Poor Martin's Almanac: A Nostalgia for Jack (at Four Months)

At four months, Jack has gone through some changes, to say the least. He is currently sporting three different hair colors – brown on top, blond around the sides and back, and red on his neck. Red is holding its ground but brown is surrounded and, frankly, Ann is hoping blond sends it into full retreat soon. His eyes have changed a fair amount, too. They started the month with a tint of brown but now lean toward blue, green, or hazel on alternating days. I don't mind a blond, blue-eyed baby that looks nothing like me – really. Not so long as he takes care of me when I'm old. ;)

In light of the sometimes difficult first weeks, and the intense learning curve we've struggled with since he was born, July has been fantastic. Jack has been a blast. He's been in a near constant good mood, quick to laugh, quicker still to smile, and finally interactive enough to play with. It's sometimes hard to remember those sleep-deprived first days. But we really want to remember Jack as he is now – it's a "nostalgia for the present" that I, sadly, feel every morning when I drop him off with his granny-nanny and that I suspect Ann feels every afternoon when she picks him up again.

“I don’t know about the rest of you
But I feel a tremendous nostalgia,
Not for the past,
Rather, nostalgia for the present.”
-Andrei Voznesensky

Now, by popular demand, some firsts from Jack's fourth month

Jack first vacation.
He discovered Sparky. Sparky didn't notice.
He discovered his ears. They noticed.
He discovered the TV. We noticed.
Jack held his first Diet Mountain Dew bottle. He is now officially Xtreme.
He's rockin' out at night in his Bumbo.
Jack advanced to level 2 bottle nipples. We like to think of this in video game / RPG terms: Jack is now a level 2 human. His new skills include grabbing, laughter, volume, advanced babbling, advanced sleeping, and advanced drooling.
He also advanced to the next size of diapers (16-28lbs).
Jack had his first trip to the river – Riverside Park and Riverside Landing along the Chattahoochee.

And, of course, we have pictures. Enjoy!

Jack sitting up in his Bumbo, drool at the ready