My little Dec is 4 months old today! At four months old, he is doing lots of fun things. On one hand, the last four months have flown by. On the other, it feels like he’s always been a member of our little family. Declan likes to chew on his hands and is starting to hold onto toys. When he gets a good grip, he often brings the toy (or blanket or whatever he is grasping) to his mouth. He reaches for the toys on his bouncer and I catch him reaching and holding the little bird.
Declan also has a lot of drool! He likes to pool the drool at the edge of his mouth and blow raspberries. Then he grins as if he is proud of himself. His eyes are so big and expressive, and when he is awake he always seems to have a smile on his face. He likes to be outside, although he is usually much more serious outside just taking in his surroundings. His head and neck strength are improving day by day – he has great control and likes to be upright and looking around. He has just started using his jumperoo – his legs can touch the ground and he likes to look at the toys and look all around. When he does tummy time, he can lift his head up so his eyes look straight ahead, and is even starting to lift his chest just a little. He has been doing little laughs for a few weeks but just in the last week or so he has given some excited belly laughs. We can't wait to hear more, they are SO adorable!
Declan’s daily schedule is starting to become more consistent. He is super happy when he wakes up, which is normally around 7-730. On weekdays, Daddy and Teagan get him ready and they shuffle off to daycare. He likes to sit in the swing and the bouncer and watch the other kids, and also likes to have floor time and tummy time. His naps are inconsistent at best when he is at daycare, but they tell me he is generally a happy boy! All of that stimulation probably makes it hard to nap. So far he enjoys the craft projects they do throughout the week. He also likes walks in the buggy with the other kids. He is always full of smiles for Mama when I pick him up. Evenings are a time for snuggles and comfort as he is usually tired and hungry. He has greatly improved with taking the bottle at daycare – we are up to 8oz divided between 2 bottles. They space the bottles a little further apart and get the milk nice and warm and he usually takes it like a champ. Over the next weeks I am going to continue bumping the ounces little by little. The evening consists of some play time with Mommy and Teagan, and nursing every 1-1.5 hrs. Declan also needs lots of napping to catch up from his busy day. Currently I still try to hold him for these cat naps – partially to get in extra snuggle time and partially because it seems to be a constant cycle of eat, sleep, eat, sleep, often eating while sleeping! It’s hard to do that when he’s upstairs in his room! The evenings are a constant juggling act trying to play with Teagan and snuggle Declan. Sometimes Teagan and I will watch part of a movie or a TV show together (Yo Gabba Gabba or Thomas and Friends). When Declan is awake and happy I try to let him kick around on the floor while I play with Teagan or get her a snack. If he is awake and fed and happy we try to venture outside at any chance we get.
Declan takes a bath 2-3 times a week and enjoys his bath time very much. He loves the warm water and kicking and splashing. He also likes to watch Teagan play when they take a bath together. Declan goes to bed around 7-7:30pm. I swaddle him and then we rock while he eats and snuggles. He usually goes down very easily. Sleeping was going pretty well before I went back to work. Over the 4th, he was up 1-2x a night and that continued after I started back to work. D got a little cold a week or two in, and since then he has struggled with his sleep. Currently he is usually up 2-3 times a night. Recently it has been 11-something, 2ish, and 5ish. Makes for a very tired Mama! I know we’ll get there eventually – at some point we’ll have to ditch the swaddle and maybe even break out some Ferber. I am not really sure of my plan of attack just yet – as bad as 3 night wakings are, I know the path to get to sleeping through the night could be much worse for a few weeks. The other night we tried swaddling one arm out which turned out to be pretty rough for both Matt and I. But last night, fully swaddled, he only woke up once. At this point I want to make sure he is getting enough milk in his belly over each 24hr period so I am not ready to night wean just yet!
All three of us have enjoyed watching Declan grow over the last four months and we cannot wait to see what he accomplishes next! More "real" photos to come this weekend but for now - iPhone snaps of my four month old happy boy:
And for a special bonus: my sweet, awesome, happy girl:
Coming soon: Tales from Mama & Dada's night out Friday, and posting some fun videos from this week
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