The Taynors

The Taynors

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Patrick- 4 months whoop whoop

We have reached the 4 month mark... this is a big deal for me.  I feel like 4 months is the beginning of life getting back to normal.  Sleep is a little (very little) bit better, naps will start to fall into a routine, mommy starts to feel like her old self.  Its also scary how fast this is going.  I mean its already May... when the hell did that happen!?  I definitely think second baby grows up even faster than the first.

So here are some of the fun facts and milestones of this stage.

-Patrick weighs 14lbs and 4 oz
-We just switched him over to 3-6 month clothes, still size 2 diapers
-He is still only breastfed (wooo hoo!)
-He is a very happy, sweet baby.  Lots of smiles all day.  I am not use to a baby that just sits back and takes the world in for the most part. 
-He is starting to play with toys.  His green bouncy chair (ironically Ryan's favorite chair too) is his favorite place to hang and reach for the dangling toys above.   Thats when I get the chance to cook, straighten up, play with Ryan.
-The few times he gets upset and cries.... he really cries!  He has one of the loudest cries I have ever heard and people are frequently commenting on how loud he can be.  I am grateful he doesn't cry often!
-He has found his hands and feet and he is completely fascinated with them.
-He wants to roll, but doesn't yet.  He gets up onto his side and then just hangs out there.  I think it will happen any day.
-Tummy time is not his favorite, but mean mommy makes him do it daily.  I have a feeling he will like stomach sleeping when he finally gets comfortable with rolling back and forth.
-Cradle cap is still going strong.  Yuck, I'm over it.  I'm nervous because I know there is some connection between cradle cap and other skin issues and diet issues.  I"m just praying I can be a little more proactive so that hopefully he doens't follow the same path Ryan was on as a baby.


-We are slowly getting into a routine.  I think there is a big change between 3-4 months.  He is able to nap in the Rock N Play, not for longer than 30 minutes, but at least I can get some hands free time.  His days are also pretty regular.  He eats every 3 hours, plays about 1.5 hours, and then starts to get a little fussy for nap time.  Right now is still tricky because the naps are so quick and he doesn't wake up well rested, but we are moving in the right direction.  By the middle of the afternoon I normally give in and will get him back to sleep in my arms... I figure at least he is getting on good long nap a day.  But I am feeling more hopeful that he will be on a good morning and afternoon nap schedule soon.

-We stopped swaddling him at exactly 4 months.  He would wake up out of the swaddle and was scratching his face, and rolling onto his face... anyway it was time to move on.  Now he is in the zipadee-zizp transitions swaddle blanket (thanks jackie!).  So far so good.  He isn't sleeping totally through the night yet, but he seems to be doing okay with the transition.  I think he likes the movement.  Its a great little blanket because his arms and legs are still all zipped into the sleep sack but he is able to move around and roll.  I guess why its called a transition swaddle... its exactly that.

-Night time sleep... this kid is all over the place.  Some nights he sleeps great (like 7pm to 5:00am and then back to sleep til 7) and some nights are awful (like last night, up from 1-2am, then again at 3, and again at 4:40 and again at 5:45 am before I gave up and let him sleep with me).  I am never sure what I am going to get.  I don't normally nurse him the first time or two that he wakes up.  My rule is that if its before 4am then he can't be hungry and I try to just help soothe him back to sleep in the crib.  If its after 4am I will nurse him and lay him back down.  But there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason with the waking, and it doesn't seem to be a habit (like waking at 3:30am every night).  Some nights it seems like its a growth spurt, some nights it seems like early teething- it could also be that 4 month sleep regression I hear about (something in regards to going through a major brain developmental stage that interferes with their sleep)... whatever it is, I'm looking forward to moving past it.  I really can't complain, he is still much better than Ryan was at this age.... but I am really for consistent night sleeping.

-And a side note-  I don't care what anyone says, I can see the similarities between Ryan and Patrick.  There is something in the eyes, nose, mouth part of their faces, and the facial expressions that the make... I can totally see it.  Ryan was chubbier at this point, and Patrick is still darker coloring (not by much), but I think they look alike.  We will see.

Anyway, its amazing how I can't even remember life without Patrick in it.  Our life and routine got flipped upside down, and we are still adjusting to a new normal, but he just fits into our world so perfectly that I can't imagine not having him in our world.  I love him so much and his smiles are what get me through the day.  And I already love to watch him interact with Ryan.  They are going to be best buds :)





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