20 weeks.

Dear Beck,

I know, 20 weeks does not seem like a particularly important milestone age, but ohmygoodness is there a lot happening right now! I feel like your dad and I are noticing new behaviors all the time. In fact, I started reading this book called "Wonder Weeks". It talks about the various cognitive milestones in a baby's development and how there are certain ages where babies go through huge spurts that result in major advancements in their abilities. Well, it's all pretty darn interesting but I was mostly thinking it was another book to make parents feel better about why their baby may be 'fussy' at various points. 'Fussy' that's the nice way of saying crabby, which you have been lately. But then I read the chapter on the 19 week 'wonder week' and read the list of behaviors that we might start seeing. At the beginning of last week, we weren't seeing a lot of them... But, after three very fussy days home with you, I started noticing more and more of them!!! Seriously. It actually creeped me out a little.

So, things you're doing now that you weren't a week ago...
-touching faces
-grabbing toys smoothly and passing from one hand to the other
-throwing toys on the floor, hurrah
-studying your hands and chewing on them too
-grabbing our hands and putting them in your mouth too
-Noticing Lita, staring at Lita, reaching out to touch Lita!
-holding your own bottle, sometimes and only until it's about a 1/4 full because you cannot tilt it that much yet...dad caught this one since you're still not getting bottles from me
-I also converted your activity center to the bouncer this week so you've been enjoying that in short doses. Today, for the first time, we saw you bounce

I'm sure I'm forgetting things already...

Also... On Friday while you spent the day with Oma, she discovered that your first tooth had arrived!!!

So yeah, kiddo, it was a rough week, but you've grown so much over the course of it! You're still chewing like crazy and have been 'fussy' so I wouldn't be surprised if tooth number two is also on its way.

Yesterday we also attended your cousin Tyler's fourth birthday party! You were a trooper despite not napping while we were there. And yes, you are officially bigger at 20 weeks than your nine month old cousin, Charley. Heh.

I know there are even more good things on the way. Keep growing, munchkin.