I swear I just did the 4-month-update — this is crazy! I have so neglected the blog in the past week or so. I’ve just been running myself to the ground working and having such minimal childcare. That is going to be changing soon, as we are putting Jacob into daycare (sob!). But I’m currently mid-flight on my way to San Diego for the Social Media Marketing World Conference so I have some time.
Weight: 17 pounds
Sleep: Okay so I hate to say it because I hated this in the early days when I would read about this from others, but we have a good sleeper. He pretty much sleeps a solid 11-12 hours every night without waking up. Goes down around 7:30, gets up around 7:30. Eeeek — knock on wood & praise Jesus. I know we are lucky but if you are interested in our routines for sleeping, you can read this post. He doesn’t go down on his own — we always have to rock him, which is about a 20 minute process.
Naps: Still not consistent here but I’m usually lucky with nap #1 around 2 hours after he’s up for the day. Nap #1 is generally around 1 hour. Nap #2 can come anytime 3-4 hours later. Sometimes nap #2 is a good 2 hours, other times, he’s like 30 minutes. No consistency. If it’s short, we’ll try to get him to nap again around 4. If nap #2 is long, that’s it for the day until bed time.
Eating: We introduced “real” food last week! I was going to wait until 5 months but we did it a little early, starting with rice cereal milk, oatmeal baby cereal and carrots. It’s hilarious watching him try new foods and being confused by what’s going on but…he seems like the carrots a lot. The oatmeal & rice milk were so bland it wasn’t that big of a deal. He has tried peas as well, didn’t like them as much. So…now he eats mostly formula with the real food mixed in once or twice a day.
Likes: Belly kisses (that will get him really laughing), being lifting up high in the air and back down again, jumping in the bouncer, outward facing baby wearing, being full & well rested 🙂
Dislikes: Sitting too long in his baby seat (still learning to sit up, screams bloody murder if you don’t take him out when he wants), bath time (always seems terrified & clutches onto me), being cold, going to sleep when he’s too interested in the world!
New Things: Rolls over constantly & getting pretty good at it! His neck is really strong now so he holds it up well & can do outward facing carrying. He can’t sit up yet or crawl but he’ll be there soon. Puts everything in his mouth!
Childcare: As I mentioned, we’ll soon be switching to daycare. I don’t really want to do it but I’m actually more comfortable doing that than having someone in home full time because at a center, I know their is real oversight while someone at the house can do whatever they want & who knows what could be going on. I need something more full-time though so we are exploring which center to use now.
Concerns: Still worried about the flat-head thing but feel unable to do anything to help it. We always have his head on baby pillows but one side especially seems flat. Most people seem to think he will “grow out of it,” which I hope is true. Like most babies, he sleeps on his back and can’t sit up yet so he ends up playing on the floor under a mobile or in a chair a lot. Yes, we do tummy time a lot but it seems like you’d have to do it ALL the time to make a difference on this head thing. I try to wear him around the house and take walks with the baby carrier a lot but the hours don’t add up to how much he’s on his back.
Thoughts: Jacob is a smiley, happy baby who doesn’t cry much at all. He absolutely loves when mommy and daddy pay attention to him and he will just follow me around with his eyes if I’m not looking at him. It’s true, they are ALWAYS watching and even, he seems perceptive to moods & tones. His smile and laughter melt my heart everyday…when I hold him near me, there is an indescribable joy and connection I’ve never felt before him. Everything is a delight to him, so much so that I wish we could all find such wonder & joy in the simple things we encounter throughout the day.
A little video for ya: