Four Months

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you this special “birthday” update. We will return to holiday posting tomorrow. Thank you for your cooperation.

Four months. FOUR months! I just can’t believe it. Riley saw Dr. B for his 4-month check-up on December 17. His stats were as follows:

• Weight: 15lbs 14oz
• Length: 26 inches
• Head circumference: 16 inches

I’m sure he’s up over 16lbs by now…..he’s growing too fast! As the weeks go by I am amazed at how different he looks from when he was a newborn. His eyes are a gorgeous shade of blue (kind of a mix between Kenny’s supremely blue eyes and my blue gray ones); I hope they stay that way. His hair is turning lighter; blond roots are really starting to show through. And he’s still got those chunky legs, which I still love to squeeze every chance I get!

Riley also got his second round of shots (the same ones as he got at 2 months) at this appointment with Dr. B. Once again, he only cried for a minute after getting stuck!

Here are my notes from Riley’s fourth month:

• He’s still taking an average of 5 ounces at every feeding. Sometimes he takes more, sometimes he takes less. It all depends on what kind of mood he’s in or how long it’s been since he last ate. One thing’s for sure: he KNOWS what his bottle is now. It’s so funny how fixated he gets on it when I’m warming one up! He’s also held a bottle on his own a few times for a very short while this month. More on what he’s actually eating coming soon in another post…..
• We all know how he’s been sleeping. He started out really bad at the beginning of the month, but he’s actually gotten better over the past week. Kenny and I were worried about that since we were away from home, around lots of people, and up late most nights, but he handled it like a champ. Now we’re starting to wonder if the earlier bedtime we’re trying to establish isn’t the best idea. We’ve put him down around 9:30pm the past few nights and he’s done excellently. We’re still swaddling (I broke down and bought a few in a bigger size), but only halfway: one arm stays free. We think he’s starting to learn how to settle himself, which is fabulous. We’ll just keep moving forward and see how it goes!
• He’s beginning to develop somewhat of a routine during the day. He almost always goes down for a morning nap about an hour and a half after he wakes up. He also usually takes two afternoon naps and one in the early evening.
• He got his first winter cold late this month, but it’s not too bad. Just a small case of the sniffles, although it has affected his eating and breathing, especially when he’s sucking on a bottle or his paci….it’s hard to do both when your nose is stuffed up! Nurse Amy advised us to use orange Children’s Triaminic, which we are giving him every 6 hours.
• The eczema on his face is still an issue, but it comes and goes. When it’s bad, though, it looks really bad. It’s also started to become more apparent on his arms and legs. His hair is still crazy, although it’s getting better. We gave him his second haircut this month.
• He started to reach for and grab toys under his playmat early this month and continued to develop this skill as the month progressed. He’s starting to realize what his hands are and that they have a purpose. He still loves to suck on his fingers and drools 24-7, it seems. And, very recently, he has started to take his pacifier out of his mouth with his hand, study it for a bit, and then work it back in by himself. Very cool.
• He’s starting to enjoy standing up more and more. His legs are really strong, and he can support himself for a decent amount of time. And he can sit up pretty well (with assistance). He’s still doing well with tummy time, but he’s nowhere close to rolling over. We thought he would have accomplished this already, but he doesn’t roll to his side like he used to earlier in the month.
• He is LOTS more vocal now, and his volume is starting to increase. He’s smiling more than ever, and he’s laughing more, too.
• He loves looking outside and watching trees blow in the wind. He really liked looking at all of the lights and sparkly ornaments on Christmas trees. He also loves to watch me dry my hair. He stares up at me with huge blue eyes, completely captivated by my hair whipping around. It’s pretty cute.
• He seems to enjoy being around people, which was certainly tested this month. He was passed into so many new arms, but he didn’t seem to mind at all! He also isn’t shy about doling out his cute smile (as long as you work for it just a little bit), which everyone just loves.

I decided to start posting his monthly pictures not necessarily wearing the same outfit and in the same position. I may regret this decision later, but for now, I’m sticking to it. So here he is, in all of his four-month glory!