4 Months

(This post was written at 4 months. The photos were taken at 4 months. But the photos and writing just now made it together!)

Month 4 has been exciting and exhausting...and we've loved it!

 Hey there, internets!

 I'm a goofy boy!

 And I smile really big when I slide down in the chair. Who needs to sit up, anyway??

We had our 4 month visit to Dr. F yesterday (K's birthday!!) and here are the 4 month stats. This month we moved up to the medium snap setting on his diapers but we're still using size 2 disposables. He had to wear them once after a beach trip diaper rash. The rash cream isn't great for cloth so we switched for a few days. He was in 3-6 month clothes for the first half of the month but, once again, I really should have moved him up sooner. I squeezed him in as long as I could. He's now in 6-9 and 6-12 exclusively for the height just as much as the general size.

His growth: 19 pounds 14 ounces, 27 inches long, 17 5/8" head. Once again, LDB is not on the growth chart at all but Dr. F said, "Don't worry, Mom, he's just setting his own curve over here!" Just like at our 2 month visit he emphasized to me that his size is nothing to worry about because his length and weight are in good proportion. Dr. F checked him over really well and let us ask all of our questions. He commented that his core strength and general body control are both very impressive for a baby his age so that was really encouraging. He's been congested since Saturday/Sunday but it's just in his nose, so it's nothing to worry about. LDB has finally started rolling from back to front after two months of being able to roll the other way, and he exhibited this to the Dr. several times while trying to roll off the exam table. Goofy baby.

This month he has been super, super observant. Starting at 3 months (see the pictures in that post for evidence) he really discovered his hands and stopped smiling nearly as much. He was always looking too focused on his surroundings and working hard with his hand-eye coordination to notice much else. Just now, as he's hit 4 months, has he started being more consistently smiley and giggly. I did, however, take full advantage of his quiet, observant times by wearing him a lot. That way he's able to see everything I'm doing; it makes for a great learning environment. Tummytime is still one of his favorite things so he's very pleased with himself being able to finally roll over by himself. The changing table is no longer a safe place! Diaper changes seem like the perfect time to test the new skill, right?

The beautiful schedule of last month is a mere memory now, unfortunately, but we're rolling with it! About half-way through this month he started waking up some at night and then slowly woke up more and more often as the days passed. At this point he's up 3-4 times at night and not taking great naps during the day. Unlike before when he would wake at night, there is no soothing him back to sleep in his crib after he would wake up gassy or just fussy. Now he wakes up crying, rolls to his back and will only fall back to sleep after nursing. The first couple of times he wakes up I feed him for anywhere from 5-30 minutes and then he happily goes back to sleep in his crib. 

Firsts: Rolling back to belly, playing in a toy seat, flying on a plane, playing the piano and "singing", seeing my hometown, trip to his PaGran and Aunt Su's house, "swimming" in the Gulf and standing strong while holding our hands.

I'll blog later about his big trip north and other fun things that happened this month later. Some things deserve more details! Also, I left my camera at my parents' house and I'll need photos before I post...whooops!