Baby Hercules

Over the past few weeks, Dominic has discovered the infinite possibilities of opposing thumbs, and as a result he has started grabbing and holding on to just about everything (including his diapers, so every changing time now involves a game of tug-of-war. Do I need to mention that Dominic nearly always wins?)

Thanks to those fantastic opposing thumbs, he can carry his playmat around with him:

As mentioned in an earlier post, Dominic is now enjoying tummy-time very much indeed, which is a huge relief to his parents and other innocent bystanders who no longer hear the wails of distress that used to accompany time spent on his belly. In fact, Dominic now likes tummy time so much that he seems to be trying to roll over from his back to his stomach (instead of the more traditional "stomach to back" rolling over):

Thanks to both the introduction of solids into Dominic's diet (and accompanying carrot puree in various crevices) as well as frequent drooling during tummy-time, baths are now more important than ever. Having thoroughly explored the subject of "hands", Dominic has now moved onto contemplation of his feet - particularly in the bath, when he takes aim and splashes strategically.


However, it is becoming more and more apparent that Dominic may be close to outgrowing his baby tub. We're wondering if the building will let us install a Jacuzzi.

If it quacks like a duck ...

it might be a purple stuffed snake.

Last Saturday, we had a lovely morning visit with Andrew and Catherine, during which they provided us with many tales of Karl, who was, sadly, absent, although apparently having an excellent time with his grandparents. David and I were both on an information-gathering mission: David wanted to know whether two-year-olds take naps and I wanted to know if they still get excited when their mothers come home from work. David and I were happy to hear that the answers to our questions were yes and yes! Dominic spent most of the visit napping in his swing, but he did provide a nice view of his cheeks to everyone.

After Catherine and Andrew left, Dominic's Papa and Grandma Betty arrived for a visit. As you can see from the following video, Papa had been practicing his quacking abilities and Dominic was very appreciative! (We've noticed that he seems quite partial to both of his grandfathers - I'm still of the opinion that he sees their lack of hair as similar to his own, and that they are, therefore, kindred spirits!)

After all the playing, Dominic was exhausted and went to sleep in Papa's arms.

Milestones ...

Dominic was four months old on February 22nd. When we took him to the doctor last week for his monthly visit, he weighted in at 20 lbs and measured 28.3 inches (72 cm) - he was too long to fit into the normal scale in the exam room and we had to carry him, clad only in his diaper, to a different exam room with a larger scale. He was also given three shots and an oral polio vaccine, all of which he experienced with his usual sang-froide (in fact, his reaction to having his clothes put back on was much stronger than his reaction to having needles stuck into his thighs!)

But the most important result of our visit to the doctor was that Dominic has now graduated to solid foods. So far (since Saturday, March 1st) he's only experienced rice cereal (which tastes not unlike like the pieces of wet cardboard that sometimes get stuck onto the tops of the containers of take-out meals) and carrots (which taste like carrots.)

Below is a video of Dominic's very first meal. As you can see, the initial mouthfuls were not terribly happy, but he soon got the hang of the spoon and the bowl and took to it like an old pro. (We think he's been watching us and maybe getting tips from Cousins Marco and Gayatri as well.)

At a subsequent meal, Dominic attempted to bypass the spoon entirely and dive right into the bowl of cereal, and his carrot-based meals have resulted in a impressive orange collage on Dominic's mouth, his bib, his sleeve, his mother's sleeve, and his grandmother's shoulder. In short, he loves his solids!