4 months: Wakefulness, Progress and Solids

Evan turned 4 months old this week. As such, he had his 4 month ped appointment.

Stats:

13 lbs 10 oz

24.5 inches

We are doing a delayed schedule for his vaccinations, so he only got one shot, and the oral vaccine. He was amazing. He was smiling immediately after - not even a hint of pain.

His doctor pointed out that he was on the low end of weight, and unlike most breastfed babies he skipped the "chunky stage" - but she isn't concerned. He is growing and reaching milestones. Also, he seems to be a mini-me for Eddie, and she assumes he will grow to have the same lean physique.
We talked about solids too. She wanted us to start between 4-6 months, and make sure he keeps gaining weight. She brought up delaying solids as well.

We decided to somewhat start solids. On Easter, Evan had a piece of broccoli accidentally. He thinks he's ready, the ped thinks he's ready... why not?

We decided awhile back that we would do BLW (Baby Led Weaning) which is letting your baby feed themselves chunks/pieces of whole foods. We're still doing that, pretty much. Evan has nommed boiled carrots (though not really ingested any), and some banana (though again - not sure he ingested much if any).
Tonight we tried avocado. I really wanted him to like it, because it's full of nutrients and healthy fats. And I don't want solids to ruin his weight gain. Well... the avocado was already mush, so he didn't get slices as planned. I spooned some, and he eagerly took over! He even spoon-fed himself a bit.

He loved it! I'm thinking this will be the only solid for awhile just because of the fatty content, and we have SO much still! I don't know what to do with it all. Though I know I can make some Paleo pudding with it too...hm...

Development

He has rolled tummy to back a few times.
He can roll back to side.
He's grabbing and holding things.
He brings things to his mouth pretty well.
He is great at lifting himself up when on his tummy, and looking around.
He has phenomenal head support.
He's taken a liking to "bubbling" moreso than babbling, but he can do that too.
He wants to stand/jump, and loves to kick off of things.
Splashing is his favorite thing.
And diaper changes. This kid loves being naked.
He's getting better at sitting, if you can tell by the pictures.
He can sit "on his own" if balanced just right.
Sleeping 8-9 hours a night (though he had a few "wakeful" nights - I don't think we've really had the 4 month wakeful...yet...)

I still find it crazy that this:

2 weeks old

Became this:

Nearly 4 months old

Happy Easter!

 Evan was 2 weeks old at Christmas, so at the advice of my mother - I didn't do much. He didn't have a special outfit, he didn't get any "My First Christmas" stuff... I got him a rattle, and a couple tiny board books. Eddie and I got one gift for eachother each (he got me a nursing tank, and I got him a new cordless kettle).
It was lame, and I really regret it. I always go all out for Christmas. It's a big deal.

So I decided Easter would make up for it.

Evan generally sleeps great at night, but getting him to bed for the night is a pain - and he won't nap for the life of him usually. So we got him the soothing sounds giraffe, and a couple Lullaby Renditions CD's to help. Hopefully. We also got a bowl and plate to start solids, a rattle from IKEA, a hanging thing from IKEA to put stuffed animals in, an O-ball, some teethers, and a couple extra crib sheets.

We aren't going to my family's dinner for a few reasons, so we're going to take some pictures in his Easter outfit. If all goes well, those will be posted soon too.

Milestones: Rolling and Grabbing!

Evan first rolled back in December. I was returning a Redbox movie, and Eddie was home with him. He decided to give him tummy time, and wham! Well, we couldn't recreate it, so we decided it was a fluke. However, in a month, he did it again! He was on his tummy on the Boppy in the crib while I used the bathroom, and he hit the side of the crib. And started screaming. Then, he did it again. He was having tummy time on the Boppy in the crib, while I put away diapers.
Then he stopped. Those are all probably flukes, right?
Well, no more flukes. Tonight, after his diaper, I gave him tummy time in the crib. He was trying to roll, but I had laid him down awkwardly. I moved his hand out from under him, and he rolled to his side. That wasn't good enough, so he kept trying.
Next thing I knew, he was on his back! I was so excited.

And on Tuesday, March 27th...

 

That ladybug plays music if you pull it. I wasn't paying attention, and then all of a sudden I heard it go off. I looked and there he was! He did it a few times, so I was able to snap a ton of pictures. Evan was so excited at his new discovery! He has since taken to holding other toys on occasion.

Patterns & Schedules

I would like to have one.

Usually these days, Evan goes to sleep around 1 or 2am. Sometimes he wakes up 3 hours later, sometimes not for 5 or 7 (it all depends on the diaper, or if he has to poop). However, I'm not sleeping well, so he gets a diaper change, and I nurse him back to sleep each time he wakes up - until I decide to come downstairs around noon or one in the afternoon. Then he stays on my lap for most of the rest of the night.
His daddy holds and plays with him multiple times throughout the day, and he's occasionally set in the crib on his tummy while I use the bathroom, or placed in his rocker to look at the fishy for a few minutes. But honestly, I feel like he's always on my lap, and I'm always immobile.

Wraps and slings don't seem to work for him, because they take work to put on, and then if he's awake, he doesn't want to be in them right now. He may be content for a couple minutes, but then he wants to move! He wants to walk, stand, crawl. Too bad he's a long ways from being able to do any of it.

Some days he sleeps a ton, others he happily stays awake, and others he is grumpy and overtired and won't get to sleep. So, I think we really need a schedule. I know I have to actually wake up earlier, and start the process of getting into a schedule. But it's hard. And I'm not quite sure where to start without it making everyone miserable and grumpy.

Also, I only know how to nurse him to sleep. Rocking, shhshing, and all those other things don't work. I guess it's fine for now, but what about as he gets older?

Evan is 2 months old on Friday, and I think it's time to try something. Momma needs to start a routine of her own, but she can't if she's glued to the baby.

Any tips or advice?

Milestone: Sleeping through the Night

I am excited to say that last night, I had a theory.

The night before last was horrible. Evan fell asleep on me while we watched movies, and then after, I had to take him upstairs to bed.
Well, he started doing his uncomfortable grunt (usually means he needs a diaper change). I laid him down and went to the bathroom, and he was awake before I came back. I stayed up with him until 5am. Then, he seemed kind've sleepy. So I laid him down, content and quiet, and went to the bathroom. When I came back, he was asleep. So I went to bed.

As soon as I laid down, he woke up. Seriously? So I was up for a few more hours.

Well, my theory was that he gets TOO soaked. Because after I brought him to bed, I woke up and saw the back of his onesie had a HUGE wet spot. Hmm... (User error: Eddie didn't have the cover covering the whole fitted... but the fitted WAS dripping wet, so not entirely his fault.)

His previous "nighttime diaper" was a KL0 (fitted) with a cover.

I decided he gets too wet to be comfortable asleep. So I bought THIS, a 3-pack of Thirsties doublers, and can't wait to get it.
However, we DO have one of THIS, a Joey-Bunz premium insert, it's just too expensive to buy more right now. Unless the Thirsties doesn't work.

Evan fell asleep around 1, I think. I know I didn't go to bed until 2, because I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch a movie or not. And either way, I wasn't prepared to go another night without sleep.

It's safe to say, I didn't have to. Because 5 1/2 hours of sleep for me later, and my baby is still asleep. How exciting! And he was asleep at least an hour before me.

So now I pump.

PS - Who knew a letdown hurt? It feels like this giant pinching feeling. Hm.

Milestone: Smile for Me

Today, at 4 weeks and one day, Evan smiled at me. He was grumpy, looking around, and I moved into his view. A smile flickered across his face, and then it turned into a grin. It didn't last long, definitely not long enough to get a picture, but it happened.
He's been smiling at random for the past week, while he was awake even. But Eddie and I both knew those smiles didn't mean anything - they were like random twitches, not connected to anything that was actually going on around Evan.

And I hate to admit it, but I wasn't the first person he smiled at. Evan smiled at his daddy first, which was also today. I couldn't be happier.

Next up: Catching a photo of him in the act.