Jenson update: Four months old

I blinked and Jenson turned 4 month old.  I kept thinking I’d get to this update and now he’s almost 5 months old!!!  So I have to try to remember where he was with everything 3 weeks ago, but I’ll do my best.  It’s been a cold and snowy month, so we don’t get out a ton, but we visited family and friends, and went out to eat a few times.  He had his 4 month appointment and shots and did well.  He was sleepy and upset later, but I just spend the evening holding and cuddling him while we watched a movie and he was fine.  He was fussy for the last week of this month and wanted to be held a lot if he wasn’t nursing or sleeping.  I was happy to comply, but I feel so bad when he’s upset.  It’s heartbreaking!  As cute as this picture is, I can’t look at it long because it makes me sad (even though he wasn’t upset when he made this face).

He continues to be super talkative and interactive.  He doesn’t seem like a newborn anymore because he learned so many new skills this month and is aware of what’s going on around him.  In the evenings after work, I want to either be holding him or playing with him on the floor.  As much as I still hate leaving him, we got into a routine of what we do when we get home from work and I just try to enjoy every moment then, and on the weekends.  I definitely went through some separation anxiety in mid-January and pretty much wouldn’t leave him in the evenings after work, so I haven’t gone to yoga or anywhere without him.  I know it’s unreasonable, but I just don’t want to miss anything more than I already do while I’m at work.  It helps so much that ML sends up one or two pictures everyday.

Speaking of pictures, we got his 3 month pictures taken (about 2 weeks late) and they turned out SO well!  We just went to Target and didn’t expect great photos, but there were so many that we liked that we decided to buy the cd and print our own.  It was too hard to pick on the spot at the store.  Here are some of the best in his different outfits.

• Age:  4 months and 2 weeks old (at the time of writing this)
• Weight:  13.5 lbs at his 4 month appointment.  He’s only in the 10th percentile, but the Dr. wasn’t concerned about that in any way – he said he’s on his growth curve, so it’s fine.
• Length: The nurse measured him at 24 inches at his 4 month appointment, but when the doctor came in he said there was no way he’s only 24 inches, so we could either have the nurse remeasure or just wait until the next appointment.  I measured him at 25 inches both before and after the appointment, so he’s probably closer to that.
• Size: He hit a growth spurt mid-month and grew out of all of his 0-3 month sleepers and onesies within 2 days.  Still in a few 3 months (carter’s) and 3-6 clothing, along with some 6-9 months sleepers that run small.  He’s getting close to being about to wear his 6 month carter’s clothing – the onesies fit, but pants are too long.  He’s definitely long in the torso. He is still wearing a few 0-3 things in brands that run large (gap, gymboree, etc), but he’s on borrowed time for those with his length.
• Diapers:  Cloth diapers are going well.  He has leaks occasionally, but that’s usually user error, or when he pees a bunch at one time.  I’m really happy with how well they’ve been working and have added some to our stash.  Our favorites seem to be Best Bottoms and Flips, and then Bum Genius Freetime for when he’s going to be in it for longer and we want him to feel dry against his skin.
• Hair and Eyes: His hair is filling in and getting longer, and is still brown.  His eyes are still dark blue, though I’m fully expecting them to eventually turn hazel like ours.  Mine lean towards green, but Lo’s are straight hazel.
• Teeth: None yet, though I’ve been expecting them.  He’s been super-drooly and does a lot of chewing on his tongue.  At his 4 month appt., the doctor said that’s all normal for this age and doesn’t really indicate if teeth will come in soon.  Lo’s mom, ML, and I have all felt around in his mouth of several different occasion and thought for sure something would be coming in, but not yet.  I’d prefer that he wait awhile to get teeth, so I’m fine with that.
• Sleeping:  He’s still a good overnight sleeper.  He goes to bed between 8:30 – 9:30 most nights and usually sleeps until about 6:30, which is when I have to get up on work days anyway.  He’ll nurse then (or slightly earlier) and go back to sleep for 1-2 hours.  He wakes and fusses throughout the night, but he puts himself back to sleep (or doesn’t fully wake up).  Occasionally he’ll nurse sometime between 3:30 – 5:30 a.m., but that’s not typical.  We still swaddle him in the Halo swaddle sack because he sleeps so well now and we are afraid to mess with that.  We know it’s limited because once he can roll back to front, we’ll have to stop swaddling of course.  He still wears the Snuza breathing monitor and it gives us a lot of peace of mind.
  He’s not a great napper for us, though he sometimes takes good naps for ML.  His naps are usually only 20-40 minutes long, but he still takes one every 2-3 hours.  He hit a growth spurt mid-month and spent a week eating and sleeping more than usual.
  Wearing his snuza before bed:
  
• Eating: 100% breast milk.  I plan to wait until 6 months to introduce food, and the Dr. is okay with that.  Pumping is going well at work, as annoying as it can be sometimes.  I’m lucky that I can just sit in my office and pump at my computer, so I really shouldn’t complain, but it’s still a process.  I can usually freeze 5-7 bottles worth of milk each week, so we have quite a stash.  Thank goodness we have a second freezer (though we almost need a bigger one!).  He takes 4 or 5 bottles of 3.5-4 oz. each day when I’m at work, and then nurses 2-3 times in the evening (and 1-2 times in the morning).  Overall it’s going great and I’m very thankful I’m able to nurse him.
• Movement: He doesn’t seem to know how to roll over every time he’s on his stomach, but he’s done it a few more times.  It takes him awhile to figure out how to do it.  He loves to kick his legs when we put him on his changing table – he kicks like he’s running really fast.  He’s also able to grab toys sometimes and bring them to his mouth now, as well as keep his fists in his mouth to chew on.
• Words & Sounds:  He still does a lot of babbling and has started screeching all of the time.  He make raspberry noises.  He likes the sounds of his voice and will “talk” to us and wait for a response.  He’s found his voice and he’s learning how to yell and squeal for no other reason than to hear his own voice.  I can usually tell what his cries mean – hungry, tired, or bored.  I think he’s already manipulating us with his cries.  I can’t help it – his sad face is heartbreaking!
• Milestones:
  – He found his hands and enjoys checking them out.  He doesn’t have a ton of control yet, but he can get things to his mouth if he gets a grip on them.
  – He’s very aware of where Lo and I are when we’re with him.  He especially follows Lo when he hears his voice.
  – We all stayed overnight at Lo’s parent’s house and had a nice time.  Both Jenson and Boof did well, though their cats would probably disagree.  Boof is fine with cats, but she wants to check them out and their cats are NOT okay with that, so they hid in the basement the whole time we were there.
• Favorite Toys/Activities:
  – Hanging out in the carrier.  One of us usually wears him each night for a little bit.  Lo will put him in the Bjorn when he vacuums and he seems to like that.
  
  – He spends a lot of time watching what Braxton is doing during the day.  The pictures of them together are always so cute.
  – His favorite toys are his monkey rattle (he can grab it), his tweety bird, and his playmat animals.  If he’s fussing, and I put him so he can see the red monkey on his playmat, he stop fussing and will smile and coo at it.
  – Putting his hands in his mouth
  – Hanging out of his changing table and playing with us.  He loves when I kiss his face (unlike Boof) and opens his mouth as soon as I get close to his face.
  – Looking in the mirror
• Dislikes:
  -Tummy time has gotten better as long as he’s in a good mood
  -Putting on or taking off his onesie (though I think that’s one of his fake cries)
  -He seems to be starting to dislike his baths!  He used to love them, but now gets upset when we try to wash his neck or chins.  We have to save that and his head for the end because he starts crying so hard.