Dear Liam :: 4 Months

:: Stats :: 

Weight : 14 pounds 0 ounces

Length: 24 3/4 inches

Well we made it through the worst doctors appointment yet. You got a healthy report, which I was so thankful for, but they were out of the combo vaccine so you had to get 4 separate shots :(. I think these visits are going to get worse as you start to react more to the shots, but luckily soothing with a good feeding right after seems to do the trick! It turns out you are a pretty petite little thing right now measuring at 25th percentile! It's a little surprising because most people comment on how big you seem for your age, maybe because you are so alert! 

No idea 4 shots were coming your way...

:: Feeding :: 

You are still doing really well with nursing. You are eating every 2 1/2 to 3 hours on both sides. Mostly it's every 3 hours, but sometimes you let me know that you need food a little more frequently. 

At your doctors appointment they told me it was time to start introducing solids! This is all so new to me so I asked a ton of questions about the pros and cons of starting now as opposed to later because I've heard so many different things. I think I've decided that we are going to start when you are 5 months old so that I can get through this busy month and get into a good routine before the summer starts picking up and I have to start getting in the kitchen to make some good homemade organic baby food! I'm excited about this part and I think your dad will be too because we will be able to use the veggies out of our garden! 

:: Sleeping :: 

So apparently babies sleep patterns and habits change pretty often...thanks to your Aunt Megan, I have finally wrapped my head around this fact of life. Overall you are an awesome sleeper. The majority of the time you sleep from around 8:30pm to 5:30 or 6am and go back to sleep until 8 or 9am. There were a few flukes this month where you slept from about 8:30pm to 8am which were amazing but also kinda nerve wracking for me when I didn't hear a peep from you for that long! Then there were also nights where you woke up once in the middle of the night, usually around 3:30 or 4am wanting to eat, sleeping again until 7am and then again until 9am. So we just never know! 

Also forgot to mention that you are now sleeping exclusively in your crib! This was a big step for me and the first big "letting go" moment as a mom I've experience so far. It was so much harder than I thought it would be to let you sleep in your room by yourself. Even though I was looking forward to having our room back so that your dad and I could have a lamp on to read or even just talk in regular voices, it was still kinda sad and scary. The first night you slept in your crib, I'm pretty sure I watched the monitor on my bedside table for a good 2 hours before I fell asleep. (Then I peeked at it every couple of hours throughout the night! oops!) Now we are both pros, you love your crib and I have adjusted to loving having our room back! 

:: Fun Things :: 

-You are rolling over!! The first time you did it was on your play mat and you did it from your belly to your back. I didn't even realize what had happened at first! A few days later, you rolled from your back to your belly - again on the play mat and have been a rolling fool ever since! You get so excited when we clap and cheer for your after you roll over - sorry this makes you sound like a dog learning a trick - but it's been so fun! 

-Another big milestone has been transitioning from being swaddled to the sleep sack during naps and at night. We had to start this process so that you wouldn't roll over in the middle of the night and be face down without your arms to lift your head up, scary. We started the sleep sack during naps and once you had that down, we transitioned to nights too. It only took a few days to adjust and you love your cozy, warm sleep sack now! 

-We think you might be a lefty! You definitely favor your left hand when you reach for things and grab onto objects. Dad is excited because apparently this means you will have an advantage in some sports! 

-You have started touching peoples faces and stroking/grabbing cheeks when you are held. Melt my heart. 

-You have great head and neck control and I wouldn't be surprised if you started to sit up by yourself soon! 

-You are still super verbal and love to make noises and laugh!  

-Cradle cap hit hard this month and we are having to treat that nasty stuff with some olive oil...hopefully it will do the trick! 

-You found your thumb this month, but still prefer your entire fist in your mouth or your index finger :)