would be happy to wait a bit longer on that front as it poses a whole new set of logistic challenges, but one can hardly deny his eagerness, so we will most likely start to head in that direction soon. Also, on a sad note, he has begun the painful process of teething- nothing breaking through yet but he's quite uncomfortable, and understandably grumpy as a result. Hopefully it will be swift and get less painful with time.

He has all kinds of classes and other baby friends to hang out with, which he now thoroughly enjoys- he's started groping other babies in the face and thinks they're incredibly amusing, so it's really fun to get him together with them and see him begin to form his own relationships with others. It's amazing to think about how quickly all of the things he does have come about, and that just four months ago he was a teeny tiny newborn!

I'd give an update on what's new in my life, but, well, I just did. Being a stay at home mom is GREAT- we're really enjoying all of our time together and I feel even busier than when I was working (no evenings, nights, or weekends off!) which means that I'm far from bored. Andy's big news is that he is going to start business school in a few months- he accepted admission into Indiana University's MBA program and is very excited that he'll be doing that in the near future- another level of chaos in our lives but a great opportunity for him and one that stimulates his passion to keep learning.

We posted some more recent photos of Drew from the past few weeks- here's one of my favorites: