4 Months

My sweet boy turned 4 months old on Christmas Eve.  We've been so busy with Christmas celebrations and traveling that I haven't had time to post his stats.  He is getting so big and doing so many new things - I love it!!  It's amazing how much and how fast babies learn.  Before I know it, Matthew will be crawling, walking, talking in full sentences, and getting into everything.  I am cherishing each day with my baby boy before those milestones come and I am busy chasing him around :-)  Matthew was not in the mood for pictures during his 4 month photo shoot.  While we didn't get any smiles, they still make me smile/laugh.  He is so wiggly nowadays that he is not a fan of sitting still.

~ We went to the doctor on NYE for your 4 month appointment.  You weigh 16 lbs 3 oz (71st percentile) and you are 25 3/8 inches tall (62nd percentile).  Your head now measures 16.5 inches (36th percentile).  The doctor says you are perfectly healthy which is the best news a mommy can hear.

~  You are still wearing size 1 diapers, but know you will move to size 2 soon.  You are wearing a mix of 0-3 month, 3 month, and 3-6 month clothes depending on the brand.  I have packed away all of your warm weather 0-3 month clothes and have stocked up on cold weather 3-6 month clothes.

~ You are still taking a bottle every 4-4.5 hours (7:30, noon, 4:30, 9:00).  Each bottle has 9 oz of formula - sometimes you down it in 10 minutes, while other times you leave an ounce or two.  We've started putting a tablespoon of rice cereal in your morning and evening bottle.  This helps with your spitting up.

~ The doctor gave us the okay to start you on solid foods!  We started feeding you green beans and will introduce a new food each week.  You're still not sure about how to swallow using a spoon, but I know you'll get the hang of it.  We are planning to make your baby food using the Magic Baby Bullet.  Let the pureeing begin!

~ You took your first trip out of state right after Christmas.  We drove 10.5 hours to visit family in Illinois and you were a trooper.  We were worried that you would sleep so much in the car that you wouldn't sleep much at night, but you proved us wrong.  You still slept 10-11 hours each night!  You were sick of your carseat on the trip back, so you were more fussy.  All in all, you did a great job and everyone was so happy to get to meet you for the first time.

~ You are still talking up a storm.  There have been a few times that it's sounded like you've said a word, but we aren't sure.  You learned how to spit with your tongue (don't know what that sound is called) around Christmas, and it is your new favorite sound to make.  It cracks mommy and daddy up!  You're also getting better at mimicking the sounds that we make.  I can't wait to hear your first word!

~ Bella, our dog, is still the one thing that can make you gut laugh.  Mommy and daddy tickle and kiss your cheeks to make you laugh, but you definitely laugh hardest when you watch Bella play.

~ You are still working on sitting up on your own.  While I'm holding you, you will lean forward and sit up on your own for several seconds.  You now love to sit on the floor in between my legs and play with toys.  Just yesterday, you were sitting up basically on your own playing with your new dog toy.

~ You are starting to lunge forward after sitting up for a while.  You do this especially if there is a toy sitting just out of your reach.  You lean forward and get on all fours before going down to your stomach.

~ You rolled over from your back to your tummy for the first time on the 27th (right after arriving in Illinois).  You've only done it once, but get close every time you try.  Once you've got it down, I know you will be rolling everywhere since you are a pro at rolling from your tummy to your back.

~ You had a great first Christmas (will post about this soon).  You liked playing with the wrapping paper, and love all your new toys.

~ Some of your favorite toys are your caterpillar rattle, Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Puppy, musical ball, and you are starting to like your entertainer more and more.  Your favorite book is the Pet Tails book because you love to grab the tails.  

~ You've watched your first Baby Einstein video and seem to like it.  You are very curious about the world around you, so I think you will really love learning about the different animals.  We are planning to take you to the zoo as soon as the weather gets nicer.

~ You are a very happy baby, but you are most happy in the morning and when we are carrying you around the house.  You rarely let us just sit and hold you.  We have done many laps around the house talking to you and showing you new things.

~ Your hands are still finding their way to your mouth.  You even started sucking your thumb.  We were thinking you were in the early stages of teething with how much you were sucking on your hands/fingers, but we aren't 100% sure yet.

2012 was a great year because you came into our lives.  I can't wait to see all of the new things you learn to do in 2013.  I am beyond blessed to be your mommy and I thank the Lord every day for you.

He was pretty much done at this point :-)