4 months

4 months as of October 26, 2013

Weight:  15 lbs. 1 oz // 50-75 percentile

Length: 25 inches // 50-75 percentile
Head Circumference: 17 inches // 75 percentile

Clothes: You are wearing all 3-6 month onesies, shirts and sleep and plays, but you continue to fit into 0-3 month shorts, pants and sweatspants. You've got yourself a tiny hiney -- Mommy's jealous!

Health: Physical therapy was a huge blessing and you are officially finished. Your neck is so strong, thank heavens.

Diet: You generally take 6 bottles/day - all formula. You're still on Similac Sensitive. You take 4 5oz. bottles throughout the day, 1 6 oz. bottle as your last bottle at 7:30pm and you get 2-3oz. when you wake up in the middle of the night. We're giving you so little in hopes that you'll just sleep through that feeding, which you do do several times a week. When you sleep through the night you only get 5 bottles/day.

Sleep:  Bathtime is still 7:00/7:15pm and you are ready for bed, with your bottle in your mouth by 7:30pm and asleep by 7:45-8:00pm. There was a week period that you regressed --- You fought bedtime, you hated napping and you woke up twice nightly in the middle of the night. This was a long week, as we didn't know how long this regression would last. Thankfully, not long at all and you've been back to your typical schedule for a couple of weeks now. You still sleep from 8:00pm-7:00am, often, waking up for a 20 minute middle of the night feeding. You've slept through the night too many times to count, but it's still not standard for you quite yet. I'm not complaining though... I mean, I'm only up for 20 minutes if I get up (some nights are Daddy's nights to get up with you). Napping has generally always gone well. You take 3 naps - 8:15am, 11:30am and 2:30pm - and you sleep for anywhere between 30 mins-1.5 hours. When you were 16 weeks old you decided that you weren't going to cry at naptime anymore. You love to be rocked to sleep while sucking on your fingers, totally fuss free. I swear that the Moms On Call book has been one of the best purchases of my life!

 Baby Gear Love: activity mat, Baby Einstein musical toy, mirrors, firefly toy, Bumbo, jumper, swing

Likes: smiling, talking, sucking on fingers, eating, naptime, crib, getting a diaper change, bath time, sucking on and playing peek-a-boo with Aden + Anais swaddling blankets, watching tv, rolling over (from stomach to back), playing with toys

Dislikes: pacifier, evening-time, wind, when the sun is in his eyes

Crying: You cry so little these days. You're always very fussy in the evening between 6:15-7:15pm and just wail. This is when either Daddy or I plop ourselves on our medicine ball (yes, the one from the gym) and bounce you up and down on it. When we do this you go silent! You truly only cry when you're sleepy, when you need your diaper changed and when you're hungry. And those are all things that I can help you with or fix within minutes. Easy, easy!

Milestones: You love to roll over, from stomach to back. It's the cutest thing to watch you slightly rock back and forth, gain momentum then tumble over onto your back looking for praise, of which you get every time! You hold your head so well now -- I can't believe that I can walk around with you without having one hand on the back of your head. How'd that happen so fast? You also love to sit up in the corner of the couch, on our laps or in your Bumbo and just watch the world go by. Out of the blue you desided that you hated the pacifier and have refused it for weeks, seems as though you've taken to sucking on your blankets and fingers instead. It's not clear which fingers you'll decide on, but it's looking like your favorites are the same ones that your mommy used to suck. Oddly enough, you've recently started to notice the tv and will even watch it. I'm sure it's the bright colors that catch your eye, or maybe you just really like Kelly and Michael :) Smiling - Oh smiling. We can't get enough of your toothless smiles and giggles. It might just be the cutest thing I've ever witnessed! And your cuddles. They mean so much more to me now than they did in the beginning... because it seems as if you're choosing to fall asleep on me instead of whining for your crib... and that my son, is heaven for your mommy and daddy. You are a boy who loves to talk. You just babble like crazy and sometimes we think you might actually be telling us a story in your own little language. I like to think you're explaining all of the adventures you go on in your dreams :)

Dear Trace, Every month is truly getting to be more and more fun. I can honestly say that I did not enjoy the first 2 months as much as I've enjoyed the last 2. You make Daddy and I laugh all the time! It is a true joy to be your mother. I think about the weight that I have left to lose, the muffin top that I'm constantly trying to hide and the scar on my lower belly that I'll have forever... for you, it's all worth it. Spending my days with you is the greatest blessing of my life and I thank God every day that I'm able to. I still can't believe that I was chosen to be your mother. Someone pinch me! I look at your hands and can't believe that they'll be man hands one day. I kiss your soft cheeks and can't believe they'll have stubble on them one day. I know that you will be an incredible man, but in the meantime I'm enjoying watching you transition from a newborn into an infant. I'm loving every minute of this life with you in it! The world is a better place since you've arrived, I can already tell...

Scenes from the past month!