4 Months!

As Henry got older, and his personality took shape, we were met with new and exciting experiences. When Henry turned 3 1/2 months old, he decided he was going to go from 7 hour stretches of sleep at night to waking up every 2-3 hours. Admittedly this frazzled me a bit. I thought I had nailed the whole sleep routine! Why is my baby crying? He never cried before? WHAT IS HAPPENING?! Out came the sleep books (again), mom and dad needed a refresher course! Luckily, with some strong will on my husband’s part, a mute button on the monitor, and reassurance that letting them self-soothe is best, Henry is sleeping well again!

Henry also started rolling over. One day while “watching” the Today Show (really, it’s background noise because what mom has time to sit and actually watch?!), Henry decided that he wanted to see, too. I always face him away from the T.V. but he was determined. He craned his neck, lifted his legs, twisted his trunk, and BAM! he had rolled from his back to his tummy. I was half horrified that he wanted to watch T.V. that badly and half ecstatic about this new milestone. After that he was unstoppable. He was constantly rolling all over the floor. With that also came sleeping on his stomach…I spent the next three nights glued to the video monitor making sure he could breathe!

At our 4 month doctor visit, I told the doctor that Henry was fussier than usual and seemed extra hungry. She was confident with his mobility and head control and said he seemed ready to start with some baby cereal. Another milestone achieved! This was shaping up to be a big month for Henry. I practiced first by giving him a spoon and seeing what he did with it. He lifted it right up to his mouth. Impressive? Not really, since he puts everything in his mouth these days. Then I held the spoon up to his mouth and he opened it right up. Okay, that was enough evidence for me, we were starting solids! The first night was hilarious, disastrous, and messy! The second night was much better, and it only improved from there.

Clean Henry after a few practice rounds!

Henry is a mover and a shaker and definitely keeps us on our toes! You can’t leave him for a second because he will roll right across the room! Gone are the days of sitting sweetly in the swing and dozing off. Now he has to be on the move at all times! Luckily, all this action makes him a tired boy and he takes really great naps and is sleeping better at night. My husband and I are amazed at his growth and development because it seems like everyday he learns something new or is stronger than before.

While part of me wants to hit the pause button and slow it all down, I’m mostly excited and in awe by how quickly he is developing. It’s pretty cool! Grow, baby, grow!

-Maureen is the Chicago city coordinator for LLD and a new mommy!