Happy Wednesday, sweet friends! Baby Gray turned 4 months last week and I didn’t take his 4 month photo until yesterday, sooooo… #thirdkid.
I am loving this boy SO SO MUCH. I want time to slow down and for him to stay this little for longer than 5 minutes, but I know all too well that I’m going to blink and he’s going to be off into the world. So, I’m doing my best to slow down and take it all in…
XO
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BABY GRAY UPDATE | 4 MONTHS
WEIGHT: We had our 4 month appointment yesterday on Monday and baby boy weighed in at 13+ pounds. He’s 25 inches long and thriving. So grateful.
BREASTFEEDING: We’re still going strong! He loves to nurse and we’ve gotten into a pretty good groove. I make sure he nurses about every 2 hours during the day so he’s good and tanked up for the night. He’s an efficient one and only nurses for about 5 minutes on one side.
I had stopped taking sunflower lecithin because I hadn’t been feeling any discomfort for a month or so, but just last week I felt like I was starting to get a plugged duct. I took the pills for a few days, and the pain was gone. If you’re breastfeeding, I can’t recommend taking sunflower lecithin enough. (Always talk to your Dr. before taking anything.)
NIGHT SLEEP: Hey, 4 month sleep regression! I haven’t missed you. We ended our time with our night nanny at the end of December, so we’ve been on our own for a few weeks now. And as it goes, the first night on my own, baby boy’s sleep was BAD. Like, up every 2-3 hours all night long bad. He had been sleeping well for a week leading up to that night, so I knew what was going on: that dreaded 4 month sleep regression.
This was about the time I had sleep-trained my girls, so I knew that was most likely going to have to happen again. Long story short: I did a mild form of sleep-training and within a few nights, we were back to sleeping pretty well. I’ve gotten some requests to share more about how I sleep train my babes, so I will be sharing that post soon.
He’s still waking up at night to nurse, generally about one time. I love that nursing session, even if I sleepily stumble my way to his room. It’s the only time that the rest of the house is quiet and it’s just my boy and me.
NAPS: The ONLY downfall of sleep-training? Babies start to struggle to sleep anywhere but their cribs. So, what used to work (the swing, the car seat, etc) don’t work quite as well anymore. That’s also due to him being much more aware of what’s going on around him and not wanting to miss a thing.
BUT – He’s a third kid. So, he gets carted around a lot, and sometimes that’s during his “nap” times. I’m trying to make sure he can have his first and last nap in his crib (some days I’m better at that than others).
The good news is that since he’s associated his crib with sleep, I can put him down for naps awake and he’s usually asleep within a few mins. He’s still only giving me about 45 minutes (one sleep cycle) for a nap, but I’ll take it.
ROUTINE: OK. Let’s be real. At 4 months, we’re not in a routine yet. Instead, let’s call it a RHYTHM. I try to pay attention to his awake time. After he wakes up and nurses, he’s good to play for maaaaybe an hour or a little more. Then, it’s time for another little snooze. We’re pretty much in this rhythm. all day long. If he’s awake too long, EVERYTHING gets harder. Nursing gets harder. Falling asleep gets harder. Life for everyone in the house gets harder. So, as I do with all of my kiddos, I try to focus on him getting enough sleep.
MILESTONES: He’s working so hard on rolling over! He’s rolled over once from tummy to back, but that might have just been a fluke because he hasn’t done it again.
He’s found his hands and is NEVER not chewing on them. I’m pretty sure he’s going to be a thumbsucker.
He’s laughing and smiling and it makes my heart SO happy.
He’s tracking and can lock eyes with me across the room. He knows when I’m coming to him and gets so excited when he sees me. He starts kicking and laughing and I swear there’s nothing better in the entire world.
FAVORITES: It’s so crazy that he’s already got his own little toys. How are we here already??
SmartNoggin NogginStik Developmental Light-Up Rattle – If you have a baby, you NEED THIS THING. It’s like magic. It lights up, changes colors when it moves and is a rattle, too. He LOVES it and it’s by far his favorite toy.
Find more Baby Gray updates here!
