"Four" the Record

Baby Frankie is four months old already... where did the time go? Most days, it feels like he's growing right before our eyes, and at the rate he is growing, we're probably right. The little monster, as Mommy likes to call him, gained three pounds and grew three inches in two months. At his four month checkup, he weighed in at 15 lbs 8 oz and was 25 inches long. He's in the 65th percentile for height, which is virtually unheard of in this family!

 Dr. Bertson is amazed by Frankie's strength he can sit up with assistance, and he can hold himself up in the Bumbo. His head is no longer shakey, and he's making attempts to roll over. Frankie is grabbing toys and picking them up to put in his mouth. It's so wonderful to watch him learn to do new things. He's starting to giggle, and as expected, it's one of the best sounds we've ever heard. He's quite a talkative guy, which should come as no surprise in this family, and he loves to coo and babble with Mommy, Daddy and especially TJ.

Those two boys are going to be quite the pair. From the beginning, we've seen a special connection between Frankie & TJ. Even when he was just a few weeks old, Frankie's most awake time was when TJ was home from school. He'd sit in the bouncer and just follow TJ with his eyes, watching him play and taking in his every move. Now, it's TJ who is able to draw the biggest smiles on his baby brother's face. His eyes just light up when TJ talks to him. And, TJ is so sweet with his little brother. He's very attentive to him, helping Mommy and Daddy, and making sure to include him in everything. TJ will be playing with his toys, and then, out of the blue, get up, walk over to Frankie, kiss his forehead, and return to playing without saying a word. Melts our hearts.

TJ's reaction to his baby brother has been the easiest part of having two children. He's so grown up, and he continues to amaze us with everything he does. His vocabulary is phenomenal, and he's able to write all the letters of the alphabet on his own. We've started working on reading with him, and there are moments when he picks it up and can read words. Not consistently, but it's there. The other day when we were in target he said, "Hey guys, we should go over there to the exit." We looked up and sure enough, he was pointing to an area with an exit sign. When Mommy asked him how he knew that was an exit, he replied, "Because it has an E and an X and an I and a T." We had to point it out to him that he actually read that word. Amazing.

Last week, we were lucky to host Cousin Greg who was in town from D.C. We were so happy he was able to meet Baby Frankie and have some playtime with TJ. It was a short visit, but we can't wait to see him again and get the boys together with their cousin Izzy!

We're excited to travel back to Colorado this week to celebrate Frankie's baptism. It'll be so nice to visit with family and friends we haven't seen in a while. Big Frankie is looking forward to taking Jonas out on the lake for some fishing, and TJ can't wait to play with Jack!