Four Months

Another month has passed almost as quickly as it began. Seriously, if any of you know how to slow time down, please share the secret. Even though the last four weeks have flown by, so much has happened and this is going to be a long post.

Connor has changed so much this month. He's still our happy, mellow baby but he's learned some new tricks. It's really amazing to watch him learn and grow and figure things out. You can just see his mind working behind his big, bright eyes. Brian and I find ourselves thrilled and ecstatic about even his smallest accomplishments. It's given me new insight on how my parents probably feel about me, and even how our Heavenly Father feels about us. I'm sure He rejoices at our accomplishments, no matter how small and insignificant.

At the beginning of the month, Connor started laughing. We were so excited by this. I was able to get a couple laughs out of him on March 3. He does make us work for his laughs, but that makes them all the more sweet.

My Mom, Luke, Annie, and Jake drove down the next day (March 4) and spent the night with us for Connor's blessing. It was really fun to see them, as I hadn't seen anyone from my family, except my Mom, since October. This was Luke and Annie's first time meeting Connor, and I think they all hit it off. As I just mentioned, we'd gotten Connor to laugh for the first official time the night before, but he only did it a couple times and we couldn't get him to do it again. Apparently Luke is the baby whisperer because he had Connor laughing all afternoon and then again the next morning. It was awesome.

     

At one point Annie was holding Connor and I was trying to get a picture of them together. Connor decided to thwart Annie's attempts of getting a good picture. It made us laugh really hard.

     

Connor has become so much more interactive with the world this month. He's always been so alert and loves to look around and watch what's going on, but he's started reaching for, grabbing, touching, picking up, holding, and chewing on his toys, pacifier, burp cloths, and really anything nearby. Anything he can hold or pick up goes straight into his mouth. He'll hold onto his pacifier, pull it from his mouth, switch it from one hand to the other and then put it back in his mouth. He's not always successful at getting it back in his mouth--sometimes he'll poke his nose or eye with it--but he's getting pretty good at handling it. Brian and I have loved watching him really start to explore, discover, and learn.

He still loves to lift his legs in the air and stretch and kick. I call him my little circus performer because he curls up around his toys, and sometimes it looks like he's about to put and balance them on his feet. He really loves his red rattle ball. He has discovered that it makes noise if he shakes it, and he's always trying to stick it in his mouth. He gets frustrated because he can't chew on it. It won't go inside his mouth so he settles with sticking his tongue out and licking it.

Connor has started noticing different textures as well. He likes to feel and scratch whatever surface is nearby and loves listening to the different sounds his moving fingers make on the various fabrics. Some of his favorite things to touch and feel are the couch, his changing pad, mom and dad's shirts and pants, the carpet, any of his blankets, and his Pooh Bear.

Last month he discovered his hands, and this month he's discovered his feet and toes. He'll stare at them while he holds them in the air, and he'll reach for and grab them. He's much more flexible than I am. Haha!

    

Connor's other major development this month was rolling over. Around the third week of March, he started arching his back and really wiggling when he was laying on his side. It was so funny to watch.

A few days later (March 16th), I set him on his back on the floor after feeding him. I went into the kitchen to set some dishes in the sink, and when I came back, he was on his stomach with his head up looking around like it was no big deal. He'd rolled over for the first official time and I'd missed it...little stinker. I turned him over onto his back and he immediately rolled over onto his stomach again. Brian hadn't left for work yet so I told him to come and watch, and then of course Connor wouldn't do it again. He did roll over a couple times on our bed the day before, but we didn't count those instances because we figured the mattress sloping towards us as we sat next to him helped him with his roll.

Since then, he's become a rolling machine. I left him on his changing pad on the floor once, and I came back to find that he'd rolled over, flung his changing pad away, and wiggled his way perpendicular to how I'd left him. I was so surprised by how much he'd moved, that I laughed out loud and had to take a picture. This kid will not lay still anymore, and I really do love it...most of the time. He has rolled from his back to his stomach and then onto his back again a couple of times, but usually he'll just roll over the once and then get stuck on his stomach. Eventually, he gets tired of being on his stomach and starts fussing. If I don't help him over to his back or pick him up soon after he starts fussing, he'll start to really cry and scream. 

Almost immediately after learning to roll over, Connor started trying to army crawl. He doesn't know how bring his legs up under him to get on his knees yet or stand up on his arms. He does push or "walk" against the floor with his feet while grabbing the blanket/carpet with his hands to scoot forward. This little guy is in such a hurry to be mobile, and has since the day we brought him home. He was holding his head up, albeit very wobbly, the day after we brought him home from the hospital! When he gets really mad being stuck on his stomach, he'll bury his head into the blanket on the floor and sometimes bring his knees up under him. I have a feeling that crawling is not far away.

All of this wiggling and rolling over has made changing diapers a new challenge. It's already been a bit of a challenge cause he just loves to move and kick his feet. One day it took me five minutes to get a pair of pants on him. I would get one leg in and while trying to get the other in, he'd kick his way out of the first. I stopped trying after putting his right leg back into his pant leg for the third or fourth time and just looked at him a little exasperated. He just looked back and smiled. It made me laugh. Now he just wants to roll over all the days and won't sit still for anything. Brian discovered that if we hand him his little Winnie the Pooh toy, he'll play with that and it distracts him just long enough to get a new diaper on him.

He also has started holding his bottle by himself. He doesn't do this every time he eats, and he can't hold it up on his own for very long, but that doesn't stop him from trying. He likes to pull it out of his mouth, look at it for a few seconds, and then put it back in. He's already trying to be independent! One night I was holding the bottle, and he kept pulling it out of his mouth. When I would try to help him put it back in, he would get mad and start grunting and pushing on it. He wanted to do it himself. It was an "I dood it" moment--something his Dad would say when he was little.

Our little man still smiles a lot and is generally very happy. Earlier in the month he really started to discover his voice and instead of his usual babbling he would just randomly yell. He was perfectly happy and would just screech, pause for a minute, and then screech again. I couldn't believe how such a little person could make such a loud noise! I'm sure the downstairs neighbors enjoyed that. He doesn't do that so much anymore, but every now and then he'll still let out good howl. During this same phase, he wouldn't cry so much as just scream. He'd let out a howl and then go silent and then do it again. Now when he's really upset, his cry is a mixture of yelling and crying.

Connor continues to be so strong. He has decided that he doesn't like being cradled or held lying down in our arms anymore unless he's sleepy. Instead, he loves to be held in a sitting or standing position. If we try to hold him in a horizontal position he'll grunt and lean forward trying his hardest to sit up. When he's standing on my lap and he has one foot on each of my legs, he looks like a little cowpoke ready to draw with his wide stance. It's so cute

Grandma let us borrow this jumper toy for the time being. He's still too little for it, but he loves to be up and moving so much that I've started putting him in it anyways. I have to put some books on the floor underneath so he can have a base to stand on, but he seems to really like it. It lets him be upright, and he can wiggle and bounce to his heart's content. At the same time, it lets me keep my hands free so I can get some stuff done. Thanks Grandma!

Connor just has to be up and looking around so that he can see what's going on. He's not happy unless he can watch what we're doing, whether I'm in the kitchen making dinner, Brian's working on his laptop, or we're eating at the table, he's not happy unless he's in the middle of it (or at least has a good view). I've started calling him Gladys Kravitz. Haha! One evening I was holding a flashlight for Brian while he was trying to fix something, and Connor just kept yowling and whining across the room while he was laying on the floor. The noise was getting to us, so finally I went and picked him up and brought him over to where Brian was working. I held him while I picked up the flashlight again. As soon as he was with us and could watch what we were doing, he became quiet and perfectly content. He reminds me a bit of myself in that regard. I always wanted to know what my parents where doing and was always trying to "help." One day, when my parents were working on their taxes or some such serious task at the kitchen table, I kept trying to help, asking them to tell me what they were doing and why. All of the sudden my Dad stopped what he was doing and called me Gladys Kravitz. My Mom started laughing and they had to explain to me who that was.

     

As I've mentioned before, Connor loves to have his hands by his face when he's sleeping. Well lately he's started covering his entire face with his arms while falling asleep. It's really cute, but I also worry that he's not getting any air, so I'm constantly trying to adjust his arms to make sure he can breathe without waking him up.

He loves to be cradled on his side when he's tired and we rock him to sleep. He'll snuggle right into me when I'm rocking him. He still likes to have a handful of my shirt as well. It's a comfort thing for him. Lately he'll grab a handful of my hair as well. That's not so fun for me...it's so hard to untangle his little fingers. It might be time for another haircut so he can't reach it as readily. He really likes sleeping on his side, and when he naps in his crib on on my bed with me he sleeps so much better when he's laying on one side or the other. 

Sometimes he'll get so tired, but just refuse to fall asleep. The only thing that works is either walking/standing with him while gently bouncing him back and forth or holding him while lying down on our bed. It doesn't happen very often, but occasionally these extra measures are needed to get him to take a nap or fall asleep for the night. His eyes get red and droopy and he gets so cranky, and I know he'll feel better if he'll just go to sleep, but he refuses. Silly boy. Sometimes, if he was up in the middle of the night and I'm just exhausted, I'll just fall asleep with him. I always wake up so hot and sweaty after sleeping next to him. The kid is a furnace. Even when he is awake he'll usually feel warm. I used to worry that he had a fever and would check his temperature all the time, but I've learned that he just runs hot.

Connor usually is still so sleepy the first time he wakes up, which can be anywhere from 3 to 7 am. After a quick diaper change and a bottle of milk, he will fall right back to sleep. The second time he wakes up, any time from 6 to 9 am (depending upon his first wake time), he is so alert and happy. I'll wake up and roll over to check on him in his little bed next to ours and he's just sitting there bright eyed and smiley, just as happy as can be. This is how Brian usually finds Connor after he gets out of the shower in the morning, and says it's his favorite part of his morning before work. It's really the greatest way to start a day, being greeted by such an adorable, smiley face.

Our little guy is such a morning person...nothing like his parents at all. Haha! He is so happy and smiley throughout the morning and early afternoon. He starts to get a bit fussy during the late afternoon, but that's usually cured with a good nap. Right before it's time to go down for the night he can get really grumpy. But once he gets to that point, he usually goes to sleep soon after. We're planning to start a bedtime routine, and as part of that we want to read to Connor every night. Two nights ago we read him his first ever book--The Poky Little Puppy. I held him while Brian read the book, and he actually paid attention for a good while looking at the pictures and watching Brian as he was reading. It was fun.

Connor has also decided that he really likes my presence and attention. It gets a bit extreme in the afternoons sometimes. He immediately starts to yowl and cry if I leave him laying on the floor alone or sitting in his bouncer while I wash some dishes or make myself lunch. Usually it's a sign that he's tired, but other times he just doesn't like being alone. It makes it really hard to get anything done some days, but I try my best to balance productiveness and attentiveness. I wish that he could understand when I tell him that I'll be right back.

I don't know if I've mentioned this yet, but our little guy loves music. He always turns his head to see where it's coming from. We find ourselves constantly singing to him throughout the day because it makes him smile, calms him down if he is fussy, and helps him drift off to sleep when we rock him. Sometimes we just make up songs, singing about the stuff we're doing, and other times we'll sing him lullabies or songs that we've got stuck in our heads. A few of Connor's favorites are the ABC's, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Silent Night (I would hum this to him when he was a newborn as I was rocking him to sleep and he still likes it), The Ants Go Marching, The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine," and Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here."

Connor likes to try to walk up Dad's chest when he's holding him in a standing position, and he likes to grab and play with Dad's hair. He loves to touch our faces and is always reaching for and grabbing our chins, cheeks, noses, and lips. He always smiles when Dad holds him in a standing up position and rocks him back and forth like he's dancing. Connor loves it when I give him eskimo kisses and eat his cheeks. He'll try to grab my face and lean his head forward to suck on my cheek in return. He just started reacting when we tickle his belly this last week. He makes the most delightful high-pitched screeching noises when we blow raspberries on his tummy (also known as a Deathstar in our home). It's so great, and this is something that Brian has been waiting for almost from the moment we learned we were having a baby!

Other things about our 4 month old:

• Connor has been eating on a more regular schedule this month. He eats 4 to 4 1/2 ounces every three to four hours. On the occasion that he eats 5 ounces he'll spit up more than usual. 
• He is in 3-6 month clothes. Most of them are still big on him, but he's starting to grow into themd.
• He wears size two diapers.
• He usually sleeps 6 to 7 hours each night.
• His eyes look brown until you look closely, and then you can see that they are still a very dark blue/gray.

Aren't these puppy jammies adorable?

Connor had his 4 month doctor's visit this morning. Overall he's doing good, but his weight gain is still really slow. Here are his stats:

• Weight: 13 lbs 12 1/2 ounces; 17th percentile
• Height: 25 3/4 inches; 78th percentile
• Head Circumference: 42 cm; 64th percentile

His increase in height is a little low, but it's his weight gain that needs attention. Connor has dropped below two lines on his weight percentile chart which is concerning. He isn't losing weight, but he's just not gaining enough. He's not malnourished, but he just isn't getting the calories he needs. Our pediatrician said that on average four month old babies eat 5-6 ounces every 3-4 hours. Connor only eats 4-4 1/2 ounces, and some days it's a struggle to get him to eat that much. So the problem is a combination of him not consuming enough and my milk being low in calories. The plan is to either try to get him to eat another ounce or two of formula along with the four ounces of breast milk, or to add formula powder to my breast milk to increase its caloric content. We already have problems getting him to eat more, so I think we're going to focus on adding the calories to what he already eats, while still offering him 5 to 6 ounces at each feeding. I really hope it helps. I'm worried about him. His weight gain has been slow for two months now. I want to keep giving him breast milk for as long as I can, but if it's not supplying him with the nutrients/calories that he needs to support his growth, then I'd rather switch to formula. We're not quite at that point yet though. We're going to go in for another weight check in two weeks to see if the added formula powder is enough to boost his weight gain, and then go from there.

Also, he's been fussier than usual this week, and yesterday he slept more than usual, but he hasn't had a fever so I haven't been too worried about it. This morning he had a little bit of a rash on his stomach. We asked the pediatrician about all of that and he said that he might have a mild virus of some sort, but to just watch him and as long as he doesn't stop eating or get a high fever to just let it run its course. I thought he might just be going through a growth spurt, but with the appearance of the rash, I wonder if he's caught something from us taking him to church.

Our pediatrician says that other than not gaining enough weight, he's doing fine and looks healthy. Which I'm so glad about. We talked a bit about starting him on some solid foods, just rice cereal for now. However, after discussing his weight, we're going to hold off a couple weeks more on that to see how the added formula affects his growth. He also got some vaccinations this visit--two shots and one by mouth. Not fun, but he didn't cry as much this time. He cried more when the doctor was checking his ears! We have such a strong and brave little one.

This last month spring has sprung. I'm loving that the weather is starting to warm up, and that leaves and blossoms are starting to appear. I'm anxious to start taking Connor on daily walks, so we can both get some fresh air and get out of the house more. First we need to get a stroller.

We really can't believe that we've had this guy for four whole months, but we couldn't imagine life without him. He sure is special and we just adore him.