I'm also so grateful for the four months I've been able to stay home with him everyday. Years ago, I read in graduate school, that the first four months of a baby's life are the time when they bond the most with their caregivers. I read it was best for moms and/or dads to be able to stay home with their little ones until they were four months old because it helped them bond, feel safe, and gain trust. The article suggested that parents are not given enough maternity/paternity leave to help these big feelings develop, and I remember feeling sad that moms and dads and (especially) babies are denied these important months together due to our current system (unlike other systems in other countries that allow much longer PAID leaves - like in Copenhagen, the town we'd pick to live in if we could live anywhere else!). So, I am beyond appreciative and thankful for the time I've had with Banner at this young age. I know it will be so hard to go back to work in about a month and a half, but to be the one to be with him for five straight months (by then) is a true blessing. (And later, the night before I head back to work, a complete curse - which you KNOW I will be blogging about at that time....stay tuned!)
So, anyway, getting back to BBJ, he's four months old!! Here's what he's been up to these days:
-Giggling up a storm! He loves when we take his hands and help him find his head. He laughs when we rub them around his head. He also loves when Daddy gives him "zerberts" on his belly just before bath time. Smooches on his neck and cheeks can also result in laughs.
-Taking a 6-6.5 oz bottle every 3-3.5 hours (5 bottles a day total). He usually eats at 7, 10, 1, 4, and 7, but I think we are on the way to only 4 bottles a day - if he could just make it to eating every four hours... he just LOVES to eat, though!
-Watching us eat! He seems so ready for solids!
-Playing with his feet. He found his left foot first, around 15 weeks, then his right foot came a few days later. He loves to hang on to his toes.
-Sleeping in Peke Moe sleep sack. We gave up the swaddling at the end of week 15 because he kept getting his arms out, scratching up his face (even though I trim his nails DAILY because they grow so fast!), and waking himself up. The Peke Moe has saved us! Check out their website to order one! Banner loves his!
-Grabbing/Reaching for toys and other objects. He will even object if you take something away from him now. We started the Jumperoo at 14 weeks and an Exersaucer at 16 weeks. He holds his head up so well, we figured it was worth trying, and he LOVES both of them. He doesn't jump yet, but he likes to reach for the toys.
-Mostly using his left hand. I'm hoping this changes, but if we have a lefty, we have a lefty! Nothing against left-handed people, but I think the world is a right-handed world! It would be easier for Banner if he was a righty, and selfishly, I think it will be easier for me to teach him to write, catch, bat, kick, etc. if he was a righty.
-GRRRRing! This sound is horrible when you hear it all day long. He grrs and roars all day - even when he's crying. It's a sound he discovered at 16 weeks, and he's been doing it ever since. You'll hear him on the monitor grring away when he wakes up. We call it the "gremlin" voice. I miss the sweet coos that are now covered up by the alien sounds Banner makes. I love that he's experimenting with this sound, but ... enough already! It just sounds like he's hurting his throat. Yet, I'm sure when he stops this, he'll discover a piercing, shrill scream, so I better enjoy the quiet gremlin while it lasts. Another positive about it: he likes when I grrr back to him, and then we have a mini-conversation just growling at each other. He laughs, laughs, laughs at me when I do it back to him!
-Drooling all over the place. We've added saliva to the liquids that are constantly pouring out of our refluxy baby. No teeth yet, but they sure are moving around under those sweet little gums, and the teething and drooling going on over here can prove that. Banner puts anything he can get his hands on in his mouth. I knew these days were coming; just didn't know how soon! Bring on the teethers - and more bibs!
-Size 2 diapers; Level 2 nipples; 3-6 month clothes
-Socializing... he loves to be around other kids. He's attended numerous play dates and parties! We love Ella, Zeina, Adam, Sami, Evan, Landry, Marin, Sydney, Emma, and Caden K! He adores his big cousins, too: Caden, Miles, Mara, Colby, and doggie-cousin Theo, although, to Banner, he seems like more of a horse than a dog!
-ROLLING OVER! The day after Banner turned 16 weeks old, he rolled from his tummy to his back. He rolled to his right side. It was priceless! I wish I had that particular roll on camera, but at least Sam and I both got to see it. We had just come home from the grocery store, and as Sam was bringing the groceries in from the car, I was getting Banner situated on his play mat. I put him down for his tummy time, which he has been tolerating for longer these days, and he just looked like he was going to do it. I quietly "yelled" for Sam - if you can yell while whispering! "Hey! Come here! He's gonna do it! Come here quick!" Sure enough, Sam quietly stood at the doorway watching, and FLIP! Banner turned over! He only did it that one time on that particular day, but he did it again the next. Two days later, he was doing it repeatedly! Still only from belly to back, and still only on the right side, but he's getting there!! Since Banner doesn't like tummy time like he used to and since he would prefer to sit upright, I thought rolling over would never happen. I kept wondering what I could do to help him, to teach him to roll over, but true to everything else thus far, Banner will do things on his own when he's ready without much intervention from us.
Before
During
After!
We had our four month check-up today, and here are his stats for now:
- WEIGHT: 14 lbs, 13 oz - which is the 50th percentile. He has gained 3 lbs, 13.5 oz since his two month check-up and a grand total of 8 pounds since birth! He's right where he should be considering that many babies double their birth weights by 4 months.
- HEIGHT: 24 and 3/4 inches - which is also the 50th percentile. He has grown 2 and 1/4 inches since his last check-up, and he's grown a total of 4 and 3/4 inches since his birthday.
- HEAD: 42.2 cm - also the 50th percentile. Last check-up it was 39 cm, and that was our first measurement.
- Our doctor said he was clear to start cereal this month! We are really excited about this because Banner shows interest in food, can keep his head up very well, and seems to want more than just formula. He's always been such an eater, so Sam and I were pleased to hear this news, even though, when I was pregnant, my plan was to wait until he was 6 months old since I've heard that's better for babies overall. But, he's just so ready. So, we gave him his first bites this afternoon. More to come on this in a future posting! :)
- Developmentally, Banner is "scoring" between 4 - 5 and a half months. He's on-track, if not ahead of where he should be, for his age. They figured this by asking a variety of yes/no questions such as: is he batting at objects, does he look for us when he hears our voices, does he use his arms to push up while on his belly, is he rolling over at least one way, does he grab for objects, does he put his hands together, can he follow an object as small as a raisin, can he raise his head 90 degrees when on his belly, etc. We answered "yes" to almost every question. As I've always noticed from Day 1, he's a strong boy with a strong will. He seems so curious and thoughtful about the world around him.
- He had four shots and an oral vaccination. He didn't care for the oral med and started crying; the shots didn't help that situation. But, it was a short-lived cry, and he seemed to have forgotten about the shots within a few minutes. Sam and I think these shots hurt us way more than they hurt Banner! I certainly hope that's the case! It's so hard to see him in pain.
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