4 month recap

We had Eli's 4 month well check today and he is still a little thing...14lbs 13oz (25th percentile), 24.5inches (15th percentile) and head circumference is 41.5cm (35th percentile). Jay, in all his glory, was a hefty 17.5 lbs (97%) at this age as well as 97th in height and 75th head circ. so it looks like Eli will live up to his "little brother" title. This has actually been very convenient for me because he is able to wear the majority of Jay's (and before that, Brooks') clothes. Because Eli was born a few months before Jay in season, if he were a big boy, he would outgrow them too fast. Everything else looks great and, other than being a little cranky from the shots, he has been his normal easy-going self. She did tell me that the spot above his lip is a tiny hemangioma, just a benign collection of blood vessels, and will likely disappear on its own but if it begins to increase I need to let her know. We also talked about my ongoing battle to get this vampire child sleeping through the night and she said to go ahead and start giving him rice cereal twice a day. He is just at the stage where he needs more to hold him and, hopefully, this will do the trick. I am going to add it to his bottle at night but start with spoon feeds in the morning. He hasn't shown nearly as much interest in our food as Jay did so I am curious to see how he will respond. I have a feeling he will be my picky eater. 

For some milestones: He finally started playing with his feet. I have been waiting for this for a few weeks now, comparing him to Jay, and was wondering why he hadn't shown interest in playing with them. I realized after looking at the picture of Jay playing with his that poor Eli's legs were just too short to reach them easily!  Haha. They must have grown some last week because, sure enough, Eli is now obsessed with grabbing them every chance he gets. I took a few pictures of him so we could compare them to the one of Jay.

He grabs EVERYTHING lately and has a super strong grip. I forgot was it was like to have my hair yanked constantly. This creates the first of many challenges to keep baby boy from injuring himself with Jay's many "dangerous for kids under 3" toys. Right now it is pretty simple....move the toys out of his reach...but, oh my goodness, what will I do when he starts crawling!?! 

He loves laying on the floor and turning from side to side. He does get frustrated when he gets stuck on his tummy but is getting closer to pushing himself back over. And gets even more frustrated when Jay squeezes in next to him, rudely disrupting his personal space.

He is definitely NOT a cuddler. He, from the beginning, will not settle down until I lay him in the crib or swing. I have tried to rock him to sleep and he just fights me but the second I lay him down he smiles, grabs his lovey, and goes on to sleep. This really caught me by surprise since Jay always demanded to be held until he was completely out but it makes bed time so much easier. He does have to have a lovey to hold and usually wants the pacifier (but only at sleepy time). Jay never took to loveys (or anything else but human hands) but Eli holds on to it with a death grip all night. I am finally seeing why so many moms swear by them.

He is watching the mobile before bedtime

And now off to sleep, lovey in hand, of course!

His schedule right now (not that you care but for record keeping purposes for myself :) )
7am:wakes and eats     9am:nap   1030am:eats    12-2pm:nap   2pm:eats   4pm:naps   530pm:eats
may catnap between now and bedtime   7pm:bath   730pm:eats and goes to sleep. We have started waking him at 10pm to eat once more (thanks to his sleep regression) and then usually wakes at 3am to eat again. Between naps he plays happily with very little fussing...again, such a content baby---thank the Lord!! 

He is not a night owl!  One thing about Jay that I mentioned a few posts ago was that he tolerated late nights pretty well (and still does!). If we went out to dinner or were at a friend's house until after his normal bedtime he was just fine, even excited about the change. Eli is total opposite. Poor thing wants to be in his crib by 730pm tops. If we are at home for the evening he really prefers to lay down at 7, just after he eats. This actually makes my evenings less chaotic since I can get him down and then just focus on wild man....who would stay up all night if we let him! 

He is just entering that stage that I LOVED with Jay...I still talk about how 5 to 10 months was my happiest (and easiest) time with him. I am so happy Eli is there already!  He is easily entertained just by watching us, his toys, and body parts. I just rotate him around the house during the day...a few minutes in the bouncy seat, then to the bumbo, then in his crib watching the mobile, next to the playroom upstairs, on a quilt on the floor, sitting at the table watching us eat, in his swing (the ultimate favorite place for him to be), in the pack and play outside, and anywhere we find ourselves running errands that day. All of it is new and exciting and he just sits in amazement as he is able to see, hear, and really engage more every day. Mom and I joked that he thought he was still in the womb the first month (as he barely cried and was content where ever he was) then just slept through the second and third month. Last month he was a little more work being that he became fully alert and began to realize that he may be missing out on some fun by sleeping all the time. But now he is able to really take part in what he sees and it is so incredibly fun to really spend time with him.

And oh, he giggles!  Just the sweetest giggle. It is so genuine, like he really understands why something is funny. He is super ticklish so that is a guaranteed laugh but he has just started laughing when I bite at his feet or blow raspberries on his belly. And he always smiles when we come over and talk to him. His whole face lights up and he just grins over an over while we talk to him. And, again, such a genuine, deliberate smile. It is just adorable!

I have decided that Jay is more photogenic than Eli. Looking back at pictures of Jay, it always seemed to be that "picture-perfect" smile. I know I am biased but I will swear until the day I die that Jay should be a baby model. :)  Even when he isn't smiling the expressions that are caught on camera are priceless. Eli, although every bit as handsome as Jay, just doesn't hold expressions long enough to really get the full beauty captured. I am hoping, as he gets older, it will be easier for me to get those great expressions.

Well this is a good expression, isn't it! 

This is at Eli's baby dedication. It was a time for us to commit to bringing him up in a way that will glorify God. I pray that both of our boys will grow up to know truth, to know God, and to live their lives in a way that honors our Lord Jesus.

Yesterday while we were getting ready for school Jay saw our new Geese family walking through the yard so we just had to go chase them!

And Jay wondered why they ran away!

I think that is all for now...if you are still reading this I am so sorry for the ridiculously long post...I have been looking back at Jay's blog books lately and realize how quickly I have forgotten details so I am trying to get them all down with Eli. And, of course, a mama can never talk about her babies enough, right!