4 months, 4 weeks old

After doing some research, we decided to start feeding him vegtables. Everything we'd seen suggested that the timetables given in the books were really just guidelines, and that not a lot of hard data is around about feeding infants, just children 2 years old and older.

So we decided to start with sweet potatoes. A small bit, on a spoon. He paused. Got a philisophical look on his face, and then grinned. So we kept giving him more. He lunged for each spoonful with a look of joy and greed on his cute little face. We finished the amount we'd brought out, and then sat back to wait. After a few days, he seemed fine. So we gave him the rest. He'd forgotten it, plainly, but once he tasted it again he ate with abandon.

Soon after, we decided to give him peas. Peas were an interesting experience. Seeing the spoon, he readily and happily opened his mouth, and then paused. The look of betrayal gave way to thoughtfulness and then acceptance. This was okay. It wasn't sweet potatoes, but it was okay. I made sure that when he ate a spoonful he knew I was happy with him, and that made everything better. The peas were thicker, so they didn't go through him with quite the speed that the sweet potatoes did, so we'll have to water them down a little, when we repeat the experience.

Griffin has learnt to turn himself onto his stomach from his back. He does it almost automatically now, which would be okay, except that he hates being on his stomach. So, as soon as he does it, he starts crying and rocking back and forth on his stomach. Unable to turn back onto his back, it becomes a game for us. I flip him over, he turns on his side like a little shrimp, and then flips onto his belly, and immediately starts screaming. What fun for me.

Griffin has discovered some new noises. One of them is like the laugh of that guy on Revenge of the Nerds, a sharp intake rather like gasping for air, which was very disconcerting the first time but is now funny. Combined with the big grin afterwards, even better. Another noise is a sharp, shrill shrieking, which isn't anything to indicate that he's upset.. it's just another noise he can make which he's discovered. We can make him do these by doing them to him first.. along with sticking out our tongue. We can get him to stick it out at us by doing it first, or by imitating him after he's done it. It's so incredibly cute that I've included a picture of it this time.

Luckily, Griffin has his father to take him outside. Griffin is fascinated with the leaves on the trees moving in the wind, traffic, wind on his face, ducks, and grass. He also seems to like the weather much better now that it's beginning to be cold. Just like his father!