Hooray! You're ANOTHER month old! I know I said this last month, but you are sooooo fun! I have some days where I tear up at the thought of how fast you're growing, and then on most days, I can't believe how much you have learned about the world around you and I can't wait to see more of your discoveries! This has been such a fun experience watching you get to your fourth month of life!
You have had quite the adventure into your fourth month! Let's start with the sad news first. You were sick your very first time on November 17th, the day before Mommy's 27th birthday. You were congested, fussy, and running a fever. I felt in my heart that something else was wrong. You stopped eating and Mommy told Daddy I wanted you to go to the emergency room. It was the worst experience for all of us. Once we arrived to the hospital, they suctioned your nose out because you were so full of thick mucus. They decided to do a chest x-ray on you. You hated it! You had to sit on a little saddle with your arms stuck in the air. A clear, plastic tube went around your body to hold you up. Daddy and I couldn't be in the room. You cried the entire time. Once we were able to get you out, Daddy quickly put you in his arms to hold you. We were later told you had pneumonia. We were so, so scared because you were 3 1/2 months old- far too little to be that sick. They decided it was best to admit you into the hospital because you weren't eating and they feared you would dehydrate. They tried to put an IV in you three times to start fluids and they couldn't get it to work. You ended up getting sick all over yourself because you were so worked up. Mommy cried and got angry with the nurses and Daddy did the best at staying strong for all of us. We got you to eat a little bit once we got you to your hospital room. They said as long as you tried to eat, we would avoid an IV. This was good news because they talked about bringing in an anesthesiologist to sedate you to do the IV. I didn't want that. Luckily, you were a tough little man and started to eat after a lot of sleeping, cuddles, medicine, and breathing treatments. Mommy spent her birthday in the hospital with you. Even though it was the last place I wanted to be, I was so happy to spend my day with you. You and Daddy bought me chocolate and a massage for my birthday. I opened my presents in the hospital bed with you. After spending over 24hrs, you started getting a bit better. Your pediatrician said we could take you home and let you rest there. MeMe came up to watch you the rest of the week so that you didn't have to go to daycare. This helped so much! You were able to limit the germs around you for a while. We then moved into Thanksgiving break so you had another week home with Mommy!
On a positive note, you LOVED your breathing treatments. You had a cute elephant and dinosaur mask to make it fun! You loved putting your face in them and listening to the funny sounds! This made breathing treatments much easier!
Around November 23rd, your appetite came back! Little did we know, the 25th began a HUGE growth spurt! You went from eating 5oz every 4hrs, to 6oz every 3hrs. I was actually worried! You were soooo hungry! You gave no warning signs of being hungry. You were just scream until you were fed. We decided if you were keeping the formula down, then you obviously needed it. I even called the nurses three times because we couldn't believe how fast you were eating. They didn't want you eating over 30oz a day, so they recommending giving you cereal since you were close to four months. We did and guess what? You LOVED it! It didn't change your appetite, but boy did you enjoy your first cereal experience. You wanted to gobble it up right away. The second day we fed you cereal, Mommy already had to make it thicker! It made sense that you needed all of these calories, because this was the week you did it ALL!
You were playing harder than you ever had, grabbing everything in sight, sitting up in your Bumbo (November 26th), rolling over, and more! You had so many milestones at once. Your little brain was in overdrive! You rolled over from back to belly on November 27th. Mommy missed it. I was on the big chair while you were playing below me on the floor. Mommy's work emailed dinged, I checked it, and then when I looked down you were rolled over! In a way it was good because I got to see you do it for the first time while Daddy was home from work (on December 5th). You were on the loveseat playing with us and you rolled from back to belly.
On November 29th, we decided you needed to move to a size three diaper!
Daddy put Christmas lights up on our house on November 30th! We were both excited to get into the Christmas spirit with you!
Mommy put you in a book club on December 2nd. Her friend Chrissy recommended it. We're hoping you get lots of books in the mail soon!
You went with Mommy and Daddy to pick out your Christmas tree on December 7th. You were of course too little to be in the cold, so Mommy stayed in the truck and pointed at trees for Daddy to check out. We drove around the lot forever to find the perfect tree. We ended up going with the one that Mommy first spotted. Daddy was awesome! He cut the tree down, had it shaken, cut it evenly, and it was perfect! We decorated it that evening. You loved seeing the lights when you woke up to eat that night.
You had your 4 month checkup on December 11th. Your pediatrician couldn't believe how big you were! 16lbs 3.5oz (62%), 26.5in long (92%), head 17in (87%)...and you took your shots like a champ! Your head is finally more proportional (you were in the 99th percentile last time). Mommy and Daddy were so happy to hear how healthy you were!
You have discovered your toes and feet! You are always grabbing at them and trying to put them in your mouth! You are also picking things up that you want and showing disapproval when you drop them. You are such a smiley, happy boy! Mommy and Daddy are so in love with your smile, personality, and everything else that makes YOU, YOU!
You are an excellent sleeper (except during your growth spurt)! We put you down (wide awake) at 7PM, and you do not get up until 5-6AM. Mommy and Daddy GREATLY appreciate it! You still sleep in your pack and play next to Mommy. In a couple months, we're going to attempt to let you sleep in your own room. I'm sure you're ready for it and will handle it just fine, but Mommy (and even Daddy I think) just isn't ready to let you move away from us!
Some of your favorite toys include your play mat, a long strand of plastic links, and your giraffe rattle. You love to chew on ANYTHING and you will! You also LOVE LOVE LOVE Baby Einsteins and Little Einsteins. My goodness! You will sit through 1-3 episodes if we let you!
You LOVE your doggy! You now reach for her and try to pet her! Kendi is really loving you now that you're bigger and she's actually allowed to lay next to you, lay her head on you, lick you, etc. She loves you too! She likes to climb into bed with us when we read you your daily bedtime stories!
Daddy still loves to give you big smooches and hugs. He can't wait for you to reach your arms up to be held. He likes to hold you high in the air because you already act like a wild toddler. Mommy has to remind him that even though you're laughing and having fun, he can't make you too wild just yet.
You are the center of our universe kid. We love you so unbelievably much!
Love always and forever,
Mommy
He is getting to be so big! I am glad he is feeling better now. Colds + babies just don't mix, and pneumonia is scary!
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