This is my life.: Our Baby is 4 months!

Our little man is getting so big!! We went to the pediatrician today for Sean's 4 month well-baby visit, and he is doing great! He is 14 lbs 14 oz and 25 inches long, which is about the 50-55% for both height and weight. The doctor says he looks healthy and happy and to keep doing what we are doing, so that is great to hear : )

At four months, Sean can hold his head up very well- he doesn't do the bobble head thing as much, unless he is really excited or really tired. He hates tummy time, but I am trying to get him to do it at least a few minutes each day- he can do it so well when he has enrgy and is in a good mood, but when he is sleepy or cranky he just gives up and puts his face into the floor : ( I am trying to not let it bother me- he will get stronger and enjoy it more as he is ready. He has rolled over a few times from his belly to his back, but there is no pattern to when he remembers how to do it, and sometimes he forgets.

He knows who Mommy and Daddy are pretty well now, and likes to watch us when he is sitting as we walk across the room, or have conversations with other people. He is a very smiley and happy boy and loves to be social and coo at people.

We recently started sleep training him and it has been going very well. I was putting him down drowsy but not asleep, giving him kisses and telling him I love him, then letting him either fall asleep or fuss a bit if he needs to. The very first time he cried for about an hour- I checked on him several times, gave him his paci and played his crib music but would not pick him up. After a few naps, he fussed less and less, and sometimes not at all! It has been a little over a week now, and sometimes he still fusses, but it's rarely more than 20 minutes, and more times than not he just rolls to one side and soothes himself to sleep with no crying at all. Especially at bedtime- he does love to sleep! He has gotten into a pretty regular pattern over the last week of going to bed around 8pm, sleeping until sometime between 2am and 4am, then sleeping until sometime between 6am and 8am, and then he is up for the morning.

Sean generally naps 3-4 times a day, and has about 5-6 bottles a day. This boy likes to eat! He is up to 5-6 oz in each bottle. Unfortunately I had to start giving more formula than breastmilk- we tried solely nursing for 3 days straight, to get him to relax and be patient enough to wait for my letdown, and also for my supply to increase to meet his needs. But it kept getting worse and worse, and unfortunately I couldn't take it anymore and gave him a bottle again. It is too hot here to risk him becoming dehydrated, and it was so hard to listen to him crying when I knew all he wanted was to eat. It took some time, but I have finally become at peace with my decision to give him mostly formula during the day, and I am still breastfeeding for his after-midnight feeding (when he is sleepy and more patient) and also for his first feeding of the day.

His doctor gave the ok to start on rice cereal, and to transition into solids as he becomes more ready. We tried rice cereal for the first time tonight! At first he didn't like it and got really frustrated. Then I decided to give him his bottle first, since he was so hungry and impatient, and tried the rice cereal again after his bottle, and he did much better swallowing and enjoying it. After 1-2 weeks we will see how he is doing, and then we will start on some veggies! I am so excited because my friend Katie bought a food processor and a baby cookbook, so we will start making our own baby food and freezing it! Hopefully this encourages me to eat healthier too- I figure if I make sweet potatoes for Sean, he can't possibly eat an entire potato to himself, so I will have to eat the rest of it. It will encourage me to eat more veggies : )

Here is Sean enjoying his first try at solids! Mmm rice cereal!