Behold: the first real mother’s day gift I’ve ever received--since I don’t count the flowers I got from church for being a “potential mother.” :)
Ryan was so sweet to get me this b-e-a-utiful cedar chest. Isn’t it gorgeous? I LOVE IT!
I’ve already named Ryan the official furnisher of the house because he does such a good job, but he’s really outdone himself this time.
This week brought a couple more reasons to celebrate. I’ve finally finally finally had a baby longer than I’ve been on bed rest. Yay!
So, here’s to the little man who made it all possible: Happy 4 months old today!
I like what my sister does on her blog so I’m going to copy. Here’s some of the things I love about Evan, or don’t love so much but still want to remember (warning: this is long so most of you probably won’t care and the rest of you will think “all babies do that. Boring.” But that’s okay. This is kind of like a journal for me so just skip it when you get bored):
Nap Time:
0 to 2 weeks – No problems putting this little snoozer down, it’s keeping him awake for any amount of time that’s the challenge.
2 weeks to 3 months - Evan hates being swaddled, but it’s the best way to help him sleep. He cries as soon as you do it and you have to shove the binky in his mouth so he can grumble around it until he drifts off. He stays asleep a lot longer if you do it though.
3 months to 4 months – Evan fights sleep with every ounce of strength he has in him, screaming wildly (with quite a few squeals thrown in), wanting the binky, hating the binky, wanting to eat, not wanting to eat, going stiff as a board and just generally pitching a major fit. Then once he closes his eyes, he is out in an instant and won’t wake up even when we wrap him up and put him in the crib.
Today – yesterday he suddenly stopped throwing fits at nap time and since has gone to sleep quite calmly. Let’s hope that doesn’t change any time soon.
Playtime
0 to 2 weeks – The Lusty sisters named him “the lump.” He sure doesn’t do much, except stare at stuff. For entertainment, we put him on the floor and direct the air from the heater onto him and let him stare at his train blanket.
2 weeks to 3 months – His favorite toy is a hanging monkey. He gets so excited when he sees it, which is the best part because his excited face is to purse out his lips, get really big eyes and breathe hard and fast. Basically, he looks like a monkey. He bats it, watches it swing until it stops and then bats at it again. You can almost see him learning “when I hit it, it moves!”
3 months to 4 months – Evan has hit himself in the mouth with the rattle exactly once. Now, he’s really slow and deliberate whenever he brings anything to his mouth. Also, he’s started getting irritated at his dangling toys. I think it’s because he can’t get them to his mouth.
Today – We’re slowly getting him used to the bouncer. Even though his feet don’t reach the floor yet, he’s liking it more and more (and becoming less and less scared of the wobbliness) I hope this means he’ll love it when he’s steadier. Maybe he’ll even become a little bit self entertaining? Or is that too much to ask for?
Bath Time
0 to 2 weeks – Sponge baths are cold and Evan sure didn’t like them. Also, he projectile pooped on me one time during a bath. Yuck.
2 weeks to 3 months – Loves real baths from the very first one, but screams if I don’t get him from the tub and into his towel fast enough.
3 months to 4 months – He gets so excited and loves to splash. He slams his feet down so hard I wonder how he hasn’t bruised his heels yet.
Today – Really needs a bath.
Crying
0 to 2 weeks – Evan sure doesn’t cry very loud. My favorite is his mad cry because it’s basically just a growl. When he’s really really really upset, he cries so hard he stops breathing and goes bright red. That one is scary.
2 weeks to 3 months – Is it mean that I enjoy watching Evan cry sometimes? It’s hilarious how quickly his face can go bright red when he gets upset and just as quickly go back to normal when he settles down.
3 months to 4 months – Evan’s lost his baby cry (sad!) No more growling, no more roaring. Now it’s just screams punctuated by intermittent squeals (“Is he a girl?” Ryan asks.) Funny? Yes. Annoying? Yes.
Today – What is the difference between holding a baby standing up and holding him sitting? Answer: nothing… unless you’re Evan. Stand up with him and he’s a happy baby. Sit down and he’s a whiner. Have we spoiled him?
Smiling
0 to 2 weeks – Mom claims he smiled one day when I opened the blinds up to let the light in. I didn’t see it, therefore, I refuse to acknowledge this event as his first smile :) Either way, he smiles in his sleep a lot, he even laughs in his sleep.
2 weeks to 3 months – Ryan got the first real smile. I didn’t get one for several weeks after that.
3 months to 4 months – Ryan gets smiles just for walking by. I have to work for them. Looks like he’s going to be a daddy’s boy.
Today – I can’t seem to get a good smile on camera because every time I get it out, he stops what he’s doing and stares at it. I’ll get one one of these days.
Tummy Time
0 to 2 weeks – he can only be on his tummy for a few minutes because he tries to turn his head from side to side, but gets tired and just ends up smashing his mouth and nose into the blanket.
2 weeks to 3 months – Evan is getting pretty good at holding his head up. The funny thing is that he always lifts his legs and bum at the same time too, balancing on his chest and rocking back and forth like a seesaw. He rolled over for the first time pretty early, but then one day stopped, deciding that he was more interested in talking to us and sucking on his fist—I think it’s because smashed onto the carpet like that, the fist can’t escape. On his back, it’s flying around all over the place and is hard to catch.
3 months to 4 months – He’s rediscovered how to roll over, but is so squirmy that most of the time he ends up rotating in a circle or attacking (and I mean attacking) his hand.
Today – I’ve learned I can almost get him to turn from back to tummy. I put a burp cloth over his face and he freaked out. He arched his back so far that he just about made it over.
Other Random Observations
0 to 2 weeks – It’s so hard to keep this little guy awake long enough to eat. Then, one day for about 24 hours, he refused to nurse. We had to feed him with a syringe. Looking back I didn’t handle it too well, fantically believing my baby was never going to eat again, cursing the name of the person who invented the binky (which he would take) Yes, I was that pathetic.
2 weeks to 3 months – Evan cries when he’s getting his diaper changed until he catches sight of the border which is just a few inches above the changing table. Then he goes dead still and just lays there for minutes at a time.
3 months to 4 months - I still don’t know how to keep his ear from folding over. He’ll be laying on my arm and I’ll move him and his ear will be folded over and plastered shut. It’s already pointy and sticks out more than the other.
Today – Evan loves staring at the pattern on the inside of the car seat cover. For whatever reason, he’s totally transfixed by it. The other night we were driving home in the dark and Evan was crying. We turned on the dome light so he could see the pattern and he immediately went quiet. Off. Crying. On. Quiet. Off. Crying. On. Quiet.
The End. Congratulations if you've made it this far. I love you all!
