Dear Sage 4 months,

(I am blaming the lateness of this entry on my returning to work. It was written at your 4 month birthday but not posted until now… sorry)

Hello my darling baby. You are truly a mystery to me. How is it that you are so calm and relaxed, easy-going and not easily shaken? You barely even cry. How did two people like your Daddy and me make something as centered and peaceful as you? I am aware that you are changing every day. Maybe this month is the peaceful month but whether this time is fleeting or here to stay, I am in awe of you. Your life with us does demand some moments of discomfort but you take them in such stride. I am sad to admit that this month you burned your big toe on the bottom of the egg pan but you squealed for only a second! You get squished when your clothes come off and you roll with it. You scrunch up your face just a little to share your mild dissatisfaction but it never lingers. Your head has been bumped while getting out of the car and you don’t even cry. You certainly don’t take after my dramatic nature so maybe this comes from your Dad?

This month was home to two major milestones and more adventures. Just as you turned 3 months and 1 week old you rolled over from your stomach to your back. Then 5 days before your 4 month birthday you rolled from your back to your stomach. I was especially proud of your second accomplishment because it was one you had been working on for some time. You would roll from your back, on to your side and would get stuck there… your arm blocking your ability to go all the way over. But in the classroom, as your Granny and I were getting it ready for the start of the year, you made it all the way over. These days when you are on your tummy, you push up so high into an upward facing dog pose. It’s just great. You are strong, alert, and proud. This month you spent time in the Pacific North West at your Grandparent’s vacation home on Orcas Island where you went on more hikes, went sailing, and canoeing. For your Daddy’s birthday we went back to camp at Lake Lopez where you got to meet Avery and Zealand for the first time. You also got on the paddleboard for the first time too.

This was a big milestone month but it was also a big month in other ways. I have gone back to work and you have started at the Saint Margaret’s Wee Tartan Day Care Center. You go there three days a week and are with your Auntie G the other two. Both sets of caregivers have reported back to me with a variety of adjectives the most common being “She is so easy!” Stephanie in the Wee Tartans, described you as having “a gentle soul.” You are happy at the Wee Tartans watching the other children move around you. It’s like you’re watching a tennis match as your head whips back and forth watching Declan and Abigail run from one side of the room to the other. The children are very sweet to you as are your caregivers. On your first day 8 month-old Henry gave you CPR for fun. He had your nose and mouth in his mouth and loved every second of it. I let you stew in this for a moment to see how you would respond. You scrunched up your face like you just ate something sour and shook your head from side to side. We are happy to report that your first kiss repulsed you. Not only have you been licked and slobbered on by Henry but you have also been loved in the same way by Mauricio’s dog Ponch. You don’t seem to mind it when Ponch drools on you and we don’t either. All this fun is good for your immune system. Which brings me to your next milestone… the first cold. You have gotten your first cold, and just like the way you handle everything else in your life, you pushed right through it. After a fussy day at Auntie G’s house, you slept for almost 11 hours and woke up with a big smile on your face. Good job Sage.

Your hands are continuing to reach and grab, you are exploring the world with your mouth, and are getting my more adept at your depth perception. You were eating breakfast on your Daddy’s lap and you managed to flip his plate and all his food right on top of the both of you. You are getting faster at grabbing and enjoy trying to get your hands on whatever comes near you. When you are lying on your back and a toy is held above you, you are much more accurate and quicker to bring your arms up and fingers to grasp it. My hair is still a favorite choice.

This month you also took your first two dips in the Ocean. You enjoyed the water rushing up over your legs and belly and didn’t mind the temperature in the least. Again, we are thrilled! You have also enjoyed a few more dips in the pool. I hope the warm weather continues through the fall so we can spend more time in the water together, especially the ocean.

Your language development is getting more and more fun because you are repeating our sounds and saying things that sound like “hi,” and “hello.” These sounds are in response to us saying them to you so your ability to mimic has the added benefit of making it sound like you are talking to us.

Physically it looks like you are taking after your Daddy, tall and thin, and your head seems to still be coming from me, nice and big! At your 4 month appointment you weighed 14 lbs 6 ounces and are in the 50^th percentile for weight. You are 25 inches long in the 75^th percentile for height. Your head is in the 99^th percentile.

To us you are perfect in every way, your adorable belly, soft squishy legs, curious eyes, big open mouth gummy smile… they just melt us to pieces.

Here’s to another unforgettable month.

Sage and Avery

Sage and Daddy at Lake Lopez

First time on a paddleboard!

You visited REI headquarters in Seattle!

Visting with a deer in Oracs

Pool Time!

Waterfall Hike

You in my favorite little outfit

View from the hotel in Orcas

First sailing trip

hazards of baby wearing! You are completely asleep in this picture!

At the top of Mount Constitution in Orcas

At the beach in San Clemente. Down the street from our house

Camping at Lake Lopez

Smelling a chocolate croissant at a bakery at Pikes Place Market in Seattle.

Daddy and you in REI in Seattle trying on backpacks. Just confirming that the Deuter one is the one we want!

Dear Sage at 3 months

The title of your 3 month letter really should be The Big Smile. That is what you do most these days and it always makes us laugh and smile in return. Your smiles, laughter, and little mumbles bring so much happiness to our lives and are definitely the quickest ways to get our complete and undivided attention! Not only does it capture the attention of your adoring parents but your smiles and laughs also capture the attention of strangers. You are not shy and when people approach us to admire and talk to you, you often answer back with a big grin which brightens their day.

This month played host to your first big travel adventure. Your trips to Lake Tahoe, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, and Italy proved that you are easy going and happy just about anywhere. Unless you are tired… then you explode with bursts of crying and sometimes shrieks loud enough to make me concerned about potential hearing loss. The climax of the fit happens seconds before you quickly descend into a deep slumber. We are getting better at anticipating your needs and try to give you many opportunities for naps on the go. With how much we love to get out and be active, we are hoping you will keep your talent for falling asleep just about anywhere. As long as your have a lap, a wrap, or something bouncing and moving, we can almost always count on you being able to fall asleep. I hope starting daycare doesn’t get you accustomed to only napping in a cozy bed!

You have found your hands and enjoy sticking different combinations of fingers and sometimes even your whole fist in your mouth. Your hands have also discovered things to grab like the wooden toys we bought for you in Germany, your blanket, and my hair. You are so fun to watch as you figure out how to move your arms and then your hands to grab the wooden toy that dangles from your car seat. For something that will so soon come without thinking, it’s amazing how much concentration it takes as you build your fine motor skills. You switch between relaxed hands reaching out and exploring the world and balled up little fists you hold in front of your face and chest like a boxer. Your new grabbing skills are especially fun when we are walking through the airport, my hands are full, and you grab big fistfuls of by hair. I am completely at your mercy, whispering “ouch, ouch” while bending over in different directions trying to get you to let go.

This month also marked the first time you started paying attention to and enjoying books. You especially like the Sandra Boynton book “Moo, Baa, La, La, La.” Something about the characters in that book make you very happy. You aren’t that interested in my favorite, “Dr. Seuss ABCs” but I guess we have many years ahead to help you fall in love with that one. In addition to books, you also love music and visited your first live symphony in Munich where you fell asleep during the second movement of Dvorak’s New World Symphony. That made me especially happy. We always have music playing for you in the house and it varies greatly in style. Our Pandora station has jazz, classical guitar, contemporary singer/songwriters, classical masterpieces, Jimmy Buffet, and Mommy’s least favorite… the kid’s station. I am hoping to keep your enjoyment of corny kid’s music to a minimum because I will be much happier, especially in the car, if we can enjoy similar music! Now I just have to convince Daddy to stop playing it for you. I will do just about anything to make you happy but I am afraid music might be a hard compromise . I sing to you all the time and you have started to occasionally use your voice to sing along. It is so funny to hear you try and sing with me. I like your voice much better than mine so I am always ready to stop and give you a turn. Your favorite song is without question Rainbow Connection, but when I get tired of singing that one I also sing You’ve Got a Friend in Me, Sweet Baby James, and Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

You still sleep with us and we love it. Daddy has decided that you aren’t leaving our bed until your 14^th birthday. Ha ha. It will be interesting to see who tires of the co-sleeping first. You or us. I have a feeling it will be you! Although, you have started sleeping like you were in the middle of making a snow angel and froze at the widest part. It is absolutely adorable but unfortunately doesn’t leave much room in the bed for us. I am hoping that when we move we will invest in a king size bed so we can all spread out bit more, until then we might have to get back into swaddling so we can keep your wingspan limited to the width of your body.

One of my favorite things to do with you is to kiss your soft cheeks. They are like plump little dinner rolls ready to be nibbled and I just can’t get enough of them. Your entire body is covered what feels like fine silk, I haven’t felt anything softer in my life and we just can’t stop kissing and snuggling with you. You also have the loveliest and most intoxicating smell. Sometimes after kissing your cheeks I burrow my head in your neck or against the top of your fuzzy head and breathe in… trying to make the moment last forever. I know this time will pass and I will miss it dearly. So for now, I snuggle with you, hold you, and kiss you as often as I can.

Your hair is coming in, getting longer and growing straight up. I can’t tell what color its gong to be yet. From some angles it looks dark brown but from other angles when the sun hits it, it looks like it might have the potential of lightening up. I am hoping you get the same hair your Daddy had when he was a baby… bleach blonde… but we’ll have to wait and see. On your 3 month birthday your Daddy and I gave him a buzz cut so you two could look a little more alike. I’m not sure if it helped but at least now you have the same haircut.

Your love of the outdoors and love of water hasn’t changed. Walking outside and looking at the sunlight sparkling through the trees always calms you. When we were in Munich you loved being carried around in Erdi’s backyard and would start to cry when we would come back into the house. Fortunately for you, Erdi, Alex, Peter, and I would take turns keeping you outside and happy. Bath time or shower time is still a favorite place to play and we are excited to move you into the pool this fall for swim lessons.

This life with you is such a joy. You make us happier than ever before. Thank you for all you give us. We love you.