Dear Joshua,

Today you turn 4 months old. I cannot believe how quickly you are growing up! You are learning all sorts of new tricks these days, and I know there are more coming very soon (you'll be rolling over before we know it. You were VERY close today!)

Josh, you are making lots of new noises lately. You have found your voice and you are experimenting with it. It is quite entertaining, and Daddy and I look at eachother and giggle while we listen to you. You are so cute! You are still making lots of razzberry noises all day long, and you are producing a lot of spit with them. In fact, you spit so much these days that you have to wear a bib all the time. Not exactly GQ, but it's necessary to keep your shirt from getting soaked during the day. Actually, I think you are teething already. Besides slobbering all over, you are putting everything you can find in your mouth (you're reaching for and grabbing everything now), you've been a bit whiny lately (which is understandable if you are, in fact, teething), and your sleep schedule has been messed up. You're waking up more during the night and not sleeping as well. You had been sleeping for 7-8 hours straight for a while. Now you're back down to 3-4 hours at a time.

Josh, just this last week you started to turn your head to look at me when I called your name. I think you're starting to recognize your name now! It's so fun to watch you grow and develop and learn...and this is just the beginning. You are really taking an interest when Daddy and I read "Goodnight Moon" to you at night too. You like to look at the pictures on the pages, and you even like to "help" turn the pages too. You're learning how books work! I love watching you do this, because it means you're learning more and more about the world you live in.

Daddy and I are very curious to find out how much you weigh, but we'll have to wait until your doctor's appointment on the 14th. I know you'll want to wait that long since you'll have to have more shots. :( Mommy is not looking forward to that one either, by the way.

This last month has been busy. Mere and Poppa came down from Michigan to visit you, and we got to celebrate your first Thanksgiving. We were supposed to go to North Carolina for Thanksgiving, but Daddy ended up getting very sick with the H1N1 (swine flu) virus, so we had to stay home. You were so good while Mommy cooked a small Thanksgiving dinner at home! I was so impressed. What I was even more impressed with is that you and I didn't get the flu from Daddy! Mommy is trying very hard to keep you healthy! So far, God has given you good health, and you have not been sick yet. Hopefully it will be a while yet before you get sick.

Mommy and Daddy just put up the Christmas tree recently too. I knew you'd like the tree and all its lights, because you seem enamored by plain lamps in the house. I was right about the Christmas tree lights. You love them and you enjoy staring at them. You really love looking at the colored lights on the small tree in the kitchen. :) That tree is just for you.

Joshua, we love you so much and we're so grateful that God has given you to us. You are such a good boy and you're so sweet. You are such an easy baby, and you are such a joy to take care of. We cannot wait to see what new things you learn this next month and we're looking forward to watching you taste solid foods in the next couple of months too.

We love you!
Love,
Mommy