I remember now how much I enjoy this stage... the laughing and babbling. They are awake enough to be "fun" but still sleep a good portion of the day. Best of both worlds! I wish I could say we had a consistent schedule like I did with Mason at this point, but that would be far from true. We aim for 2-3 naps a day, but that doesn't always happen. I aim to feed him every 3 hours, but yet again that isn't always consistent either. Stats at 4 months:
~Wt: 13 lb 1 oz (6%)
~Ht: 24 in (37%)
~Sleeps 12 hrs (but wakes up anywhere from 1-3 times a night)
The fact that our boys are SO different in size makes me believe that size has nothing to do with genetics, nor does it have to do with what I ate when I was pregnant because I ate like a cow this go round. Comparison:
Camden at 4 months:
Mason at 4 months:
Right?! I knew Mason was big but MY GOODNESS! What a chunk he was!
At this age, Camden is staying awake about 1-2 hours at a time and napping for 1-3 hours. He has great head control, so we have started to introduce the Bumbo and the bouncer (we stuff towels around him just in case). He loves to stand up and talk to us and he is extremely ticklish which makes for lots of laughs. He always prefers being held, but when he isn't being held he likes his playmat. He reaches for toys and brings everything to his mouth (only to be disappointed when it doesn't supply milk). There are times it seems he is teething, but the pediatrician assures me this probably isn't the case. Just in case, I give him cold compresses for his gums.
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| 4 mo checkup |
Our biggest challenge with him is his sleep routine at night. It is inconsistent and often frustrating. 80% of this is my fault as I haven't trained him as well as I did Mason. Letting him cry at night wakes Mason up, and that just makes for a TERRIBLE night. It is much easier to get up with C for 20 min then to risk waking up M for 2 hours. This past week we started moving his bedtime up to 7 pm, and just as BabyWise says, this has made him sleep better. He wakes up between 12-2 to nurse, then goes back to sleep until around 8 (although sometimes wakes up between 4-5am to nurse yet again). My goal for this month is to eliminate that 12-2 feeding...ahh how life will be so much better with sleep! Of course, we still have Mason to deal with.
This month marks the first time C has taken a bottle! PRAISE JESUS for this accomplishment. We don't give him one often, but it is so nice to know that I can get away for more than 2 hours if I need to. Thank you to the sweet lady at church who finally cracked the code: it has to be SUPER hot for him to take it. Whatever does the trick.
Poor baby has had his spells with sickness already. A cold, croup, ear infection, and the flu (yes, its true... made for a terrible week)... his immune system should be rock solid by this winter. I blame it on his 2 year old brother that probably carries every germ imaginable... but I may have started taking him to the church and gym nurseries too early. Note to self: wait a few more weeks on the next baby. He has been a rockstar despite it all (much better than his dad who handles illness like a real baby should). He is still on his antibiotic for ear infection and has gotten pretty used to his morning dose...maybe he even likes the taste?!
I feel blessed every single day to have such amazing boys. Despite the lack of sleep Kyle and I are getting, they are healthy, happy, energetic boys. My favorite time of day is putting him down at night, after he has fallen asleep and I am left with a smiling, peaceful baby that I am rocking. It is in those moments where I see the beauty of God and the perfection he has given me. I asked myself the other night if I will ever see them as anything less than perfect, and I'm pretty sure the answer is NO. And to think that God loves us even MORE than I love these boys is unimaginable! Thank you God!
