Okay, four months is such a fun age. I can’t really say that I have a favorite stage because truthfully, whatever stage Jameson is currently in is my new favorite. That’s the fun thing about babies…everything changes so fast and suddenly your newborn is rolling and laughing and grabbing things and you’re just constantly amazed. I really can’t imagine anything better than being a mom. 🙂 Here’s what’s new for Jimmy Jam at four months old…
Weight & Length: We had his four month check up yesterday (on his actual four month “birthday”) and he weighed in at 15lbs 8oz (exactly one pound bigger than last month). That places him in the 50th-75th percentile range (slightly lower in percentile than his two month check-up, but still progressing nicely). As for height, he’s 26 inches which places him in the 75th-90th percentile range (slightly higher than his two month check-up ranking). Overall, the doctor was very happy with his growth and Jameson is as healthy as ever!
Clothing: He’s in 3-6 month and 6 month stuff for the most part, although he does fit in some 6-9 month onesies, depending on the brand. The problem is that he’s such a rolly polly little dude so some of his 3-6 month outfits are good for his height but are just too tight. Oh well, we make it work. Diapers are size 2 now!
Eyes & Hair: The color of his hair is pretty much the same as last month, I would say. The only difference is that he’s going a little bald haha. Not really bald, I guess, but his hair has definitely thinned out. The same thing happened to my niece around this age and now a few months later, she’s got much thicker hair…so there’s hope for Jameson! His eyes are still so dark but I’m seeing more green in them these days. It really depends on the lighting, though.
Sleep: Well this has been an interesting one this month. We’ve had a lot of good nights, but some really hard ones too. Four months is around when babies hit a sleep regression (their sleep starts mimicking adults’ deep and light sleep cycles) and if they don’t know how to put themselves back to sleep when they wake up at night during a cycle of light sleep…you’re stuck with a crying infant who wants to be rocked or nursed to sleep. Which is not fun when you’re half asleep yourself. We’ve been trying to be consistent with our schedule and routines, and for his naps during the day we’ve been practicing putting him down sleepy but awake and letting him figure out how to fall asleep on his own (which he can do, most of the time). He still only naps for 40 minutes flat during the day (which the pediatrician actually said was perfectly fine), but at night (on good nights) he can go up to 8 hours straight, although it’s usually closer to 6. We had a few nights this month where he was up every couple of hours like a newborn and one horrifying night where he was up every 40 minutes. That was a good time. We’re working through it, though, and soon we’ll probably transition him into his crib for nighttime sleeping as well.
Eating: Still going strong with breastfeeding and Jameson is going longer stretches (finally!) between meals. It used to be every 2 hours, if not earlier, but now it’s more like 3 hours or occasionally a bit less if he’s been really active or going through a growth spurt. I know four-month-olds can go longer than that and sometimes Jameson does, but if he’s obviously hungry I don’t really care about what he “should” be doing. I feed him when he wants to eat and that’s a good enough schedule for me. One funny thing I’ve noticed this month is that Jameson is super particular about noises while he’s eating. If he hears something interesting, he’ll immediately stop and look around almost in an angry way haha. Like “Who dares to interrupt my meal?” He also periodically stops eating to check that I’m still there, which is so darn sweet, and when he sees me he smiles so big that he can’t even eat! Adorable.
Milestones: The biggest milestone this month has definitely been rolling! On Christmas Eve he rolled several times from his belly to his back (his first time doing it all on his own) and then this past week he started rolling from his back to his belly! I shouted “YAY JAMESON!!!!” so loud that I scared him haha. Sorry, buddy, I’m just really excited. Since then he hasn’t really been interested in rolling from his belly to his back, but he loves practicing his back to belly rolling every day, particularly when there’s an interesting toy nearby that he wants to get to. He’s getting better at using his hands and wants to grab literally anything that passes in front of him (including hair, hot plates of food, Alex’s beard, etc.). But he still doesn’t have that whole object permanence thing down so if he’s holding something down by his side where he can’t see it, he gets mad because he thinks it disappeared. He can sit up with some help now, so he loves being in his Bumbo and his doorway jumper thing. 🙂
Sounds: He laughs, he squeals, he coos, and he’s been practicing with new sounds this month too (like “m” and “p” and “b”). One time I swear I heard him say mama and even though I know it was a complete accident and he won’t even understand language until many more months, I still got excited. 😉 He’s also been really into happy screaming this month (which has made things nice and loud around here) and sometimes he’ll happily lay there screaming and screaming just because he likes to hear it. Plus he’s been experimenting with moving his mouth different ways and is having the time of his life blowing raspberries, spitting for no reason, and sucking on his bottom lip.
Loves: Bath time, being naked or in just a diaper (he’ll actually start whining when I try to put his clothes on), trying to catch water in the bath (he can’t figure out why he can feel it but he can’t grab it), watching me eat (he’ll stop everything and just stare lol, goofball), Charlie, the new toys he got for Christmas, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, being playfully surprised or scared, rolling, chip bags (weird, but he’s obsessed with them), Alex’s red hat, listening to music (especially when Alex plays guitar for him or I sing), Alex in general, his cousin Madelyn, and me! He’s kind of a major mama’s boy.
Hates: Pretty much the same as last month…getting dressed (although he has been getting better about it), when we have to suck the snot out of his nose (ew), and that darn car seat is still torture.
Things I want to remember: Your curiosity, your ticklish little belly, the way you’re never sick of me and always prefer me to anyone else (with Daddy as a close second), how you regularly check to make sure I’m still around and smile when you see me or even when you just hear my voice, how you can tell when I’m about to feed you and get so stoked, the way you automatically start stretching when I unswaddle you even if it’s the middle of the night and you’re half asleep, how you love pulling the blanket over your eyes when you’re trying to sleep, and the way you light up and giggle whenever I kiss your sweet little face.
We adore you, sweet boy, and we’re thankful every day for the blessing of being your parents. Month Five, we’re coming for you!
Milk with a Meal 