5 Months

 I can't believe it.  I say it every month, but this month, really, 5 months seems way too old!  It also seems like waaay too long ago that I was pregnant. 

James had a good month!  This was the month of getting up and going- doing lots of different things.   He accompanied Kyle and I to the grocery store each time we went this month.  He's becoming well-versed in the produce section, gets tons of cute-baby compliments, and has only tried to sneak a few things into the cart. 

source

  Such a bad habit to develop so early...  We also took him to the mall this month.  He loved looking at all the people and playing with toys from his spot in the Bjorn.  We all discovered the vast array of toys at Barnes and Noble.  They've got the coolest stuff; it's even where he bought his girlfriend's birthday present. 

James met a lot of family this month including BCF  (Best Cousin-Friend) Aria.  He LOVED seeing her and tried to get her to talk.  She was a little shy, but all in all, I think they discussed enough strategy to rock the balloon toss at the family reunion this summer. 

Little man even went out to sushi with us twice (thanks to two Groupons that expired this month)!  The first time he slept through our dinner.  The second time he was wide awake and ready to look around so I took him up to the bar to look at the fish.  He decided that fish are more interesting when they can swim around, like at the doctor's office or Bass Pro Shop.  Overall, James gives the sushi restaurant 5 stars, soley based on the fact that there are three huge televisions spread out so that mommy can't keep him from watching.  Grrr... the doctor's office is just as bad when it comes to tvs everywhere.

I mention the doctor's office because we've been there 4 times in the past month.  This only makes me seem like more of a hypochondriac, but the visits were for legitimate reasons.  The first visit: 4 month check up, second visit: got there and my appointment had been cancelled.  They had called my phone three times and left two messages.  Shows you how much I check my phone!  Third visit: baby boy's got a double ear infection- still.  Fourth visit: shots (that I put off from the first visit....).  Needless to day, we're all ready to go April without a visit to the pediatrician!!!

James' favorite book these days is Jazz Baby by Carole Boston Weatherford.  His face lights up when he sees the books, and he smiles through the whole rhyme.  We've had the book checked out from the library for 4 weeks.  I finally decided to breakdown and buy a copy when I realized: it's out of print.  Translation: I can buy a new one for $60 or used for $6.95.   Or I could keep this book checked out from the library until he grows tired of it....

On a Wednesday night, Kyle and I took James to an infant massage class sponsored by Parents as Teachers.  I was originally overly excited about this class because of how I calming I thought the massage would be.  Then, after Kyle received a phone call telling him to bring baby oil or if we didn't have it- VEGETABLE OIL, I became skeptical.  Why on earth would I rub vegetable oil all over my baby when I won't even cook with it?  So we didn't bring any oil and.... we totally needed it.  So instead of having an oil I knew the origin of, I used the stuff provided by the Parents as Teachers instructor.  Anyhow... back to the class.  Little man was stripped down to his cloth diaper, listening  to relaxing music,  laying on a towel surrounded by 10 other babies and their parents.  Then came the fun part, with my hands COVERED in oil, I proceeded to perform such massage techniques as "Indian milking," "I love you," and "Swedish milking."  I adored every minute, and it was so fun to talk to James the whole time and know how great this was for his little mind and body.

terrible lighting, but you get the idea of the 'playing with sippy cup

Other stuff James baby is up to.... reaching towards the person he wants to be held by, playing with a sippy cup, rolling onto his side, putting everything in his mouth, kicking his legs like he's crawling during tummy time, almost sitting up on his own, riding in the stroller, grabbing at books,  and smiling at Kyle, constantly.   Life is good.

He's 4 Months Old!

I can hardly believe my little man is already 4 months old!  According to the scale at the doctor's, he has doubled his birth weight and is now 13 pounds.  He's still got a few more pounds to go before he catches up with his canine brother and sister.  Until then, he has our permission to ride  them around the house. :  )

Throughout the first two weeks of the month, James was coughing and had a yucky runny nose.  I kept thinking, "Should I take him to the doctor, or should I not?"  Finally, after weeks of watching James endure this cold, I took him to the doctor.  Man, it was was a downer.  Unlike the past three times when the doctor basically patted Kyle and I on the back  and said we were doing a great job, this time James was actually sick.  He ended up having a double ear infection and bronciolitis.   We went back to the doctor on Leap Day for his 4 month well-baby check up.  This appointment involved more shots and the "spreading out the vaccines" discussion... after this month it's safe to say: I don't like going to the doctor.  Weird, huh? And I had always thought the pregnancy appointments would be the most traumatic.  HA!  Shots, breathing treatments, hip checks, and ear cleanings trump all of the pregnancy appointments!   In reality, I'm thankful for doctors... blah...blah... but I still hate going. 

James slept through the night really well this month.  He went to bed around 10:00 and slept until about 6:00.  This meant we all got a full night's sleep; something so blissful which I will never take for granted again!  Since he's turned 4 months, his sleep habits have regressed- big time.  He now goes to bed around 10:30 and wakes up one or two times per night.  When he wakes up two times in a night,  the first one is always torture.  He must catch me in the middle of deep sleep because I wake up and act like a bobble head throughout the feeding.  The  room is practically spinning, and I can't wait till he's finished so I can call in the reinforcements (i.e. Kyle) to put him to sleep.

Cloth diapering is going really well- we haven't used a disposable since the beginning of January!

Little man is getting strong!  He can pull himself up from laying down if he holds on to our fingers. He also rocks tummy time, holds his head up without support, and kicks his legs like he's crawling. And, he can bench press his rattle.

This is the month when we can start introducing solids like oatmeal and various veggies.  I'm electing not to in favor of continuing to exclusively nurse because let's be honest, like I need one more thing to worry about/take on.  Some people are really excited about having their babies eat real food... me?  I can wait.  I mean, he will be eating it for the rest of his life.  I see no reason to rush.

Getting out of the house is a lofty goal I've set for us this month.  I want to get James out of  the house and doing something everyday.   Going to the library, seeing the fish at Bass Pro Shop, hiking, visiting friends, shopping at the grocery store, really doing anything outside of our house.  Just to make this goal realistic, I'm including his babysitters as a place since he gets to be social there with the other babies.

4th Month by the numbers:
Amount of teeth: 0
Amount of drool: gallons
Times rolling front to back: 3 
Snow Days: 1
Valentine's Cards sent: 5

Here's the Pinsperation for the James' valentines.

Valentine's Cards received: 2
Trips to Bass Pro Shop: 2
Clothes: 3 months
Weight: 13 lbs (25%)
Length: 25 inches  (25%)
Head: HUGE (50%)

A Visit from Cupid

Happy Valentine's Day!