FOUR MONTHS!

Dear Colin,

You are now 4 months old.  I had a very hard time figuring out when to take your picture because this year there were only 28 days in February and since you were born on the 31st it didn't seem right to do it earlier so I waited until March started and we had a day with some sun in the morning to get good pictures.

Onesies were made by our friend Sharon! 

Of course, I also did photos in an outfit that your brother wore for his 4 month photos.  The shirt must have been discarded because I couldn't find it so I found something similar for you to wear.

And this Colin, is what it looks like when you don't want to get dressed or get your diaper change, or are cold, or mad that you are being put down so I can tend to your brother, Hunter or some other matter.  I still love you but no more ugly face!

SLEEP:
I have started having you sleep in your bedroom at night and you seem to be doing ok with this but you still wake up every 2-3 hours (sometimes less).  You are still swaddled but if I unswaddle you then you are awake even more.  I have a week off of work coming up so I might start unswaddling you then since I won't be so busy and we don't get a lot of sleep it will be ok.  You go to sleep around 7pm.  Are up at least once before 9 (if not twice), then up again around 11pm.  Last month I used to then bring you into my room but now I leave you in your room until your 1:30am wake-up.  Once in bed with me you tend to wake at 3 or 4, 6am and then if I am able to get you back down at 6am you are awake for the day at 7am.  Napping is hit or miss.  Sometimes you will nap at home up in your room if I am able to swaddle you and set you down almost asleep.  Sometimes I will nurse you to sleep and bring you upstairs to your swing to sleep.  During these times you will sleep for about an hour.  If you and I are home alone and I am wearing you - you will sleep for an hour or a little bit more.  You are not a great car sleeper but sometimes you will nap in the car too.  Overall, I would say you are getting 2-3 hours of sleep during the day when Mommy is home.

Sleeping in Mommy's bed - 2.20.2014

FOOD:
You are still a piglet and you are eating every 2-3 hours during the day and night.  You are on strictly breastmilk for now but you love to sit on the table at dinner and breakfast and be apart of the meal (unless you are napping).  Only two more months before I let you have food in your little hands!

CLOTHES:
You are currently in 6 month clothes from major "name brand" retailers and size 6-9month in most others "store brands or specially made for box stores".  It appears that despite seemingly to be growing at the same rate as your brother we will be buying you a lot of clothes because the seasons just aren't lining up correctly.  It seems the 1.5 months difference in birthdates is making a HUGE difference in clothing.

PERSONALITY:
You are such a happy baby when you are happy.  You smile from the tips of your very toes.  Your whole body is used to make the smile and it is infectious.  You smile at old people, young people, babies, toddlers, your Daddy, Me - just about anyone (but it doesn't make it any less special).  You are hysterical with Conor.  He can make you laugh at the drop of a hat and he loves to do it.  You have an adorable belly laugh and its fun to see you enjoy life so much. 

Your not all smiles though Mister.  You are also very demanding!  You do not like to be put down.  You require entertainment (you are not self-soothing just yet and you still get overstimulated too easily) from Daddy Conor or I unless its really short bursts of time.

 

DEVELOPMENT:
You are such a strong little boy!  You have been able to stand since shortly after birth but now you have some core strength and can sit (though you are bent at the waist quite a bit).  You are able to use those muscles to pull yourself into a standing position when holding my hands.  You hold your head up really high when on your tummy and you are starting to do so when sitting.  You do not love reclining anymore and are always trying to pull yourself into a sitting position if leaned against a pillow or blanket while on your back.  You are able to hold toys now and guide them into your mouth fairly nicely (though you do get very upset when you can't figure out how to let go of said toy)!  You also reach for things if they are placed just outside your reach span. 

You track people as they walk about a room and you turn your head when your name is called.  You also recognize voices and faces and produce smiles without prompting for certain people (Conor being #1). 

EXPERIENCES:
This past month you enjoyed your first true fun in the snow.  It was finally warm enough to play outside in the snow.  You watched the neighborhood kids sled and it was fun seeing Conor try to keep up with them.  You went for a ride in the sled and sat up on the big snowpile with Mommy and Conor (2.20.14).

We also went to a play place in Dover NH with Auntie Ana and this was your first time there.  You had a lot of fun watching the kids play but you were a bit too little for everything there so its a good thing you were content just to watch!  We also went out to lunch at a restaurant.  You did okay but it had been a long day and you were tired by the end of it (so were the boys!).

First Holidays: Valentine's Day and you attended your first Valentine's Day Party Playdate a few days later at Carter's house.  There you hung out with the Mommies and played with your friend Link.

Such a size difference in boys born 2 weeks or so apart!

GODPARENTS:
In the last month we also asked two very special people to be your Godparents.  Who?  We asked Chris and Auntie Cathlin.  They are also Conor's godparents but they are very special people in our lives and we felt they were the perfect choice the first time and therefore when it came time to pick again it only made sense that you deserved the best as well!  We were elated when they each said "YES" again.  Now, to make plans!

Colin, you are a wonderful little baby and I can't wait to keep watching you grow.  Until next month little man.

xoxo
Mommy

PS.  4 month comparison photo - Conor Above and Colin Below.

Three Months Old!

Dear Colin,

In January 31, 2014 you turned three months old.  Our 4th trimester is nearing completion and I have been back at work for a month.  You are a beautiful BIG baby!  You only look 3 months old when you are tucked up against me in one of our wraps.  If you are on the floor or in the swing you look much older.  Your physical attributes aren't the only thing that contribute to the general public thinking you are older than you are - your muscle tone is amazing!  You are holding your head up, you can stand on your legs, your abdominal muscles are hard at work as you try to pull your shoulders off the floor or hold yourself in a sitting position.  You are also incredibly alert and will track people and things around the house with both your ears and your eyes.  Such a smart boy!

You are wearing size 3-6 month clothes and, just like Conor, your feet are such that socks are a huge issue because they are all too tight!  You are in cloth diapers the majority of the time now, including at night, but because I cannot change your diaper during the evening you have many inserts stuffed in!  Despite this we are still dealing with a leaking issue but I am hoping that this may resolve itself when you are nursing a bit less at night.  So, for now you sleep on a blanket with a towel underneath so I don't have to worry about mattresses and sheets.

You still have reflux and you spit up quite a bit.  Because of this you really don't like to lay on your back and while you seem to like your play mat a lot - you do not like being there for more than a few minutes.  You are also very easily overstimulated (likely a product of Conor being around all the time and being a crazy 2 year old!) so Daddy and I work hard to ensure you don't get too worked up when things are a bit hectic around here.

You smile so much - you are a very happy baby (when you are not crying).  You do tend to cry more than I remember Conor crying but this is also a much busier house than the one he came home to.  But, you hold your own little man and your BIG personality is starting to emerge.

You are able to roll over!  If I place you on your tummy you will roll to your back.  You are also working on rolling from back to tummy but I think that will be a while still.  Your hair is starting to grow in and your favorite thing to do is munch on your hands so I can only imagine what's going on in that mouth of yours.

Sleep.  Colin you are a terrible sleeper.  I'm really sorry to have to say that but its 100% true!  You don't sleep well because you are always wanting to eat.  Right now you are eating every 2 hours around the clock.  CRAZY!  I have decided that for my own sanity and yours that you will only be fed at night every other wake-up.  I am determined to have you only eating every 4 hours at night by the time you are 5 months old because your Mom needs sleep!  Right now you are sleeping in your co-sleeper for the first part of the evening and then after 11pm you are moving into the bed with us.  Its not ideal but its how we are all managing the 2 hour feeds.

 

You and your brother are still a wonderful pair and it has been a lot of fun watching you respond to him.  I can only imagine how much trouble to two of you are going to get into in the future!  In this series of photos I was giving you a massage and he wanted one too.  He loves to be helpful and get diapers and wipes, put dirty diapers in the trash or the wetbag.  He also likes to try to hand you toys and is very good at helping you with tummy time.

The month has been a slow one.  You haven't had any visitors other than Grandma and Grandpa Jakan and the playgroup ladies.  But you did go bowling with Mommy and the Moms for Mother's Night Out.  It was fun to have you there and we did pretty good too!

You love the bath and while I don't give them to you too often because they really dry out your skin (which is already dry and seemingly sensitive), when you do get one you go to town splashing and kicking and trying to drink the water as I let it run down your face.  After each bath you get a full coconut oil massage to help rehydrate your skin.  You LOVE it!

 

Overall, we couldn't ask for a better baby!

xoxo
Mommy

PS.  Here is the comparison photo of you and Conor

Conor on top, Colin below

He Walks!

Though he had been walking assisted for sometime and taking little steps here and there on November 19, 2012 Conor took his first walk unassisted from the bathroom doorway to 1/2 way into the living room.....we were so proud!

First Shoes

Dear Conor,

Because you are doing so much standing on your own and walking assisted Daddy and I decided it was time for you to have your first real pair of shoes (well, Mommy decided and Daddy said ok).  So, we drove down to Kittery to go to the Stride Rite Outlet to have you sized and pick out some new 'kicks'.

Getting your foot measured

Now to measure the next one.....have to check to see which is bigger

All done - 4.5W it is!

We spent a little time looking at shoes and trying the various styles on.  Some were tigher than others because of the way they closed (one zig-zag velcro vs. two straight ones) and some had licensed characters and others did not.  We decided on a simple traditional pair of shoes for you in a size 4.5W.  Then we learned that it was buy 1 get 1 1/2 off so we also bought a pair of shoes in the next size up!

Paying for your FIRST two pairs of shoes

Your first shoes!

Shoes are fun to play with

and to eat!

We plan on introducing the shoes pretty slowly because you have never worn anything but socks and these are much more structured and do have some weight to them though their soles are very flexible.

The box is also a lot of fun to play with!

 
We hope these shoes will be a good first pair of shoes and will enable you to walk outside while you continue to learn to walk barefoot while inside!

xoxo
Mommy

Standing Unassisted

Dear Conor,

On October 12 (just 2 days shy of being 10 months old) you shocked us all when you stood unassisted in the kitchen (you had done it the night before in the bathtub but I thought it was a fluke - turns out it was not). 

 

So cool to see you achieve these little milestones - can't wait for what you have in store next for us!

xoxo
Mommy

Sleep Training Night #3 & 4 & 5

Dear Conor,

OCTOBER 12, 2012

So sleep training continues.  Tonight I continued to stick to the routine we have established.  You ate dinner (you had a teething biscuit, two tiny cubes of potato, 1/3 a pouch of puree, and some breast milk in your sippy cup) and after you spilled your milk all over the place (mom didn't have the cap on right) you went upstairs for a tub. We played in the tub for a little bit making sure to get all the food out of your hair and then it was time for jammies and a story.  We sit in the rocking chair and read a story while Daddy makes his way upstairs to say good night.  After the story we nurse until you fall asleep or are just about asleep and then into the crib you go.

Tonight you did well right off the bat.  Each time you have woken up or 'stirred' you have been able to put yourself back down within minutes.  I can't tell you how proud your Daddy and I are of you!  Your Daddy laughed at me a little today because I insisted that we be home for dinner, bath, bed because right now while you are still getting used to this process routine and consistency are key (says all the books and all the moms I talked to).

You got up in the middle of the morning but you were able to put yourself back down fairly quickly (20 minutes) and you were mad mad mad mad mad but Mommy watched you in the monitor and knew you were safe.  You woke up around 7:30am and the first thing you did was want to eat!

OCTOBER 13, 2012

Night #4 Conor - I just knew you were going to be awesome!  You went to bed around 8pm (after you stood unassisted a few times in the kitchen - what a HUGE thing!) and we didn't hear a peep out of you until 3:15 when you were up for about 15 minutes (though you weren't screaming - just whimpering) and then you were up again around 5:00am falling back asleep until 5:45am.  That was WAY too early so Mommy brought you into bed with her and Daddy and nursed you a bit and you slept until 7:30!  We all loved cuddling in the bed together!

OCTOBER 14, 2012

Today you turned 10 months old and you made history by sleeping through the entire night!!!!  You went to bed at 7:45pm and woke up the next morning at 6:30am.  I was so proud of you and couldn't believe how amazing you did.  I have to tell you a little secret too.  On this night I nursed you from both sides and you were just fussy and Mommy was tired of nursing so I just laid you in your crib and let you cry for a few minutes until you fell asleep (of course I told you I loved you and kissed you good night).  You are turning into such a big boy this week.......going to sleep on your own and sleeping all night!  I love you little man and I know that you won't be perfect every night but I am proud of you!

xoxo
Mommy