Whaddaya know, Joe? I have a four month old. And I’ve been introduced to the hell known as the 4 MONTH WAKEFUL. I was able to gloss over this weird anomaly with Anna, so I never had the wonderful experience of newborn-like night wakings, cluster feedings from hell, and raging ADHD that affects Joseph’s every waking minute. What’s that, a toy? What’s this, a boob? Who’s that, daddy? Look up, look down, look around, look sideways, latch, unlatch, laugh, cry, drool, kick, drop it like it’s hot.
Mama is tired. And I’m worried this new wakeful Joe is here to stay for good. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore his newfound interest in basically everything, but I feel like I’m dealing with an entirely new baby here. He went from the most chill baby on the planet to Elmo on speed in a matter of weeks.
Help. Please help.
Oh well, at least he’s adorable and sweet pretty much all the time. Who needs sleep or the ability to function without having a baby attached to your boob?
Here are some recent photos of my little lad and lassie.
This month in InstaGram and mobile uploads:
Rockin’ his purple Bumbo!
He’s not too happy about his hair transplant.
Joe and his favorite cousin Jocelyn! We call them the twins since they’re only two weeks apart!
Anna drew a picture of Joe. I think the resemblance is uncanny.
Anna decided to paint her own toe nails.
My sweet, smilin’ baby.
Watch me grow!
Temperament:
As I mentioned above, we’re in 4 month wakeful hell at this point. While Joseph is still an absolute pleasure of a baby, he’s definitely had his baby awakening and spends the majority of his day kicking and cooing and looking around like a mad man. You can see the little baby wheels and cogs turning in his head, and it’s so cute to watch him really take in his surroundings and find so much joy in the little things.
He’s a very sweet and happy baby, rarely cries unless he’s hungry or in pain from gas. When he does cry, he’s easily calmed by me and instantly starts smiling again. He enjoys playing with his big sister, too. His face lights up when he sees her.
He’s great with strangers and family members as well although his preference is always for me. Probably because he knows I’m his food source. The boy is smart!
Feeding:
Those first few weeks after having Joseph, I was worried that I would ruin his perfect latch if I gave him a bottle, so I waited until he was about 4 weeks. He took to a bottle perfectly fine, so I figured all was well.
I recently lost my job, so I’ve been at home and able to nurse him throughout the day. I guess he’s gotten used to this method because now he’s flat out refusing bottles. This is a serious issue because 1) I will hopefully find employment soon and will not be able to nurse him all day and 2) How am I supposed to go anywhere without him if he won’t take a bottle from anyone? Mama needs her independence!
So, yesterday I went to Tarjay and bought some ridiculously expensive bottles – Tommie Tippie and Advent – they’re both “close to nature” bottles that supposedly have a close shape to a boob. Of course my child is no chump, so fooling him with a synthetic nipple isn’t easy.
He flat out refused the Tommie bottle. I tried again later with the Advent, and after about 10 minutes of forcing it in his mouth (that’s what good moms do, right), he finally succumbed to it and actually drank it all down. I gave him about 4 oz. of breast milk in the first bottle and then followed up with some formula, and he drank both bottles. WOOT! Now I just need to keep feeding him at least once/day with a bottle to get him used to it again.
Other than that, nursing is going really well. I made it past my four month first goal and really have no plans of stopping at this point. It’s just so easy! Of course once I go back to work and have to pump while I’m there, I may change my tune. I absolutely HATE pumping. I’d at least like to make it to 6 months.
Sleeping:
Joseph is a mixed bag when it comes to his sleeping habits. Some nights he goes long spurts and only wakes to eat once or twice. Other nights he’s up like a newborn. I blame it on the 4 Month Wakeful and hope it’s just something that goes away soon. I can deal with the frequent night feedings while I’m out of work, but I can’t imagine dealing with that and having to work all day. I know moms do it all the time, so I’ll deal, but man will that be hard!
His naps suck now. He used to nap for 3 – 4 hour spurts. Now I’m lucky if he naps for an hour. Naps at my mom’s house? Fagheddaboudit! The kid refuses to nap anywhere but in his swing which is definitely not a good thing since his swing isn’t exactly portable. We go to my mom’s house every other weekend, and the kid doesn’t sleep at all during the day. He’s also a very light sleeper, so any noise will wake him up. I hate having to prance around and be quiet while he sleeps, but sometimes I don’t have a choice if I want to get things done.
Health/Milestones:
Since we’ve introduced the Bumbo and I’ve been working with him on his neck exercises, he’s doing a great job holding his head up and steady. The wobbles are almost completely gone now.
He’s also started turning from side to side while on his back. He hasn’t flipped over entirely yet, but it’s getting closer. He really enjoys grabbing his feet, so when he does, he flips to his side and then back on his back again. I’ve been working with him during tummy time to see if he’ll flip over completely, but he’s holding out on that. That’s OK, no pressure, kid. In your own time, my sweets.
He’s very alert and very aware of everything around him. He definitely knows our voices and will turn his head to see us. He also loves looking at himself in the mirror. I believe these are all little bitty milestones along the way.
He can grab most things and clutch on to them for dear life. He really enjoys his play mat with the dangly toys. He will kick and coo for at least 30 minutes and totally entertain himself by grabbing at the toys.
He had his 4 month shots a few days ago which pretty much sucked. I HATE seeing him in pain. This time Joe went with me, so he got to experience the torture as well. It was so sad. :(
He had to get 3 shots (Hep B, Polio, DTP combo, Hib, Pneumococcal Disease) and an oral vaccination for Rotavirus.
Stats:
Height: 24.5” (10th – 25th percentile)
Weight: 13 lb. 11 oz. (5th – 10th percentile)
Head: 16.5” (25th - 50th percentile)
I will be honest and say that I’m kind of surprised at his low percentages here. He’s huge in comparison to babies his age, and people are always commenting on how big he is. I know the weight is right since I was there when they took it, but I’m still not certain his height was measured correctly. He’s super long. The Dr. wasn’t concerned, so I’m not either, but I am still a bit surprised at his stats. I need to bulk this boy up!
Here are his birth, 1 month, and 2 month stats:
Birth:
Weight: 7 lbs. 12 oz.
Height: 20.5”
Head: 13.5”
1 month:
Weight: 9 lbs. 8 oz. (50th%)
Height: 22 1/4” (75th – 90th%)
Head: 14 3/4 (50th%)
2 months:
Weight: 11 lbs. 10 oz. (50th%)
Height: 23 3/4” (75th – 90th%)
Head: 16”
Size:
I think I’m most surprised about his stats because the kid is in 9 months clothes. I had to go through all of his drawers and cleaned out 3 bags of clothes, many of which he never even wore. Some of the 9 months clothes he’s wearing are a little snug.
He’s also in a size 2 diaper and is pretty much teetering on the brink of those being too small for him. Oy vey!
Activities:
He enjoys his play mat and grabbing at the toys. I also bought him one of these toys from yoyo.com (LOVE this store):
He really enjoys grabbing the different bumps and looking at himself in the mirrors. It’s a great toy because he can easily grab it and is entertained by the noises and different textures.
Other than that, there’s not much you can do with a 4 month old. He likes sitting in his bumbo for about 20 minutes. After that, it’s like he gives himself motion sickness and starts spitting up. So odd.
Siblings:
Anna is in love with her baby brother. He recognizes her and lights up when he sees her. She’s also pretty great at changing his diapers and fetching me stuff that I need. She wants him to go wherever she goes and always makes sure he’s included. “Anna, we’re going to Chuck-E-Cheese!” “Is baby Joe going?” “Of course!” “OK, good!”
Since he’s bigger and she’s more aware of things, I feel more comfortable letting her hold him or watch him if I have to leave the room for a few minutes. It’s nice having a second set of eyes.
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