Four Months Old

Developmental Milestones this Month: Andrew can do all of the following age-appropriate developmental things: lift his head 90 degrees and raise his chest with his arms while on his stomach, rolls over from tummy to back and back to side (he has rolled back to tummy twice, but he hasn't repeated the performance since  8/1), reach, grasp and shake toys, bear weight on his legs when supported, sits in Bumbo without wobbling, keep head level 50% of the time when body pulled to sitting, laugh and squeal out loud, smile at people spontaneously, follow tiny objects in 180 degree, follow Mommy and Daddy all around the room, turn the direction of Mommy's voice (especially when someone else is feeding him), razz and blow bubbles with his mouth.

Andrew spends 90% of his life like this on his side.

Physical Growth this Month: Andrew's official four month appointment isn't until next week, but unofficially he weighs 16.2 lbs (WW weigh-in) and is about 27.5 inches long (mommy measured).

Things Andrew likes: Andrew pretty much likes everything these days.  His favorite thing of all time is standing up whether it is being held or in his Jumperoo.  Anytime anyone is paying attention to him he is probably smiling back.  He laughs (totally sounds like Donald Duck) when he's tickled by his armpits.   His hands are still in his mouth constantly.  Mommy is still his favorite person, but Daddy is a close second.

Things Andrew doesn't like: not being the center of attention, being strapped into his car seat, being forced to sit and held like a baby in a cradle.

Sleeping: Andrew is a great sleeper thanks to Baby Whisperer--this month he only woke up one night, all of the other nights were averaging between 9-11 hours of sleep.  His naps have also gotten a lot more consistent.  As long as we're home and we do his routine, he sleeps 90-120 minutes in the morning and early afternoon with a 30-45 minute catnap around dinner time.  We've been working on getting an earlier bedtime in preparation for school starting.  At three months, he was going to bed about 9:30-10.  Now, we've managed to get bedtime about 8:30.  We are also working on shortening the time we shush/pat as part of our sleeping routine.

Eating: Andrew eats 7-8 ounces every four hours during the day and has been refusing the dream feed.  He gets between 28-32 oz every day (exactly the same as three months).  The past two weeks, Andrew has had a hard time concentrating on eating and sometimes takes over an hour to eat one bottle.  GERD is still in full force and I expect that at his next appointment, we'll be upping his dosage again.

Playing: He is less entertained by laying around and requires much more interaction with me and/or toys.  His favorite thing of all time is his jumperoo because he has the ability to stand up, jump, and move around its little circle playing with the different type of toys.  He'll play on his activity mat for awhile, but doesn't really want to stay there very long.  He sits in the Bumbo while I work in the kitchen.  Bath time isn't really play time at this point because he doesn't really fit happily in the sink and is too small for the bathtub.

Diapers: Happily still in size 2--so far we've used 380.

Clothing: Andrew wears 3-6 month onesies, 0-3 month shorts (skinny waist and length doesn't matter), and 12 month hats (big head!).  He can still wear some of the adorable 0-3 month clothes (I know this because I'm not willing to pack them up).

Important Events of Month Four: Second trip to Lakeside, three birthday parties (Rob's 30th, Ivy's 1st, Brendan and Sammy's 3rd), Yearbook Camp, first night away from Mommy and Daddy, time spent with Aunt Nicole and Jesse, first real tears (8/7)