Four Months

Jakob, I can't believe you are four months old.  I have loved these four months with you!  I am amazed at how this little guy has grown over the last month, and it's fun for me to recall what three months looked like versus four.  I think the biggest change has been his attention span.  He LOVES tummy-time now and especially enjoys when I put toys down in front of him.  He smiles, puts on a concentrated look, and even tries to start scootching.  It's so fun and sobering at the same time!  I love his interaction at this age, too. He loves to use his expressive eyes to tell me stories in his crowing voice.  I know he just loves to hear himself talk!  The girls especially love it, as I think they thought he would be a bump on a log forever.  I have a feeling this is just the beginning of some serious sibling fun.

I am desperately sad that he seems to be losing a lot of hair.  I think the worst is over, but I dreaded those weeks of finding a slew of hair all over his sheet EVERY DAY! :(  He's back to "growing" hair again, which is nice :)  Poor little guy.  Elyse still insists when his hair gets longer, he can wear bows, too.  Hmm...
 

I am in love with his sweet personality.  At this stage of the game (and I know it can change at any moment?), he is extraordinarily content.  He loves to watch, chill, play, and pretty much do whatever we like during his playtime.  He doesn't seem to mind his sisters, but I do still love the wide-eyed look of terror when they get too close :)  I know, it's still evil...  His sleeping habits have improved drastically since we went on vacation at the beginning of the month.  He thought he was a newborn.  Mommy didn't find it funny.  SO, he is currently sleeping from about 6:30pm or 7pm to 6:30 or 7am with one feeding (usually around 3am).  As much as I dislike being awake at that hour, I have enjoyed the longer stretch before he wakes!  I dropped the 10pm feeding a few weeks ago, as it didn't seem to make a difference in his long stretch at night anymore.  I LOVE my mornings with him.  He usually wakes up a little bit before the girls, and I get to enjoy that 30 - 60 minutes with my little guy in peace and quiet (no offense, little ladies).

Okay, I am starting so see some boy-like behavior (no offense, little buddy.. it just took a few months).  I can totally see him light up when I pull him to his feet, or "play" with him more.  I don't remember the girls really caring if I tried to get them to stand.  I just know I should enjoy his lack of mobility, right, moms with boys?  Jakob just loves to roll around from tummy to back these days, so we did hit quite a hurdle with him not being able to fall back asleep on his back.  I believe we have passed that stage (thankfully!), and I now find him sleeping on his back and on his side quite often.  Nothing cuter than sleeping babies... Here are some of my current "observations":

fun's:

* I LOVE LOVE LOVE hearing him wake up happy!  He loves to crow and coo if he's had a good nap.
* I am enjoying that he's awake a little bit longer (about an hour) in between feedings.  SO NICE!
* Along with that longer wake-time comes longer between feedings.
* I love to see his crooked little grin..
* I love the way he loves his daddy!
* Seeing him interact with the girls is pretty nifty, too.
* He still has that baby stretch that he does (you know: the legs curled up, arms in the air stretch?).
* I adore his eyes.  They're so big.
* He's packing on a little weight, and I love seeing some chubby legs!
* I get to enjoy looking at his chubby legs when I let him stand up.. so fun!
* Giggles, giggles, giggles.  LOVE every one.

not-so-fun's:

* He's still not a super predictable baby.  My fault, I'm sure, but he still loves to keep me guessing about what he needs at least 2 days a week.
* He makes me appreciate naps.   :)
* I am NOT looking forward to starting solids in a few months.  Not cool.
* If he's not quite ready to go down for a nap, he will LET ME KNOW.  Sometimes I'll go pick him up to calm him down, and five minutes later, he'll go down without a peep.  Is that the first sign of a third-born spoiled child? :)   I think both of us need to stop doing that :)
* He seems to be sensitive to my spicy food intake, and I really despise spit up.
* Watching him achieve milestones reminds me of how fast this is going.

(we blamed Jake for our bad snacks the other night... so mean!)

I am determining all the time to enjoy this little guy.  It's not hard, but I still need the reminders that other things just aren't as important.  You might not want to verify this with my husband, but some cobwebs can wait :)

 (I love his expression... and Em's!)

Jakob, happy four months, buddy!  You are so loved :)