Gates - four months

I cannot believe Gates is 4 months old!  Even though he looks about 6 months old...ha!

So much has changed in the past month.  He started sleeping through the night own his own!  That is a major accomplishment and we are so happy and proud.  

Gates takes his last bottle around 7:45pm and sleeps from 8:30pm - 7am usually.  

He takes a 6oz bottle at 7am, 10:30am, 2pm, 5pm and then an 8 oz bottle at 7:45pm. 

We have not started rice cereal yet.  I have been doing alot of research on Baby Led Weaning and we are going to try this approach with Gates - more on that later. 

Naps are iffy.  He takes naps when he has been awake from an hour and half to 2 hours, but they are usually around 8:30am, 12pm, 3:30pm and 6pm.  I have to either put him in the stoller or the swing for that 6pm nap - he hates to take it, but if he doesn't he is a huge mess by 7:30pm.  I can't just leave him in the swing either.  The treadmill is right next to it, so I walk on the treadmill and he will fall asleep.  

There is no other way to say it than to say that this baby is a chunk!  He is already busting out of 6 month clothes and size 2 diapers.  He weighs almost 18 lbs!  (Hawkins only weighed 14 lbs at 4 months!)

He loves to suck on his fingers and his thumb.  Just this week he has really loves his little blanket in his crib.  He just grabs hold of it while he sleeps.  My babies love their blankies!   

He has not rolled over yet, but has really started trying.  During playtime he either lays on the activity mat or sits in the bumbo.  He is so sweet and will just hang out and hardly ever cries during the day.  

At night however he gets so tired and cranky that he can be hard to get to bed.  We recently discovered that he will only let me or my Mom put him to bed!  Robbie usually puts Hawkins to bed and I put Gates to bed, so it's never been a problem until I went out of town this weekend and Robbie was left in charge.  Bedtime was a nightmare.  Gates refused to take his bottle and screamed for over an hour...I was 4 hours away and could do nothing to help.  Miserable.  Finally my Mom came home and was able to soothe him to sleep.  We thought it was a fluke until Robbie tried to put him to bed last night and Gates did the same thing, except this time I was here so I took over and got him to sleep.  He only likes women to put him to bed - ha!


We love you, Gates!

Change

There has been so much change going on around here I can barely keep up!  And for once - it is all good!

FIRST I have to announce that sweet Gates is sleeping through the night!  It took him awhile because he loved waking up for his 4am bottle.  I never made him cry it out b/c of his reflux.  I just felt bad for the little guy.  Well, Sunday night he slept from 9am-7am and has done it ever since!   We are still working on his naps.  Sometimes he wants to sleep 30 minutes and sometimes for 3 hours.

He is doing much better with the reflux.  Thank goodness!  It is not 100% solved, but the medicine is helping him tremendously.

We closed on our NEW house a few weeks ago and started renovating our master bathroom.  Next we will paint a few rooms and then we can move in!!!

I am so excited and nervous about moving into our new house.  I can't sleep at night for thinking about how to arrange cabinets and furniture and get giddy about seeing my "stuff" that I haven't seen in almost a YEAR!

But...I have also been living at home for the past year with constant help and companionship from my parents...especially my Mother.  I rarely have to take Gates with me to get Hawkins to and from school b/c my Mom can stay home to watch him.  Fellow Mothers may hate me for this, but I actually rarely have to take Hawkins to school b/c my parents love to do it...seriously.  I am in for a rude awakening.

My Mom is usually around to chat with and help me ride out witching hour.  That is probably what I will miss the most...just having someone around to talk to in the boring afternoons!  We take turns going to the grocery store and cooking, so I am not fully in charge of meal planning.  Wow, the more I type the more I am truly frightened to move!  Agghhh!  I am going to be home alone with 2 babies ALL DAY while Robbie works.  AND he usually has night dinners or just works late.  Lord help me.

At least I have sweet babies.  Man are they sweet.  Sure, Hawkins can have a temper tantrum with the best of 'em, but generally he is a sweetie.  He is actually really good with Gates.  He talks to him, shows him toys and says he loves him.

Gates has turned into an easy baby too.  He loves his paci and his fingers.  He is completely unswaddled now and loves to sleep in his sleep sack and suck on those fingers.  Now if he wakes in the night or during a nap, usually he will just suck on them to get back to sleep - score!

I would stay the most change has been in my baby boy Hawkins though.  Right before my eyes he is growing up.  He can talk so well and can carry on a full conversation with you.  You really have to watch what you say around him b/c he is always listening and repeating.  It can get Mommy in trouble :)  He is going to the bathroom in the potty too!  We are not in full big boy underwear, but he is getting better and better.  When we move to our new house he will move to a big boy bed and then I just won't be able to handle it.  Where did my baby go??

We are excited about all the fun things going on in our lives!  We are so lucky!