Saturday, November 19, 2011

Sammy is Four Months!

As of this past week, Sammy is four months old.


How did that happen?

Prior to having him, I read many "mommy blogs," and all agreed that the fourth month was the game-changer.  That was when their babies really started to "become fun".  I remember feeling really anxious when I kept reading this, as at the time I thought I'd be going back to work after month three.  And then what?  I'd miss out on all the "fun" while being at work??

Of course, for the record, I'm POSITIVE that those who go back to work do not miss out on all the fun.  But I am feeling extra fortunate to be able to be home now, and not have to miss one second of the changes that Sammy experienced this past month.  And there's been a lot of them!

His four-month pediatrician appointment is not until next week, so I don't have any official growth stats, though based on my very official weighing method (step on the scale, weigh myself, step off the scale, grab Sammy, weigh us both, figure out the difference), Sammy appears to be at the 17-pound mark.  And again, based on my very official research skills (asking anyone and everyone on the street who has what appears to be a little boy or girl Sammy's age how much said boy or girl weighs), I'm feeling pretty confident that his weight will again be in the 95th-100th percentile.  I always said I wanted a roly-poly little boy!


Sammy is still in size 2 diapers, though we are on the verge of size 3, and I've started putting a size 3 on him before he goes to bed, in hopes of soaking up what appears to be gallons of wee that this kid churns out.  His clothes are size 3-6 months, and he appears to be outgrowing his 0-12 months-sized socks, which is insane to me as he still has itty bitty feet.  He still takes 6 oz. bottles about every three hours, though he can sometimes go longer than three hours (such as at night), and sometimes go less (such as in the afternoon, after a few very active play sessions).


But back to the "fun" part.  It is absolutely insane to me how much Sammy changes each week.  It seems like ever since we went away to the beach for the week, he is doing something new each day!

We now love tummy time, and are getting very strong.




We have slept through the night a whopping THREE times.  (And I shouldn't say "we," as I am so used to waking up that I feel pretty confident that it is I who now needs sleep training.)


This month, Sammy learned how to roll over.  During the week of the power outage, he actually rolled front-to-back twice, but has yet to repeat it.  A week later, amidst our cheers, he rolled back-to-front.  And has yet to stop rolling.  I hate to say the phrase, "I rue the day that Sammy learned how to roll over," but it has crossed my mind once or ten times!  He now gets stuck on his tummy and - in another newly-aquired skill - screams his little head off!  Not a crying sort of scream - more like a wild animal / dinosaur-type of scream.


(I actually have a video of Sammy rolling over, but it's not uploading correctly, so instead I've inserted a picture of him with his new pug hat on, because, well, he looks cute.  And pugs roll over.  Get the connection?)

In line with the previous paragraph, Sammy has found his voice this past month.  At first, he had the softest, sweetest little voice!  And he LOVED using it when talking to his Queenie.  And then about a week ago, someone decided that yelling and squealing was way more fun than using a conversational tone of voice.  It's hard to argue against that.


My little sack of potatoes is much more focused now.  While I continue to buy and push toys on him, I am clearly wasting my money as this kid loves his hands!  He especially loves sucking on them.  Not relegated to one certain finger, he likes to try out new combinations throughout the day.  My favorite is when he manages to get his entire hand in his mouth.


Of course with that comes a new drooling problem.  Also looking back to my pre-Sammy days, I remember looking at drooly little kids with a bit of ... dare I say ... disgust?  I always secretly thought, why can't their mothers just wipe their faces off?  How hard is that?  Um, yeah - so I'm now one of them.  It is absolutely impossible to contain this kid's drool!  And of course the rolling just promotes it further, and allows it to spread around his entire little face.  No one ever told me our laundry would increase in month four primarily due to an increase in drool-drenched burpy cloths.

But, with that said, the smiles this month have also increased monumentally.  During the first half of the month, Sammy seemed pretty guarded with his smiles.  They were mostly reserved for Mommy, Daddy, Queenie, and others close to him.  But this past week, my son has become something of a flirter, and has been showing his happy little mouth to just about anyone who looks at him for more than a second.


But back to the toys.  Our use of the activity mat is still going pretty strong, though now it's mostly relegated to a platform for Sammy to roll.  He has definitely taken on a new interest in batting at the toys hanging from it though.  He also continues to love his jumperoo, and yesterday we were able to remove the box / book that was previously kept underneath it, as his tippy toes are finally able to reach the floor.


(The above picture still shows the book, though he was likely about to kick it away when I snapped this photo.  It's nice that my "Gardening 1-2-3" book is finally getting some use though.)

Because this kid loves jumping so much, but was in need of a little height assistance with the jumperoo, Queenie gifted him with a doorway jumper this month.  He is still getting used to it, and will love it soon, I'm sure.  In the meantime, I can't get enough of how cute he looks in it!


And finally, one of Sammy's all-time favorite activities is "going crazy".  This involves keeping his head completely still and facial expressions stoic, and then waving his arms and legs as fast as he can while simultaneously not bending at either the elbow or knee joints.  Think "Lord of the Dance" while laying down.  I feel pretty confident that Sammy is going to take after his father in regard to dance skills.



(Again, not a depiction of him dancing, but instead of my failed photo attempt with props.)

Clearly, Sammy's fourth month of life was a big one.  It's so exciting to see how he learns and develops each day, and yet I can't help but feel emotional as I think back to how little he was just a few months ago, and how far he's come.  Love my little boy!

2 comments:

  1. me too!
    <3 auntie em

    p.s. you forgot to mention how last night was the longest "go crazy" session of his new life!

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  2. He's the sweetest little boy ever---even with the scary dinosaur voice!

    ReplyDelete