Four Months Old!

Happy Four Month Birthday, John!

John is getting more and more predictable which is such a relief.  I wouldn’t say that we have a routine yet, but I’m working on it.  I still struggle between not wanting to establish a schedule so that he’ll be an easy, flexible baby and then realizing how much happier he is when I make things more predictable for him.   John has recently found his voice and is constantly “talking” to me or Bud.  The kid has a lot to say.  He is so, so close to rolling over, but hasn't yet.  He’s starting to reach for things and will, most likely, shove whatever he grabs directly into his mouth.  He’s so much easier to take out in public.  It’s really turned a corner this month.  We’ve gone to several parties and he even went to Happy Hour with me on Monday night.  Yes, I’m very Sweet Home Alabama these days (“You have a baby….in a bar”), but it was only Blackfinn which is more restaurant than bar before 9:00 pm.

Sleep:

Still great!  I’m so thankful that he takes after me and not Bud in this department.  Bud didn’t sleep through the night until 13 months old.  Let that sink in.

We start his bedtime routine (bath, lotion, nurse, bed) as soon as he becomes fussy at night…usually between 7:30 and 8:00.  It takes anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour, but once I put him down I usually don’t hear a peep until 5:00 am or later.  Then he’ll eat again, get a fresh diaper, and go back to sleep for another 2 hours.  It’s about a 11 or 12 hour night with one 30 minute break.

Napping is still unpredictable although it’s getting better.  He takes one nap per day in his crib, usually around lunch time, for 1-2 hours.  I made the mistake last week of going to my parents’ house for lunch and the kid was a little bitch…refusing to nap although we could tell he was exhausted.  Once I finally gave up and put him in the car, he was asleep in less than a minute. 

Eating:

Nursing is still going great, but bottle feeding is not.  What can I say, he likes me.  He’ll take a bottle from Bud or my mom, but doesn’t eat a lot.  Then again, he’s not offered bottles that often so it’s probably a little confusing.

He’s eating considerably less than he was which is fine.  Last month he was eating 2-3 hours per day and now he’s eating 1.5-2.5 hours per day.  We clearly don’t have any weight issues so the decrease is fine.  He’s probably just more efficient and needing less because his growth has slowed. 

Likes and Dislikes:

His likes and dislikes are similar to last months, but he’s added a few new favorites.

He’s starting to like playing in his room with toys and books.  His attention span will give out after a while, but he loves it for a little while.

He dislikes perfume.  Whenever someone who’s wearing perfume holds him he’ll fuss the whole time.  Maybe we just haven’t found his favorite scent yet?

Bath time is hands-down his favorite part of the day.  He’s quiet, calm, and so happy.

However, the worst part of John’s day is getting dressed after his bath.  We have no idea why, but almost every night he’ll cry big, sad tears when we put clothes on him at night.  Getting dressed during the day doesn’t bother him so this makes no sense.

Laughing and SQUEALING at the top of his lungs.  I’m the funniest person he knows.

Size:

With all the parties we went to this last month we got a lot of Fat Man jokes.  Yes, he’s a big boy.  I have no idea how big (we’ll find out Friday at his doctor’s appointment), but it’s safe to say he’s tipping the scales.  He’s still in size 2 diapers, but I think I’m going to buy him Size 3s next time I buy some.  For the record, my friend has a 10 month old who’s still in size 2s.  Whoa.  He mostly wears 6 months clothes, but I’ll occasionally put him in a 9 month outfit.

Me:

Good!  I was sick with a random and brutal stomach bug yesterday.  It honestly felt like a really, really bad hangover, but I wasn't hungover.  I can’t remember the last time I threw up and I wasn’t drunk or hungover.  Maybe elementary school?  Well, that streak is over.  Thankfully Bud was able to stay home from work to take care of John because I barely got out of bed.  I even napped…that’s how bad it was!

Other than that things are really good.  I’ve started back at work which is great.  They have given me a lot of projects to work on at my own pace.  There are also a couple trainings that I need to do online.  It’ll be so great to see that first paycheck come in!

Nursing time to date:  387 hours, 58 minutes

John’s highlight of the month:
John met the beach.  I might not be the biggest "beach person," but he seemed to like it.

John’s low-point of the month:

That night he didn't sleep well made his 100th day simply miserable.  The poor boy was a mess.

Favorite Picture:

Look at that HEED 

Others:

Too tired to get a bath

Too much

First picture of John my mom didn't like

Ceiling fans are so distracting