Always Growing: New Motor Skills

I can report to you slightly after 4 months and you are able to shake a rattle. You show strong understanding as to the concept of shaking the rattle in order to make sound, and in the concept of like items that are rattles that make this noise. You have a monkey face on a fabric stick sort of rattle and you prefer to shake it slowly back and forth harvesting out of it a soothing sound. Also, your favorite toy Squirtle the Turtle, has a mirror in his belly and a rattle for each of his four feet. You shake him back and forth the length of your torso to create the similar sound from him.

You also have a third, a hard plastic rattle that came as a fixture to a play surface we got for you. It can be separated and this is how you prefer to play with this toy. As you can also use the hard plastic as a sort of teething ring. Did I mention your teething as of now.....

Your ability to get up a crawl around is all but near around the corner for you at this time. Indeed you are learning new and interesting motor skills at an exponential pace. I seek that you would find such great excitement as your son also begins shaking a rattle with meaning. With complete understanding as to the concept of shaking that rattle, and how he is now become a "little scientist". Guard him dearly!

Teething

It has apparently become plainly apparent to me that the process of teething is quite an ordeal for a young little man such as yourself. Times that call for a soothing patient approach from a kind loving hand. Teething rings which are commercially available can be placed in the freezer giving a cooling, ache relieving effect for a time. There also, is a relief which comes from using large pieces of beef jerky which we allow you to chew on, UNDER CLOSE SUPERVISION. All little bits of jerky which you manage to break off are promptly discarded.

We are told that a slight fever is never anything to be massively concerned with during this process of teething, and we have noted a slight rise in your typical temperature during this time. Where you generally rest around 98.7 degrees now you will on occasion reach temperatures of 99.1. There is not much else we can do to ease your trials on this one except for to be there, talk to you in soothing tone, and hold you to take your mind off the aches which are brought about by this process of your little baby teeth breaking through the surface of your gums.

Your mother and I can not as of yet see the first little nubs of teeth, however we keep a watchful eye out in anticipation that there will be visible signs of teeth soon. Your hardened gums along with all of the other accumulated signs of teething bring us to this assumption. It is a passage that every man and woman alike take on the great adventure towards adulthood and there is not much need in making it out to be any more than what it is. You will get through it son, all in your own good time, and we are here to guide and assist you through each day of it.

When there are signs of first teeth, and when your first encounter with the tooth fairy occur I am certain you will find mention of each of the events here in this chronicle. Just as there are also many other milestones along the way which will each be worthy of it's own mentioning.