Oliver - 4 months

My sweet boy is 4 months old!  I said it yesterday - time flies by!  It's insane!  Time for our monthly update!

Weight - We'll get confirmation at the doctor later today, we think he's somewhere around 16 1/2 pounds
Length - 25 1/2"

Nicknames - Buddy, Buddy Boy, Ollie, Monkey, Monkey Butt, Pumpkin, Sir, Mr. Man, Little Man, Munchkin, The Captain, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Sleep - More or less the same as last month, still doing three to four hour chunks at a time, still waking for night feeds.  I don't mind so much, he has started letting me sleep in on weekends so I catch up a little then. This week I think we might be entering the dreaded four month sleep regression though, we've had a few more wakeful moments at night this week. He still goes down really nice for his first chunk of night sleep though and we get a little grown up time to actually eat a hot meal and such!

Eating - Tons.  Went through a bit of a hunger strike when he started teething and also while he dealt with having his daddy's cold, but now seems to be back to normal, takes both breast and bottle like a champ.

Diapers - Still in size two but we're really needing to move to threes.  We are trying to use up what we have left, but he really needs to be moved up to threes pronto.  Hopefully we'll be in threes for awhile!

Clothes - We're doing 6-9 month sizes now.  If he keeps going at this rate he'll be wearing 18 month stuff before his first birthday.  Crazy!  Slow down kid, you're getting too big!

Mood - It's been another up and down month - just when we got over some fussy issues and outgrowing the laryngomalacia, we started teething!  Lucky us!  So there have been some rough days again - but there have been more happy days too.  When this kid is happy, he is SUPER happy.  He loves to play in his jumperoo. We go for walks outside when it's nice and he loves that too.  But we joke he is now Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, if his mouth starts bugging him, watch out, he'll turn in an instant and then he's very unhappy.  At least each day we get some smiles even if he's had a tough day, so I'll take it.  He is also talking tons these days, lots and lots of babbles and funny sounds - it's hilarious unless it's 4 in the morning. ;)

Loves - His jumperoo, his stroller and being outside, bathtime, his elephant toy, when mommy and daddy read him books, chewing on his hands, having his hair combed and being told he is a "handsome boy", kicking on his floor gym, cooing, talking all the time, getting the final word.

Dislikes - Teething (That goes for mommy as well), being startled (like if someone sneezes), being woken from a nap (the "let sleeping babies lie thing is SO true), pacifiers (I'm so sad on this one!!  I guess we don't have to take it away later at least).

Milestones/what I want to remember - Well obviously starting teething is a milestone, though not a fun one, it still counts.  Our first trip to the zoo.  Evening family walks.  Mommy upgrading to a new car.  First road trip and first wedding.  Rocking to sleep and singing lullabies.

For fun, I made a couple of collage pictures too that show how much he's grown.  The first is all of his monthly photos to date.

And this next one is of him at three weeks and then at three months and three weeks.  He was such a peanut and now he's a chunky monkey!

Starting this month too I am going to include a monthly letter to my boy - he is so worth all the tough days and sleepless nights - I can't imagine life without him.

Dear Ollie,

You are now four months old and you are truly discovering the world around you.  If the last couple of weeks are any indication of the kind of person you are going to be, then you are going to have such a zest for life and a spirit to be envied.  Never lose your sense of wonder, never stop discovering new things, never stop learning.  You are such a joy to your daddy and me - you make us laugh with your crazy gibberish talk and your enthusiasm when playing in your jumping toy.  You even make us laugh when you get unhappy sometimes - especially when instead of crying you start "complain yelling".  I know you sometimes have a bad day because your mouth hurts and if I could take that pain away I'd do it in a heartbeat.  Stay strong little man, this too will pass.  I need to tell myself the same thing when you wake me multiple times in a night - I know it means you're just learning so much right now and it sometimes overwhelms you, even in sleep sometimes you just need some comfort.  I will always give you that comfort.  You will never be alone my sweet boy.  You're embracing the world with open arms and I can't wait to see the boy you're going to be - but I am cherishing you now as baby.  You are the light of my life.

Love,

Mama