4 Month Check

I took Matthew to his 4 month check on April 1st. He was so happy, rolling all over the table and laughing. He loved the sound of the paper underneath him. Little did he know the doctor was about to come in and poke him a few times! That is the worst part about these checks - immunizations. He weighed in at 17 pounds 4 ounces - 75th percentile. His height is 26 and 3/4 inches - 90th percentile and his head is at 44 centimeters - 90th percentile.

I told the doctor that he is still getting up 2 or 3 times a night and she said that there really is no reason he shouldn't be sleeping at least 8 hours at night. She encouraged me to start sleep training before he developed long-lasting habits of night waking. She also said that unfortunately, letting him cry it out at night is the best way as anything else is too confusing for baby. So, we started up on a Saturday night. His first waking, he cried 45 minutes before going back to sleep. Matt slept well that night with his earplugs, while I listened to our sweet baby struggle through it. It was tough, but the next few times, he only cried 5-10 minutes. He has progressively gotten better and better and one week later, he is sleeping through the whole night from about 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. It is amazing and I am so happy to finally be getting a good night's sleep. It's been a LONG time! He is also napping much better as a result and his 30 minute naps have turned into a minimum of 1 hour and sometimes 3 hours.

Doctor also told us that he is ready for solids! This is a whole new adventure. We started with rice cereal. So far he has tried bananas, pears, and apples. I want to make my own baby food, but the doctor suggested getting a few first foods from the grocery store so that I could get a good idea for the consistency. I ordered a baby food book from Amazon today and can't wait to get started! I did put a banana in the Vita Mix tonight and he ate the entire thing!

Some fun things about Matthew:

He smiles when I put the nose aspirator up his nose to clear his boogers.

He laughs when I clean his hands with a wet wipe.

He laughs when I whisper in his ear.

When he gets tired his lower lip juts out and a his cute cheeks sag.

He has learned to smile for the camera, even when he's tired, so I can't capture his tired face.

Matthew at 4 months old.

Matthew wants to sit up. He is getting closer and closer to being able to sit up by himself.

He got his first two teeth the day we flew home from Savannah. This is the first shot I took where you can actually see them.

Matthew all ready for his first taste of solids. He had rice cereal. I think he may have been more interested in eating his bib than the rice cereal, so for now we have decided to feed him with his shirt off. It is really messy, but he gets better each time! Tonight, he actually ate an entire banana that I pureed in the Vita Mix. He was so excited about eating it and was opening his mouth and making noises to let me know he wanted more. He sure likes the real thing better than the processed bananas he had from the jar.

I resorted to putting the bumper in the crib. The doctors tell you not to, but this guy moves around on his tummy and ends up bumping his head on the rails and getting limbs stuck in between.

Daddy posing with Mr. Baby. My boys sure are good looking!

Matthew is always happy after bath time - that is until we start putting on the lotion and getting him dressed. He still hates getting dressed and cries like we are torturing him. I can't wait until he outgrows this.

Ready to go hit the town in Savannah. It has been so nice to have some warmer weather out here. We hit 90 degrees two days in a row last week. He has outgrown his 3-6 month clothes and I don't have too many 6-12 month clothes for cooler weather, so we are really hoping the warm weather sticks around! And here's hoping it stops snowing in Utah because we are headed there in one week.

Matthew loves chewing on Sophie's legs. They are becoming fast friends!

He has really discovered his hands in the last month and loves watching them and putting them together. He also thinks that all 10 fingers should fit in his mouth at the same time. Hands and fingers provide hours of entertainment!

Matthew trying out his new travel cot. I ordered this so that we would have something lightweight to take on our airplane trips. He has been sleeping in here (with the side zipped up) for his naps the last few weeks so that he is used to it by the time we go to Utah.

Matthew is laughing more and more. It is one of the most delightful sounds I've ever heard :)