4 month update

Growth

Alex had his 4 month checkup this week. He is weighing 16 lbs 7 oz- which is in the 72 percentile. So. kinda big but mostly average. I thought for sure he would be in the 99% for height since nothing seems long enough to fit him, but he only measured 26 inch, which is 86%- still a pretty tall kiddo. He's wearing mostly 6 month clothes now, but still has a few 3 month outfits that fit.

Sleep

Sleep is not so great. I can't remember the last time I had a 6 hour stretch of sleep. Actually, it was probably a month or so ago when we left him overnight with grandma & grandpa.  We were still using his swing up until a week or so ago, but since the motor has given up trying to move his heavy butt & Alex is figuring out how to roll out of it (he never actually did-thank god) we decided it was time to suck it up and make him use the big boy crib. We're a few nights in and he seems a lot more comfortable stretching out in the crib, but doesn't sleep as sound and is waking up every three hours.  He's also much better at calming himself down now. We have let him fuss for a bit some nights and he's put himself back to sleep a few times, but more often he just wakes himself up even more, so it's easier to just nurse him when he starts to fuss since  it only takes like 10 min to put him back down. 

Eating

About the same, we're exclusively breastfeeding still. We did find a bottle that works better, this one- with this nipple, but he still has to be in the mood to take it- which is never at night. So sometimes he'll take some formula on the weekends when dad and grandparents are around to feed him. The doctor talked to us about trying rice cereal or oatmeal in the next few weeks. Can't decide if i'm excited for him to start other food or not, I know it'll be extra cost for us but breastfeeding all the time is really exhausting. I have at least another two months of boobie duty though- just have to keep reminding myself that it's what's best for my little boy!

Likes

His new favorite toy is this walker. It has lots of buttons he likes to pound on, plus it lets him practice putting weight on his legs which he's really good at- strong boy! He is also drooling like crazy lately, and loves anything he can chew on- particularly sophie the giraffe.  It seems like everyone has one, and it's because her little legs are perfect size for baby's mouth! Such a good purchase. The teething rings we got for him are hard and too big for his mouth. I'm going to look for some different kinds, there's got to be some good ones out there. We've been watching some disney movies together (ah, the joys of SAHM), Monster's Inc was a BIG hit, lots of coos and giggles.  Which reminds me, he laughs! I love it, it's really the best sound ever. He has the goofiest chuckle and will throw his head back with it- such a little cheese already!

Postpartum:

5 lbs left! I really haven't done much exercising , but breasfeeding does wonders!  I wonder if I breastfeed for 5 years if i'll be a size 2... ; ) But really, my hips will never be that small again. My goal is just to tone everything up now, big hips can be hot if you're in shape! (look at Sophia Vergara and Kim K!)  Am I really using a Kardashian as a role model- yup! Don't judge. ; )

Newborn Must-haves

Newborn Must-haves

I expected Alex to need every single product I read about online. I would say the first month is really simple: diapers, butt cream, and a good sleeping spot. Of course if you're not exclusively breast feeding you'll need bottles and all sorts of other fun stuff. I assumed Alex would be a large baby so only had size 1 diapers on hand (dumb), so having some NB diapers just in case is a good idea too. 

Every kid is different, but these were our most used products for the first month or so when they're in the Eat, Poop, Sleep routine. 

1. I mentioned having a good sleep spot.. the first few nights we tried a few different options (big boy crib, pack n play, and this Swing) The pack n play was in our room but we have two cats that were not on board with being shut out of our bedroom, & as a paranoid FTM I didn't want them clawing the baby to death while i slept. Since Alex refused to be swaddled since day 1 the big boy crib was not snug enough for him. The first few weeks were a mix of holding him while he slept and putting him in the swing, 4 months later we're still using the swing for the most part. We're trying to transition him to the crib now since he is way too heavy for the swing to even move anymore. hah!

2. I was so excited to dress my new little guy in all sorts of little outfits. He literally wore these white onesies with the built in mittens for weeks. He loved to claw his face and eyes & his little fingers were so tiny it was scary clipping his nails!  These aren't anything special but they do the trick, word of advice they shrink like crazy when washed. 

3. Alex didn't have many big fits, when we had tried everything to get him to stop crying and didn't know what else to do we tried some gripe water that I got from my shower & it worked every time! We only had to use it a few times but it's well worth having!

4. I've given up on Alex taking a pacifier. He did for a little bit in the beginning but I just can't seem to find one he will keep in his mouth! It's a good idea to buy lots of kinds, hopefully one of them will work!

5. I absolutely love this monitor. 

6. If you hate doing laundry, like me, then these are a must Changing Pad Liners. It's way easier tossing these in the laundry than taking the actual changing pad cover off every time shit gets a little messy.. literally. ha!

7. Alex had some diaper rash the first week or so. We tried desitin, and it was ok, but I prefer this a&d ointment. It's more of a gel than a cream, & cleared up the problem really fast. Alex hasn't had to use it since!

8. Speaking of ointments... the first few days of breast feeding can be rough. Even though I only had to use this for a week or so, it was well worth it! I had an off brand the hospital gave me that wasn't anywhere close to as good as the Lansinoh brand. A little goes a LONG way, so a small tube would be fine.