Sixteen Weeks

It is hard to believe our little man is sixteen weeks old.  When is it we will stop counting the weeks and move to months?  Really, we have started saying Levi is 3 months old, but keeping up with the weeks is fun, too.  There may be some of you reading this who might not believe this, but Kevin and I can both be worriers.  Saturday afternoon, Kevin and I were giving Levi some tummy time.  I had recently started "rolling" Levi from one end of a blanket to the other to show him how to roll over - a concept he still hasn't quite grasped.  Kevin asked when Levi should be able to roll over; I thought rolling over was something he should have already grasped because so many people ask us if he does it.  So, we started worrying that Levi was developmentally delayed but decided we better check the book, What to Expect the First Year, to see where Levi stands.  So, here goes.  

By the end of the third month (and Levi still has a little less than two weeks to get there), Levi "should be able to": lift his head 45 degrees while on his stomach, check; follow an object in an arc about 6 inches above his face, check. 

Levi "will probably be able to":  laugh out loud, check; lift his head up 90 degrees while on his tummy, check; squeal in delight, only sometimes; bring both hands together, check (this is relatively new, he's reaching for everything, even his paci, which he tries to put into his mouth or helps me put it there); smile spontaneously, check; follow an object in an arc for 180 degrees, check.  

Levi "may possibly be able to": hold head steady when upright, check when he is alert that is; raise his chest supported by his arms while on his tummy, check; roll over (one way), nope; grasp a rattle held at the backs or tips of his fingers, check; pay attention to a very small object, haven't really tried that one.  

Levi "may even be able to": bear some weight on his legs while held upright, check; reach for an object, check; keep head level with body when pulled to sitting, working on it; turn in the direction of a voice, sometimes; say ah-goo or similar vowel-consonant sounds, check; razz, not quite.  

Well, I guess you could say that Kevin and I slightly overreacted.  We actually got a good laugh at ourselves.  The joys of being first-time parents...  Truthfully, we are continually amazed at our little boy.  The Lord has entrusted us with such a wonderful gift.  We are so blessed.