4 Months

Where is the time going? Despite the fact that I detest the newborn phase, I'm somewhat sad to see it ending. Every moment with (what I hope is) the last baby is bittersweet. It's exciting to see him grow and change, but kind of sad to know that this is my last time seeing all these "firsts". Needless to say, I'm trying to soak it all up!

Joel is still our "Jolly Joel". He's an incredibly happy and easygoing little guy. He seems to be taking after his big brother (and Daddy) in the personality department. Joel loves to be around anyone and smiles, coos, and giggles with whoever is paying attention to him. He's also following Caleb's patterns for growth and appears to be a long, skinny baby just like his big brother was. At his 4-month check-up, he weighed 14 pounds 6 ounces (44th percentile) and was 25.5 inches (76th percentile). He has dropped in his percentile for weight, but the doctor thinks that is due to how active he is. 

EATING: Joel is still nursing and doing great with it. He is much faster and more efficient, which is a good change from those first couple of months! We've switched back and forth between 4 feedings during the day and 5. It seems like no matter what, he still wakes up once at night to eat. It's hard to have such an unpredictable baby at this point considering the fact that the other two were on very solid eating schedules by this point. We've gotten a bit more lazy about giving him bottles, which ended up backfiring. He got a little picky with Grandma one day and refused to take the bottle. Needless to say, we're back to making sure he gets bottles more regularly so that Mommy can have a bit of freedom! We're also ready to start solids with him. I really despise baby food and would be happy waiting, but we're hoping solids might help him sleep a bit more at night.


SLEEPING: Joel is so-so in this department. Just when it seems like he's sleeping longer stretches, he's back to waking up randomly throughout the night. There have been days when he has slept 11 hours at night without eating, and days when he wakes up 4 hours into his sleep to eat....there's no telling what each night holds and it's testing every bit of my type-A, needs-a-schedule, personality! During the day, he's pretty much taking 3 naps. The morning and afternoon naps are about 1.5 to 2 hours each and the evening nap is usually less than an hour. He's a pretty good napper, so we're happy about that! He's also grown in his ability to put himself to sleep. There are times when he even fights being rocked and just wants to be put in his crib!


MILESTONES: Joel is definitely a mover! He rolls both ways all the time now and manages to get himself all over the place by rolling. There have been a few times when I've put him down in one spot and then came back to find him quite far from where he started. He is getting pretty good at gorilla sitting where he leans forward and supports himself for a bit before tumbling to the side. Joel loves spending time in his exersaucer and any other place that allows him to be upright with a view of what's going on. He's also become more aware of his hands and feet this month. He is growing into quite the thumb-sucker and seems to prefer that to a pacifier, which is quite the opposite of his siblings.

The pictures say it all...

When I watch the interactions between Caleb and Leah on a daily basis, I can't help but wonder what the days will be like when Leah and Joel are best buds. If these pictures are any indication of what their relationship will be like, we might be in for some trouble...

Ummmm....is someone going to do something about this?!?

 Seriously people, she's not going to let me go!

 Alright, fine, I'll just take matters into my own hands...a little biting never hurt anyone, right?

 Okay, Mommy, you're right, she's not so bad and she sure loves me a whole lot. I guess I'll be civil!

Overheard....

I can think of about a hundred things I said I'd never do once I had kids. One of which was let them eat snacks in our family room on the (brand new) couch. Funny how three kids later, my mind has changed a bit and there are certain things I do just to keep peace and sanity. If the kids just happen to have a snack and watch a show, I might just happen to get 30 minutes of no whining, fighting, hitting, biting.....

On this particular day, they met me in the kitchen where I filled up their bowls and happily sent them on their way downstairs. Caleb flew down there and Leah toddled behind. Taking those steps downstairs with her precious snack in hand takes a lot of concentration! Once Leah managed to make her way to the couch, I expected to hear shouts of "Hey, I was sitting there" or "Leah spilled my snack".

But no, not this time. This time, I heard the sweetest little voice say "Caleb, I wuv you". And in return, I heard "I love you too, let's snuggle". Yep, I dropped whatever I was doing to grab my camera and document this moment. Though there are days when these two seem like they can't stand another minute of being together, they are, indeed, best buds! 

And so, I've learned, that letting go of some of those things you said you'd never do as a parent not only leads to added peace within the home, but also moments of complete joy. Who cares if there are crumbs between my cushions...because with those crumbs come moments of sweetness where my babies snuggle up together and make wonderful memories!