4 Months

I have been such a slacker with blogging and posting pictures. I decided to take some inspiration from another friend and post some pics and a some stuff about Nicholas at 4 months. I wrote down some things to help me remember and it's a bit discombobulated so forgive me if I seem to bounce from one thing to another, but I'll try to edit myself as I go.

Nicholas at 4 months (and 1 week)

He doesn't stay sitting up by himself yet, but he is working towards it.

Dear Nicholas,

You have been trying to sit up when you are half reclined. You do that in the blue chair (which we no longer use, except for feeding time). You also do it when you are on someones lap. You have rolled from tummy to back 2x. But don't feel a need to do it anymore since that first day. No one but mom has seen you do it. Dad claims to not believe you have done it because of that and when videotaping you, Mom (me) only got the tail end of one of your rolls.

You have started to play more with toys and pay attention to smaller things. You like the exersaucer in short spurts. You also enjoy having toys hanging on your carseat and will reach for them.

We fed you solid food (rice cereal) for the first time on April 25th and you seemed to like it okay. Both your dad and I took turns trying to feed you. When your dad was taking his turn, he wasn't paying attention to the bowl in his hand and you proceeded to kick it and spill a lot of it.

Since trying rice cereal you have had carrots and peaches. You seem to prefer to have rice cereal in with the other food. I think you don't mind the carrots anymore, but the peaches were causing you to make faces the whole time last night..you didn't seem to like them much. Otherwise you are still nursing about every 2 hours during the day. Unfortunately you no longer take a bottle or formula very well (sometimes not at all) and in the beginning you were having 1 almost every evening.

You LOVE your fleece blanket by your head and face during daytime naps (out of your crib). That is how we can get you to sleep if we aren't home or able to put you down in a bed. You will settle down and go to sleep if put in bed awake. Sometimes it takes a few minutes, but it doesn't take long usually. Sometimes you don't make a peep at all. You take a few naps a day, mostly short with one possibly longer nap. You goes to bed around 9 p.m. or so and tend to be up for the day around 7 or 8 a.m. Nicholas you have been sleeping for about 6 hour during the first stretch of the night (last night you made it 8 hours!!) and then it is usually every 2 hours after that. I think you are the best sleeper I have had. You still have nights when you don't sleep as well or as long. You sleeps best wrapped up (like a burrito) in a sheet (we first tried it again in February and had learned it from Russ Brenchley. You didn't like being wrapped up before that or at the hospital at all). You usually gets your arms free after the sleep before I get to you, but it helps you settle to sleep better and stay asleep a bit better.

You will still generally sleep when you're in the car and your carseat, but since the trip to Canada you don't do as well in the car. You used to do GREAT! But you do enjoy listening to your brother and sister on either side of you. You especially love when they both getting laughing.

You love seeing Allison and Mathew afterschool and anticipates seeing them when I start talking about them. You also seems to enjoy seeing and interacting with your dad. Mostly you just like the attention and thinks you have to have it from anyone and everyone. You aren't picky about who holds you (at least not yet), but they have to talk to you or you get upset.

We also discovered you like to see the baby in the mirror and other babies. You love to smile and we have even gotten you to laugh a couple of times. You are ticklish but is still learning how to react to it. Your dad got you laughing the other day while he tickled your foot. It was WAY cute! You also enjoy giving kisses...opening your mouth against our cheeks. You might wonder if this is truly on purpose or not, but there are times you don't open your mouth and give us "kisses" and you don't try to suck on the cheeks you just opens your mouth. I love your kisses!

What a wonderful blessing you are to us Nicholas! To me and to our home! Sometimes after long naps or trips away from you, I realize how much I really missed seeing and holding you. And after long sometimes sleepless nights when you wake up with smiles it just melts my heart and reminds me how truly blessed I am and how much I love you! So we are adjusting to a baby in the house again and all the trials that come with it, but we love you so much and enjoy having you here! Everyone of us!

Love, Mom