4 month update

Hey everyone! Where to begin? It's almost been 2 months since I last posted here. A lot has happened. First off, the schedule thing didn't really work out. I tried and I tried and L won. However, we are starting to settle into a routine, I guess. He usually does something consistently for a week then everything changes. He's a really great night sleeper. He goes down around 6:30 pm and wakes up around 7:30 am with one feeding somewhere in there, usually around 5 am. He's also a terrible napper. Like he will only nap 30-40 minutes at a time during the day. I have tried nearly everything to lengthen that but almost nothing will and the few times I have been successful, he didn't sleep at night, so... I deal with the cat naps for now. (Pro-tip: read about baby sleep before you have the baby). Also, I can't really hold him all nap anymore because my arm falls asleep. To say that he is heavy is an understatement. I haven't weighed him since he was 3 months, but he was 16 pounds then! I estimate he's around 18 pounds now. I do plan to let him CIO (cry it out) at some point because I am still rocking him to sleep and awake but drowsy just doesn't work for us. But, he's just too young now (I'm thinking 5-6 months). I've let him fuss, but he just escalates it and won't calm down unless I go in and rock him. We've had some luck with the swing. But, as long as he is sleeping at night, we don't really have a problem, yet... 

We had a rough month in there where L was fussy a lot. I don't know if we were doing anything wrong but I tried to get him to sleep and played with him, but he was just fussy. He is starting to grow out of that now, which is nice. In the past few weeks, he has become much more interactive: he babbles, blows spit bubbles, laughs out loud, and smiles a lot. He is more social than he is into the gross motor skills, but tummy time is going much better these days. He is not rolling over, but I'm seeing definite signs towards it. I practice rolling with him, and have him lay on his side and work out how to do the rest on his own. He sometimes gets frustrated with this, but is making a lot of progress. I'm not in a huge hurry for him to be mobile (we still swaddle him and that needs to stop first), but I do want to give him time to practice. He has also started arching his back a lot, which means I have to strap him into everything now because he could launch himself out of the swing or rock and play fairly easily. He also grabs his legs a lot now. He is super into assisted sitting, but not standing. I honestly don't blame him: he's super heavy for those little legs! I got him an exersaucer, but he's not really quite ready for it. He kind of just sits in it and bobbles his head. I have to be there with him the entire time so he doesn't smash his head into something. 

I've started back at work part time, which is awesome. I, personally, really needed it. One of the things I have realized is that being a stay at home mom is really not for me. I actually give SAHMs a lot of credit -- it is exhausting to do it day after day. I find I am a lot happier if I have some time away. And part time seems to be great for this. It still gives me one-on-one time with L and a chance to continue my bible study, but also an outlet and a chance to do technical work. This month, L has been with family and a babysitter, but we have a nanny starting next month. I think she will be a great fit for our family. We actually really liked the babysitter we used this past week as well. Perhaps I am strange, but I really don't mind leaving L. I have not been upset over it once. I think it's really healthy for us. 

Breastfeeding is still going well, and my plan is to make it to 6 months and then wean him gradually (and plan to be done by 8 months). This means I will have to wean him to formula. I'm okay with BFing, but I also kind of want to stop. He still has a shallow latch, so it hurts still. I hate pumping at work (or in general). We also have a bunch of out of town weddings this summer and I don't want to be pumping all weekend. And by 6 months, I feel like I will have done my duty. 

I would love to get back to some house projects, but with my little cat napper, that hasn't been possible yet. Perhaps when we sleep train, he will start sleeping better for naps. That would be heavenly. Also, if anyone has any good advice for the cat napping problem, I'd love to know. 

Speaking of which, he's awake again... 

Bonus, pictures!

He stretches like crazy when he is released from the swaddle. 

I was burping him.

His going to the bathroom face -- cracks me up!

Tummy time!

Around 3 months

My mom made him this day gown. It would have been perfect for baptism, but we didn't get on the schedule in time...

Bath time

I love this photo

He loves being kissed on the cheeks.

Super happy in the morning.

Really enjoying his mobile.

There's more I forgot. I know there is. Babies are hard. Even easy babies are hard and a huge adjustment. But, we're taking it a day at a time. And doing the best we can. :)