CJ at 4 months: The Incredible Shrinking Baby

So, I'd clocked CJ in at 12 lbs on his 3 month birthday. Several days later at the doctor's office (took him in for what appeared to be reflux - mega spitups and general crabbiness) he registered 11 lb 2 oz. What???? Down almost a pound? Sure he'd been yacking but....a pound? :-/ Poor guy ended up on antibiotics as the doctor was almost certain he was battling bacterial sinusitis. (In addition to the spitups, he'd also been congested for well over a week.) Luckily the stuffies cleared up but not the barfies, so now I'm suspecting we may have a food sensitivity issue - something I'll be discussing with my naturopath during our next visit. But in the meantime, despite the health battles, CJ continues to be (more or less) a happy camper, and to do all the neat-o baby stuff he's supposed to be doing at this age. So yay to that!

Official 4 Month Photo:

Looks like he was enjoying a "sleeve snack" just prior to this shot!

(Compare with months 1, 2 and 3.)

Physical Development:  

Weight: 12 lb (5th percentile)
Height: 25 1/2" (about 50th percentile)

So yeah. Zero weight gain between months 3 and 4, but a half inch taller. So he basically just stretched out a bit. :-/ Here's hoping he catches up somewhat during Month 5!

We've witnessed a few full back to front rolls over the last couple weeks, however our attempts to catch one on video have come up short. This is about the closest I got, though as you can see ultimately his right hand, his octopus and cooing up a storm proved more riveting!



On a related note, he's getting a lot better at (and less averse to) tummy time. He'll hang out for a good 7-8 minutes this way before he starts crabbin'.

His continuously improving focus and hand-eye coordination now allow him to manipulate toys such as the Spin & Sing Alphabet Zoo like a pro!



Less awesomely, this has also turned him into quite the hair pulling ninja. And prying open those teeny but determined little iron fists is no trivial task!

And, of course, this month's favourite new discovery: TOES!!!

Cognitive, Social & Emotional Development:

CJ has become CRAZY into books. Whether it's a newborn touch 'n' feel or one of his big sister's Highlights magazines, the little guy gets super-excited and drooly when it's infront of him!

Our two kiddos are quickly becoming BFFs. Gone are the days when S would maliciously beat on her li'l bro - now it's abuse rooted in love. ;) And CJ hearts the crap out of her right back!



Really, he's proving to be a people baby in general. Unless he has a major grump on, he's happy to be with anyone!

 

 
(Well, ALMOST anyone. The jury's still out on Grampa D. :P)

Sleep:

In CJ's 3 month post, I mentioned how he was sleeping through the night (yay!) but wasn't going down until 11-12 AM (boo). I was telling this to my one friend and she asked if he got grumpy and sleepy at around 7-8 PM. Yes, yes he did. This is when he'd usually snooze on Daddy for an hour-ish and then be up partying again. Her suggestion - why not just put him to bed then?

A darn good suggestion. Why hadn't we thought of this ourselves?

Tried this the next night, and although it did take 3-4 nurse/put down/cry cycles, he was out cold by 9:00. And thus, an extremely welcome trend began! The earlier bedtime has resulted in a 4 AM (ish) feeding on most nights, but this is totally worth the baby-free time we've reclaimed in the evenings.

Nap-wise, he still doesn't go down readily - let's just say the car's been racking up some additional mileage. Hopefully soon we'll be able to break this habit too! (Got any suggestions??)


What were your children like at 4 months old? What did you find the most rewarding and/or challenging?