Unswaddled!
Month 4 is a big month for us since Eli changed so much! He got out of his swaddle on January 1st (that's his new year's resolution! =P) and he is doing wonderfully without it. We did not have a problem swaddling him but we notice that Eli's head is getting flatter and flatter... we think that it's because of his sleep position. Since he is swaddled, he doesn't get to move around a lot when he sleeps and since he sleeps so well (12 hours at night), the back of his head is so flat. During my winter break, I was obsessing over his flat head and I couldn't even sleep well thinking about how I've ruined my son's head! So we decided to try napping him during the day w/o his swaddle... at first, it was a disaster because he would startle himself as he is falling asleep with his failing arms and most of the time, I have to go back in and swaddle him back anyway. But then after a few days of trial and error, we noticed on January 1st that he was able to nap w/o it! So that night, we did the unthinkable. We decided to go cold turkey! To our surprise, Eli slept so well per usual that night and ever since then, we never looked back. His naps however, became shorter but he makes it up by sleeping an extra hour or so at night and he is slowly getting back to his usual self for naps. We are so proud!
Rolling Over
Eli started to roll to his back while on his tummy back in November when he was only 3 months old. Then suddenly, he stopped doing that all together and would only roll onto his tummy while on his back. He didn't know what he was doing really because he hates being on his tummy and he would always cry for help whenever he rolled onto his tummy and can't seem to roll back. In our attempt to correct his flat head, we've been trying to put him on his tummy as much as possible and give his little head some much deserved rest while he is awake. Because of this, he has had plenty of opportunities to practice rolling over to his back while on his tummy and he mastered it this week! Nowadays, tummy time has been so much harder because as soon as we put him on his tummy, bam! he is on his back. It's effortless for him now to roll onto his back from tummy... he just turns his head and puts all his weight on that side and it's a matter of a second before he's on his back again. Also, since he finally "realized" what he was doing when he was rolling from back to tummy.. he no longer does it! Since he hates being on his tummy and he just outright refuses!
Sitting Up
We finally used our bumbo and at first, Eli hated it. But after a few more tries, he got used to it and he spends a few minutes every day on his bumbo :)
We also got a jumperoo and Eli absolutely loves his jumperoo! It keeps him entertained and occupied so it frees us up when we have to do some work around the house. I usually put him in there when I am warming up a bottle and preparing him for his bath. He is jumping up a storm in his jumperoo :)
Feeding
Eli was on a feeding strike last week and we thought he was sick! But we brought him to the doctor's and they can't seem to find anything wrong with him. Later, we realized that he was constipated and it affected his appetite -.-
But ever since that episode of constipation, his appetite hasn't been the same. Some days, he eats fine, but some days, he would refuse his bottle after eating only 6 oz out of the 8oz he normally eats. We learn to respect his wishes and not force him to eat anymore. I used to worry that he is not getting enough food since he dropped all of his nighttime bottles since 3 months old. But I learned to not worry because he weights over 17 lb and he is already wearing size 12-18 months clothing! He is definitely not chubby though... more lean and long.
His Hands
Eli is obsessed with his hands. He always has them in his mouth! Sometimes he would make these loud sucking noises that cracks me up. I am worried that he is not grasping his toys yet. He knows how to bring the toys to his mouth when I place them into his hands. But he is not very good at reaching for them yet :( I hope he reach that milestone soon.
My Favorite Month
This is by far my favorite month.
My favorite time of the day is bright and early in the morning. Eli always greets me with a giant grin and he is always so happy! My second favorite time of the day is when I come home from work in the afternoon. He is usually up from his last nap of the day and ready to play :) He is more and more social and he expresses his happiness more outwardly now. There is nothing like your baby's smile and babble when he first sees you when you come home from work. It melts my heart and I am just so happy to see him! Lastly, I love our time together right before his bedtime. He loves his baths so I love bathing him too. After his bath, if he is not too tired, I would sit on our glider with him on my lap and we would read a few books together. His favorite book is Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? By Dr. Seuss. When we get to his favorite pages, he would smile and look at me, and then look at the page again. Sometimes he would even imitate the sounds I am saying!
This month has been so wonderful. I love our little Eli and I am loving being a mom! It still is full of new challenges every day but it's all worth it :)
No comments:
Post a Comment