4 Months – Maddox Cade

Dear Maddox,
Things are finally getting a little more normal.  Your fussiness has subsided a bit this month and you are starting to become interested in things and react when you’re happy…or not.  You have plagiocephaly and torticollis so you were prescribed a DOC band (helmet) to help reshape your flat head.  Luckily, we caught it super early (thanks to a cold and having to go to the doctor at 3 months), so you don’t have to wear it very long…hopefully.  This has thrown a wrench in your sleep!  Ugh…a big wrench.  Otherwise, you don’t seem to mind it at all.  All in all, I’m super pumped we’ve hit the 4 month mark…things are about to get fun!!!  Oh and you started rolling over from back to stomach about a week ago.  I’d normally be happy, but you still have a difficult time lifting your head up, so it’s kind of scary if I’m not right there, plus you get really mad.  You have laughed a lot more lately, are super entertained by your brother…you really love watching him, and thoroughly enjoy sucking on your hands!

Measurements: You had your 4 month well visit a couple days ago and are 17 pounds 14 ounces (95%), 26 1/2 inches (98%), with a large head (95%).  I’m shocked at your length.  No tall folks in this family so I’m assuming this will taper off at some point.  You are flying through clothes.  You’re barely in 3-6 month onesies and also wear 6-9 month footed pj’s.  You’re still in the “rocking baby” stage, but it looks more like we’re rocking a 1 year old.

My favorite thing:  Your laugh!  It makes me laugh so much!  You also try “spitting with your tongue” back at me and it’s great! 
Daily Activities: Eat, play, sleep basically.  You’re only up about an hour in the morning before you go back to sleep for your first nap.  We usually go somewhere in the morning, whether it’s to drop your brother off at preschool or out for a play date or activity.  In between feedings and naps, you like to play under your mat, watch your brother, play in your exersaucer (you just started this), and sit in your Bumbo and watch me cook.  You like being outside and are just now starting to play with toys (grabbing at them).

Eating: You eat about every 3-4 hours.  About 4-6 ounces per feeding.  First feeding is around 7:30-8 and your last feeding is around 8, then we put your down for the night.  You sometimes wake up at 11ish to eat again, but sometimes not.  From 8-11 is still up in the air…one night you go down so easily and wake up for a quick feed to go back down without a peep until 7ish.  Then some nights we spend 3 hours trying to get you to sleep!  ???  You still drink breast milk only from a bottle.

Sleeping: Night time sleep = good.  Day time sleep = inconsistent.  Once you started nearing the 4 month mark, I started researching some schedules as I was at wits end with your nights.  I noticed many did bath and bed at 7ish and then did a dream feed around 10.  I noticed you were really fussy in the evenings and thought, “I bet he’s super tired.”  So I tried the same thing.  Doing bath around 7:30 (with brother) and give you a bottle, then put you down for the night.  I was shocked the first night…I gave you a bath around 6:45 (because you were super fussy), gave you a bottle at 7:30, you fell asleep, put your in your bed around 7:45 and you didn’t budge until 10:30.  Gave you a bottle and put you right back down.  I was in Heaven and got a million things done (after your brother went down of course). Most nights haven’t been that easy, but for the most part it works!  Once you’re down around 10:30/11, you sleep till 7:00/8:00.  Some days, I even have to wake you up. 
The helmet threw things off just as we established this routine.  You’ve had it on for a week now, but still have trouble falling asleep on your own.  I don’t blame you…who would want to sleep with a hard helmet on?!  You like to fall asleep with your hands in your face (right above your eyes), but the helmet restricts you from doing that, so the first couple of days, you were MAD!  I was about to rip the thing off and burn it!  I knew you’d get used to it, but that was a frustrating few days/nights.  Sometimes we have to get you to sleep without it on and then slip it on before we lay you down.  It’s a two man job.

Special Events:
-Rolled over right before you turned 4 months.
-Got a helmet right before 4 months.
Check out your progression of tummy time from last month to this month…

Love you chunky monkey!

Love,
Mommy