Four months? Wait...it is going by way too quickly!! My sweet little Austin is four months old and growing like a weed! Oh, and the other day, he slightly pulled himself forward about an inch while on his tummy. I flipped him to his back. It's too early for him to figure out he can be mobile.
Four month stats:
14.15 lbs
26 "
*about a pound less than Cooper at this age and an inch taller!
A few things about my little Austin Boo at four months:
- He's found his little squeal voice and loves to fill the house with it.
- He's doing great at rolling side to side, but hasn't mastered rolling back to tummy just yet.
- His favorite toy is a little ball with lots of rubber loops on it.
- He must have something in his mouth at all times.
- He could win a gold medal in slobbering.
- He loves to be tickled and has THE BEST chuckle.
- He thinks Itsy Bitsy Spider is really funny.
- He's got the biggest smile and the cutest little dimple on his left cheek.
- His eyes light up whenever his big brother is close. Cooper can make anything funny and any tears go away.
- He's sweet and cuddly and easily content and almost always happy.
- He loves to splash in the bathtub and watch anything Cooper is doing.
- He likes to sit up more than lay on his back or tummy, so we've been using the bumbo a lot recently.
- He discovered his feet a few days ago and wants to grab them constantly. It's only a matter of time before getting them to his mouth.
- He likes to be swaddled with his right arm wrapped and his left arm free.
I'm actually in unknown stay-at-home territory. At this point with Cooper, I was back at work and completely in a different world of balancing being a new mom and working full time. So it's fun to experience all day, every day with a four-month-old.
Austin has started waking up happy...yea!! He will fuss for a second, but quickly begin talking and cooing, and on the monitor I watch him reach for and check out the animals on his bumpers. I wait until he fusses before getting him out of his bed. Hopefully he'll enjoy his bed and be comfortable in it like he brother was and still is!
Austin is pretty consistent with his routine. We aren't on a schedule, but I do try to keep his routine regular. He eats, is awake and happy for about two hours, then sleeps for 30 minutes to an hour, then repeats again and again. All day long. We aim for a 8:30 p.m. bedtime, which works well because both boys are in bed by then, so Philip and I have a little bit of time in the evenings together. It doesn't always work out, but more often than not, everyone cooperates. Austin is still eating about every three hours during the day and goes anywhere from five to eight hours at night. If only I went to bed when he goes to bed, I'd be ahead of the game in sleep. But, thanks to my night owl syndrome (thanks, Mom!), I go to bed too late and lose half of my sleeping time.
I haven't given Austin a paci. Mainly because Cooper never took one and we made it through, so I just decided I wasn't even going to try one with Austin. But, I think if I gave him one, he would like it because he has to suck on something as he's falling asleep. I don't want to start the habit of nursing him each time he sleeps, so I've been giving him the little taggies blanket that Cooper picked out for him just before he was born. Between the blankie and his fingers, he's able to soothe himself and fall asleep easily.
With Austin growing and starting to show his sweet little personality, I'm finding myself still thinking about how we almost didn't have him. It breaks my heart because I can't picture anyone else but him in our family. He's the one we were supposed to have; he's the perfect fit. And while I know and believe that, it's hard to also still grieve and wonder about the one we didn't have. Gosh, such an emotional situation that sticks with you like nothing else...
Happy month four, my sweet little Austin Boo!! Thanks for being such a bright addition to our family.
02.18.2012
