Caleb’s Four Month Update

Yesterday marked four months since Caleb made us parents and these four months have been such a joy! He seems so much more like a little person than a newborn these days and I couldn’t be more grateful for all the time we’re getting to spend with him since Jordan’s home for summer break.  I love writing these updates because they give me time to reflect on all the way little man has changed over the last month and I know I’ll cherish reading them down the road!

The Numbers

I haven’t had him officially weighed in a while, so I don’t have an actual update on this, but can I just say he seems HUGE to us? Every time I pick him up I swear he gets a little bit chunkier.  His arms and cheeks continue to fill out and I love when I get to see his sweet, soft little belly!  We have started switching him to 3-6 months clothes, even though he still wears some 0-3 stuff.  I remember thinking those clothes looked so big and it’s crazy that they are what fits him now!

The months stickers might have to stay on the monkey now that a certain little one has discovered he can use his hands to grab things and pull them off of him…

How He’s Eating

We are still exclusively breastfeeding at this point and I’m pretty darn proud of how natural it’s become.  Like I’ve shared about in previous updates, it has definitely had its tough moments, but I really have loved getting to do this with our son.  He’s so sweet and snuggly in my lap while he nurses and I love that it’s his safe place.  The only new development here is that he’s starting to get a little more socially aware and easily distracted.  If I talk to someone while he’s trying to eat he’ll look up at me startled and give me a big grin or squeal.  It’s absolutely adorable, even when it drives me crazy because we’re trying to go somewhere or get things done.  I’ll take those cute little squeals and giggles over fussing any day though!

I haven’t shared many pictures of me breastfeeding.  First, because we really don’t have many.  Second, because it is such a personal thing (for me at least).  But in light of so many stories coming out of women being shamed for breastfeeding in public, I’ll throw my hat in the ring and say that I think it’s a beautiful, natural, not remotely sexual thing that we shouldn’t be shamed for.  I’m not one to nurse with everything out, but I think it can be done in public in a discreet way that keeps baby happy (and not under a hot cover he constantly tries to get out of).  Nurse on without shame, mamas.

How He’s Sleeping

For the last couple weeks, he’s been sleeping about 10-11 hours straight every night (I know, I know – we are SUPER lucky).  He would typically go down around 8/8:30 and then sleep to somewhere between 6:30-7:15.  After a week or so of him fighting his last nap and being fussy in the evenings, we thought it might be time to shift his bedtime a little earlier (more like 7/7:30).  We’re in the process of making that shift now, but he still continues to fight that last nap at 4/4:30 and then is super overtired by the time we get to bedtime (meaning getting him to sleep at bedtime lasts about an hour).  He’ll also stir and make noise for a minute or two several times a night, although he’s able to fall back asleep within 3-4 minutes. I have a feeling the four month sleep regression is playing a part in his fighting bedtime and waking up more because where he used to nurse and then go down pretty easily, now he fusses and fusses at night when I put him in the crib.  Here’s hoping it’s a phase that passes as we continue to be consistent with his bedtime routine!

The swing is our last resort/secret weapon when he is fighting naps like crazy and needs to be rocked into submission (aka sleep).

Aside from that last nap, he’s been doing a great job with falling asleep on his own for naps. He usually starts the day between 6:30-7:00, although every day is different.  From there, he eats, plays a bit, and I put him down awake for his nap about an hour and fifteen minutes after he wakes up.  He might fuss for a few minutes but typically goes down relatively quick and sleeps about 45 minutes per nap.  I’m hoping he’ll start stretching out those naps soon, so cross your fingers and shoot up some prayers for that one!

Some Milestones

One of my favorite things about being home with Caleb is getting to see all the little ways he grows and progresses.  He’s started reaching up to grab the hanging toys on his activity mat and will hold on to toys in his little fingers, pulling them toward his mouth so he can taste them.  He cracks us up when he does that though because he hasn’t quite figured out how to let go and will get super frustrated once he’s bored and can’t get rid of a toy.  Baby steps, I suppose!

He’s also discovered his tongue and he is constantly wiggling it in and out of his mouth and trying to lick things (more motivation to keep things clean!).

Another big one is he’s officially rolled over! It happened super quick while Jordan and I were both on the floor with him and we both started cracking up at his surprised expression.  He’s done it a handful of times since and now is doing his best to go from belly to back.  We’ll see him in his crib on the monitor arching his back and pressing up with his feet as he leans to one side.  I have a feeling one of these days we’ll find him on a different side than we left him! I love that he’s growing and learning all these new things, even though I am not so excited for the fact that I can no longer just set him somewhere and know he’ll be exactly where I left him. Baby’s mobility means a WHOLE new world for mama…

What He’s Liking

Oh my heavens, I LOVE seeing this kid’s personality blossom.  This last month he has started to be my little buddy and we have had so many fun little giggle and playtimes together! He gives us big ol’ grins when we smile at him and will squeal and giggle when I kiss his belly or make silly faces.  He loves to coo and “talk” to us, making all sorts of silly noises and squawks when we sit with him.  So far, he’s a fan of some little plastic rings we have, a ball, and a sweet little elephant lovie that he squeezes in his hands and holds up to his cheek.  Basically, he is really stinking adorable and my heart has been overflowing seeing his little giggles and smiles these past few weeks.

He has also decided that he never wants to stop moving and anytime he’s in our laps does his best to push up to a standing position with his lumpy, adorable little legs or do mini sit-ups to get up from a reclined position.  He’s a goofball and I might be in trouble once he can actually go places!  This picture has horrible lighting but come on…look at those goofy little legs!

What He’s Disliking

He’s still not a huge fan of tummy time, even though he’ll tolerate it for a few minutes if we’re keeping him entertained.  He goes down for naps well but he’s not a fan of the start of them and will start to fuss and give us the pouty lip when I even start to put on his sleepsack and carry him up the stairs to his room.  Little man just wants to play with his mommy and daddy, you know? The pool hasn’t exactly charmed him yet and he screamed bloody murder when we tried to dip his little toes in.  In general, he still gets a little overwhelmed with new people and situations so I feel like not everyone gets to experience his smiley cuteness, but that will change eventually I’m sure!

A Mommy And Daddy Update

With each day that passes we start to feel more and more like a family and grow a little more confident in our ability to keep this tiny human healthy and (mostly) happy.  I think one of the hardest things with parenting so far has been feeling like I constantly have to make decisions.  What kind of bedtime routine should we have? How much time does he need to be napping before I count his waking up as an actual wake up and not try to get him back to sleep? At what point in the morning do I stop treating his waking up as a night-waking and actually start the day? 5:00 AM? 6:00 AM? How far can we stretch his awake time to take him to an event or errand before he’ll go into meltdown mode?

It seems like I’m constantly making little decisions and hoping for the best, and sometimes the anxiety about making the “wrong” decision feels heavy.  I’m trying to trust that we’re just doing the best we can and ultimately, he is healthy and loved, but sometimes I wish I could just turn my brain off and not be responsible for those decisions.  As we try to coordinate every little errand and t0-do around his little routines, sometimes I miss the days when the only person I was responsible for was myself (real talk, y’all).  I love our little guy with all my heart, but being a mama is definitely challenging at times.

Parenting is teaching me so much about letting go of control, about knowing that ultimately the best we can give is enough for this little one that God has entrusted to us.  We’re all just doing this whole parenting gig to the best of our abilities, and maybe there’s not a right way or wrong way to do everything, but rather just the way that works the best for us and for our kiddo on a given day.

We love our little guy so, so much and it is an honor to watch him discover the world more and more each day. He stretches our hearts and our trust and makes us more like Jesus every day.  These first four months have been full of so much joy and I can’t wait to see what the next months and years hold!