4-1/2 months

Joshua is now 4-1/2 months old! We had his 4 month well baby doctor appointment this morning. He weighed in at 18lbs, 1 ounce and is 26 inches long. That means he's in the 95% for weight and 75% for length; he's a big boy!

I had thought we would be starting him on food pretty soon, but due to the family history of asthma, we were told we should hold off until he is 6 months. Apparently, the longer one is breastfed exclusively, the less likely one is to have asthma or allergies. Learned something new! So we have another 8 weeks to go. I already bought rice cereal, fruits and veggies, bibs, and his chair, so at least we'll be ready when the time does finally come.

He just recently started reaching for things and really playing with his toys. He can keep himself entertained for 10-15 minutes at a time. That really opens up my day a lot!

Merry Christmas!

4 months

Today is Joshua's 4 month birthday! He's become really vocal - I don't know if he's trying to communicate or if he's just experimenting with his voice, but either way, it's super cute. He makes all kinds of noises. He also has learned to blow bubbles with his spit. He's been drooling a lot and for awhile had a little rash on his chin from the drool. We think he may be teething. He's been a bit more irritable than usual and is gumming his hands and mine more. Sometimes he enjoys the frozen teethers, but mostly he likes to suck his finger and/or his thumb.

He's basically on a three hour schedule now which gives me a little more time to get things done between feedings. He's slightly better about going down for naps. He still won't nap in his crib but he will nap in his bouncer meaning at least I don't have to wear him to get him to nap. He usually gets tired at night around 8 and is asleep in bed by 8:30 or 9 which gives me and Brian a little grown up time in the evenings. We still bounce him to sleep. We have to figure out how to get him to fall asleep on his own, both for naps and at night. He generally sleeps until around 5, wakes for a quick meal and then is back to sleep until 7 or 8. He's gone all the way through the night a few times.

He really enjoys sitting up and is pretty good at staying that way when propped up. He hasn't quite rolled over yet but he's working on it. He gets his bottom pretty high up in the air when on his tummy! He holds on to anything that is around him but he's not yet reaching out to grab things. I expect he'll start that any day now!

We went to the Christmas tree farm to pick out our tree. Here are a couple pictures.

As his mom I know my opinion is biased, but isn't he just so cute!?

3 month update

Our little baby Joshua is growing up so fast! He's already 3 months old. (He was 13 weeks old yesterday.) He's really becoming more of a baby-baby as opposed to a newborn baby. He smiles all the time, especially at me and Brian and he watches us as we move around the room. He puts his hands in his mouth all the time and makes some really loud sucking noises! He will also lick anything that comes in contact with his mouth, including blankets, clothes (mine and his), stuffed animals, and toys. He also puts his little hands, which are still usually in tight fists, together.
We moved him into his room a few days ago. He is a really loud sleeper and would keep me up. Plus I think our moving around woke him up sometimes too. I was really nervous at first, having him so far away (like 20 feet down the hall!), but now I'm glad to have my room back! For the past two nights he's slept for 8 hours straight! Prior to that his longest had been about 6-1/2 hours.

He's been slightly better about being in his carseat. I hooked up the mirror in the backseat so I can see him and he can see both me and himself. I think that maybe just feeling bored and alone led him to scream. I'm really glad he's screaming less because car rides were intolerable! I was dreading every drive, but especially the one to Bakersfield.

He's really good at balancing his head when he's sitting. I have to work on giving him more tummy time. He can pick his head up but cries a lot! He also likes to stand. He has really strong legs that support virtually all his weight; we just have to balance him. He's pretty good at sitting when his hips are supported although he sometimes flops over.

He's not a very good napper. We're working on that. I try to put him down in his bed for a nap, but he just cries. He'll only nap in his bouncer chair, in his swing, or if I'm wearing him, and sometimes not even then. He'll get so tired and his eyes will be so heavy but he fights the sleep! I guess he's like his daddy in that regard.