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his past month has felt both never ending and like it flew by. I went back to work; Ellis started daycare and everyone, including the dog, got horribly sick over the course of about 3 weeks. We've been on survival mode, but in between all the tissues and uses of the Snot Sucker (an item both disgusting and amazing), there's been huge developments in our little man!
STATS
Ellis is 4 months old as of this week! He weighs 15 pounds and 10 oz. and is 25 inches long.
TEMPERAMENT
What a transformation! Our little man is smiling so much now. He also is laughing this deep, slow laugh that sounds like one laugh at a time, almost exactly like if you read the words out of a book. "Haaa." he'll say. He can still be pretty serious, but now is mostly happy now, ready for the next joke.
He is still our social observer though. One of his favorite things to do is watch the other children at daycare. He wants to face forward when carried or sitting on our laps, just so he can be in on the action.
MILESTONES
Ellis is so much more aware. At birth babies' eyesight is typically 400/20 and by the start of month 4 it has improved to 40/20. They can see color and can track things across the room. We mostly see this in two ways. First, he pays attention to books with colored illustrations now. Secondly, he is much more aware of the dogs- his puppies we call them. He will follow their movements even from across the room. There is a pretty mutual interest too, as Stella likes to watch over her boy. My parents also have fox terriers, so when they came to visit, imagine his puzzlement over having THREE Stellas in the house.
He is able to grasp things better, and this results in more playing with toys and things, but the craziest milestone he's met that involves grasping is that he can turn the pages of a book. And he always turns them in the correct direction, indicating that he understanding how books work (or at least how mommy always turns the pages). If it is a book he is familiar with (I Kissed The Baby is pretty much read daily, for example), he seems to know when to turn the pages too. How crazy is that?!
LIKES
Music is still a favorite, especially Beatles' songs, or music from his toys. We have a strange musical tiger toy he loves, and a musical alien that only comes out to play when it is Tummy Time. Funny, how much longer Tummy Time lasts when the alien toy is out... His real favorite toy though is a balloon. We can tie one to his foot and he would choose to play with that thing indefinitely, if we let him! It encourages him to move his little body around, and provides practice with tracking too.
My sister came to visit, and she too is a new favorite. He finds her incredibly funny. Mommy and Daddy can do the same things and it is not funny, but Auntie is hilarious. Its pretty adorable to watch them play. Playing with Daddy is still special though, and they have a new game where Ellis is lifted up by his hands and feet for a few seconds. That is a particular favorite, judging by the huge, open-mouthed grin it gets each time.
EATING
Ellis has taken to the bottle like a champ! In fact, he knows the sounds and steps of making a bottle so well now that he will stop crying when he sees or hears the kitchen faucet turn on. The amount of formula he is consuming at each feeding is larger too. He hit another growth spurt and is getting so big with little elbow rolls and baby chub that makes you want to eat him up with a spoon.
I know that there were many factors to his colic resolving, but honestly, I would state the switch to formula as the number one biggest game-changer (the switch, for us, was doctor recommended.) For this baby, it has worked magic. We put him on Similac Gentle Pro which contains cow proteins that are more broken down and easier to digest, and also has probiotics, which also encourages better digestion. So for those of you in the trenches with a colicky child, please, please know that A) there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Also B), if you are considering the switch to formula but are feeling guilty or face some social pressure about it, remember that each baby is different. All situations are unique.
This month has been a bit all over the place where sleep is concerned. His schedule is still quite varied, depending on the length of his naps. But he is staying up longer in between naps- two or so hours, typically! Night time sleep has been rough this month because we all got sick, and laying flat on one's back (as babies are supposed to sleep) was making him cough nonstop. Plus.....Say it isn't so, but... I think we've hit the 4 month sleep regression. Anyone have tips on helping their child learn to put themselves to sleep without sleep aids like the bottle or rocking?
MOM UPDATE
The return to work has been very bittersweet. That's a common enough sentiment for many new mothers returning to work, though my own reasons might be different than others. I actually wrote a long blog post about returning to work, but then never posted it, as we learned the program I teach was being cut due to budget restraints. So the last month has been a temporary return to work only so that I can wrap things up and clean out our classroom. I'm not sure where things will go from here, but with summer I'll at least temporarily return to being a SAHM as we figure things out. Luckily Ellis is a pretty cool dude to hang with.
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Reply DeleteAuntie is Hilarious! 😂
Reply DeleteSuch a good update
Hope everyone is feeling better now! Sounds like a lot has been happening.
Reply Delete