Four Months

Rigby turned four months old last Wednesday. And, today marks the one year anniversary when we learned that he was on his way! I cannot believe he's four months old, but I really can't believe that he's already been in our lives for a year.

With regard to Rigby, this month has been our best one yet.  For the past three weeks, Rigby has been on a pretty consistent schedule which makes life a bit more predictable and easier to schedule.  He takes 2 short morning cat naps of 30-45 minutes each, 1 long afternoon nap lasting at least 2 hours, and then an evening cat nap while we eat dinner. His shorter naps are usually taken on the go, yet even if we are home, he sleeps in his car seat. His long afternoon nap is taken in the Fisher Price Rock and Play (This has been such a life saver for us! So thankful to friends who suggested it and then lent us theirs to use.) For the past week or so, he's been going to bed around 8:00 and waking up at 6:00! He actually wakes after being in his crib for about 5 hours with a little wail and we then move him into the Rock and Play.  The transition is a total of a few minutes and seems so minor in the larger sense of 10 hours of nighttime sleep!

In addition to good sleep, another thing that we are so thankful for is that he has finally started to gain weight! Since about 1 month old, Rigby has not been a great nurser. I think it mostly has to do with his reflux which he now takes medication for. While continuing to nurse throughout the day since I'm absolutely not ready to give up on it,  Rigby also drinks a bottle of either expressed milk or formula at nearly every feeding. He's currently eating 5 times daily, and, occasionally he wakes up in the very early morning (before 5) to get a little extra. At his four month old doctor visit last Friday, he weighed a whopping 12 pounds 5 ounces---he's now at the 2nd percentile for weight-for-age, which is a great improvement from his drop off the growth charts about 2 months ago. He is 2 feet and 0.61 inches tall (23rd percentile) and his head circumference is 39.8 cm (6th percentile). 

Rigby loves chewing on his hands.  He stuffs his whole hand into his mouth, sometimes even choking himself a bit, but there's no stopping it! And, he smiles all the time, which, of course, we all love to watch him do. Just over the past few days, he has started laughing with his mouth wide open when he's being tickled on his tummy and neck and it's honestly the cutest thing I've ever witnessed! He also loves to hold onto his feet and even tries to chew on his toes when he's lounging in the car seat or bouncer.

He has taken to a few toys over the past month, particularly his hungry caterpillar which plays music and hangs from the bar of the car seat. Often, I will hear him have full on babbling conversations with it! He is drooling profusely, most often he has a wet fist and a wet ring around the color of his shirt. He often will happily watch me do things around him from the vantage of a bouncy chair during the day. He is particularly content watching me wash dishes or prepare food in the kitchen. He watches everything with great intensity; he especially watches our mouths, often trying to mimic movements and sounds.  He is very good at opening up his mouth wide when anyone comes in for a kiss, particularly Jack.

While it has been all heart eyes for our sweet four month old, it has been a bit of a struggle for Jack and myself. My parents were living with us until the beginning of the month so they provided a nice distraction from reality for all of us, not to mention quite a bit of help with errand running and clean-up and cooking. Also, this has been the first time in Jack's young life when he has not been in daycare or preschool. So, it's been quite a load to take on while adjusting to staying at home. As the month has progressed, however, we have found our rhythm a bit better and I think we are all finding our place within this family of four and what our new roles require. And, Jack continues to adore Rigby so this makes all the hard times bearable.

Rigby is truly a gem! We are having so much fun watching him learn new things and discover the world!