Four Months!

(Technically, two days ago, but with the little one, it's hard to get these up on time!)

Weight - 18 lbs 13 oz (+ 9 lbs ll oz from his lowest). 90%ile

Height - 26 (+ 6 in from lowest; 90 %ile )

Head circumference - 17.25 in (+ 2.75 in from birth 85%ile)

Baby boy has started listening and has finally slowed down with his crazy growth. I'm more torn about this than I thought I'd be, though. On the one hand, I'm happy that he's proportional with his weight and height now, and that his weight is back on the charts (not that there's anything wrong with being super big, but a little bit of me worried that he was maybe overeating). Of course, on the other hand, seeing much slower growth over the last two months plants those seeds of worry that he isn't getting enough. At the end of the day, though, he's a happy, healthy baby, so I know all is well :). 

Likes:

Everything from last month is still a favorite. Tummy time has actually entered the somewhat okay category! We started using the boppy more to prop him up, and that actually made regular tummy time better. Hanging toys during it also helped :). He's started to enjoy watching us eat, which is maybe the first sign of interest in food? Giggles began this month. They aren't all that often yet, but we can usually get some at least once a day. 

Evan continued to enjoy lots of time outside, and made a few more beach trips before we left California, as well as a few trips into my parents' "spool" (big spa/pool). He even got to go on a huge outdoor adventure to Disneyland, which he loved much more than I'd predicted. 

(enthralled on "It's a Small World")

Everything now goes in his mouth. His hands have always been a favorite, but now all his toys get the same treatment. On that note, he holds things now! He's much more purposeful with his hand movements, and loves rattles and other similar toys. Standing is still, in his opinion, the best way to be, though the playmat is a close second, as he loves the mirror. Our five weeks in California have made the swing and rock n play officially old school (though he has occasionally used the swing since we got back, it's no longer a good place for sleeping for him). He's still very observant and seems to be even more into people watching when we are out and about. He's really found his voice, and can be quite loud when he wants to be :). 

Dislikes:

Haha, look how clever I am getting out of my swaddle...

This category is actually shrinking! Evan is such an easy going baby. He's still not wild about going down for his naps, and being swaddled, though that's been getting progressively better. He's becoming a Houdini with his swaddles and is managing to get out of them with increasing frequency, so we'll *hopefully* be phasing them out this month. 

Probably his biggest dislike is getting hungry at a time when food isn't easily accessible. This happened during a few car trips, towards the end, and it was not pretty. At one point, we ended up stopping in the middle of a corn field for an emergency feed. 

Sitting up with my Aunt Lynn and Robert

A sign sign of him growing up has been that he isn't wild about curling up in your arms any more. If he's nestled into your shoulder, he wants to be looking around, not settled down. I miss those sweet cuddles. He also doesn't like sitting at all in a reclined position on someone - only good posture for this boy!

Important Events:

Travels continued this month! The biggest event was probably visiting Sonoma, the place we will be living in less than a year! Ed got a job at Sonoma State starting in 2015, so we will be moving soon, and we cannot wait. We loved exploring the area, which made us even more excited to move. 

Having fun with Oma

Another huge event was Evan getting to meet his Aunt Noemi, Uncle Keven, and cousins Matthew and Meagan for the first time. Seeing all the babies together was so much fun. Evan also got to visit with his Oma (Ed's mom) again, at her home in Cambria, which was lovely. 

Milestone wise, he's rolled over from his tummy to his back a number of times and once, randomly, from his back to his tummy. As I mentioned earlier, he also giggled for the first time. And, a huge one (that sadly hasn't been replicated), he slept for 9 hours straight! We got a number of 8 our stretches as well, but now are sadly back to the 5-6 first stretch. We're hoping he'll climb back up to those long stretches soon. At least he has been doing almost all his sleeping now in his pack n play, if we're home, which is great. I remember how stressed we were about that when he was little, and now it's our new normal. 

Successes:

Out to dinner at one of my favorites restaurants in Orange County

Having finished our big 5 week adventure, I can honestly say that our biggest success is just the confidence we gained as parents from this trip. I no longer worry so much about what others think or if I'm doing a bad job (most of the time). I have a lot more trust in myself, and a lot more trust that Evan will be okay. Now that we're back home, I'm much more comfortable taking Evan on errands and getting out of the house. 

Challenges:

Taking baths (minus the wine) has been a great way for me to "escape" for twenty or so minutes in the evenings, and de-stress from the sometimes very long days (and nights)

Continuing to adjust to new places, and finally, adjusting to being back home. Evan was pretty fussy once he arrived back in Arizona (maybe he is really a California baby at heart?). He sleep tanked a bit this past week, which has made for some tired parents. 

The biggest challenge though, was probably last week. It was the first week since Evan was born that Ed worked a regular work day. He left around 9am and came home between 4 and 5. The first few days were the roughest, as I tried to get our house back in order from our trip while also dealing with a little baby who wasn't napping all that well. Ed and I had to figure out what the expectations were for me staying home - i.e. what exactly was my "job description." We had some good discussions and were much better set to start our week two in a good place. 

Mommy Successes:

With my handsome little man

My biggest success has been choosing healthy habits since we've gotten back. I'm back to paleo eating (i.e. no processed food, sugar (even natural ones like honey), alcohol, beans, dairy, etc.). I am allowing yogurt occasionally and did have a little cheese at our happy hour, but otherwise have been faithful. The goal is 30 days - sort of a detox if you will. I'm not going to lie, I could really have used a glass of wine a few nights, and a few sleep deprived days would have been a lot sweeter with a chai latte and a cookie, but I am feeling very positive overall that I'm eating better. I thoroughly enjoyed myself on our trip, but now it's time to be healthy. In a similar vein, I've also decided to limit screen time for myself while Evan is awake. That means no TV until he goes to bed and computer time only when he is napping or asleep. As a result, I am reading a whole lot more and am generally more productive with my time. 

We'll see how long these last, but hopefully for quite a while. 

Daddy Successes:

Ed's biggest success this month is making Evan giggle. There is no sweeter sound in the world...

Best Moments:

Family at the fair

Giggling for the first time is definitely way, way up there! As was introducing Evan to the rest of his extended family and getting to spend at least a little time with every member of family on both sides. It was another fantastic month for our special little boy.