4 Months

I'm quite late in posting this...but I haven't had much time. Sorry for no photos... I posted them all on facebook because it's faster... I'll try and post more later on. :)

Brian’s 4 Month Report

October 11, 2011

Weight: 5878g

Height: 60.8cm (Didn’t grow much ay?)

This month seemed like all he focused on was trying to grab things, watch people intently, talk a lot more, and goof around being silly.

He rolled over for the first time from back to tummy.

When he’s in his bouncer, car seat, or in a reclining position he struggles to sit up and gets frustrated when he finds that he can’t. Because of this, he doesn’t sit still for very long. I’ve started propping him up with pillows.

He loves walking around with me and watching what I do. I carrying him around with me all day long and I’m starting to get concerned about whether I’ll regret it later on. At the moment, it’s easier to carry him around and have him be content and happy, instead of having to entertain him in other ways. Of course, once he’s older it may not be as relaxing for me to constantly be telling him, “No, Mommy can’t carry you right now.” But then again, maybe I don’t have to be too worried. We’ll see how things play out.

I, as a mother, really just take each day as it comes, and hope for the best. I find that the way my mom raised her kids was pretty good and it works for me too. I do, however, do my part in studying up the different methods of this and that and see what I can improve in my parenting. I worry sometimes that in my relaxed “easy-going” state, that I’ll ‘waste’ these precious days away ‘relaxing’ with my kid instead of ‘teaching and training’ him. But, like people say, “They are only babies once in their life!”

Brian, unlike his buddy Ty, is a real goof ball. He’s really silly and always smiling, laughing, and giggling at me and other people. He loves people interacting and talking with him. He’ll right away start responding with his own goo-goos and gaa-gaas.

He’s become a very sociable little boy, and gets distracted when it’s nursing time and others are talking in the room. He needs attention constantly and doesn’t enjoy playing on his own. I am determined to teach him about “Quiet Time” in the middle of the day…if not for him, for me.

I started using cloth diapers again as the whether is getting cooler. No chance getting a heat rash in those anymore. There are those lazy days when I don’t want to do the laundry, and I return to disposables.

Brian has been such a good boy this month and has a very sweet and considerate spirit. Naturally, he’ll whine when he’s tired or hungry, but I’m right there to give him what he needs so he doesn’t fuss for long. I am trying to stretch out his feeding times though, so I try to distract him with different things when the 2 hour stretch comes around. Yes…he’s still nursing more or less every 2 hours.

He takes about 3 naps daily. 11am, 3pm, and 6 or 7pm. This isn’t always accurate, but I’m starting to see a clear pattern, and am thinking of making this a set schedule for him. His naps can last anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour. -Usually no more than 1 hour.

This month he hasn’t had any interesting ‘incidents’ or ‘happenings’. Only one comes to mind. Josh and I were taking apart a bed to move it into the next room. Normally Brian has been perfectly fine with the sound of drilling, but this time it was extra noisy, and he was a bit tired so he really freaked out and started crying and crying. I took him to the next room and nursed him and calmed him down. But then when Josh started drilling again in the next room he stopped nursing, looked up at me with his mouth all pouty-like, and more tears started to flow. Awww…so sad. He was so scared of the drilling sound. So, I took a little walk with him outside so Josh could finish taking apart, moving, and putting back together the bed. Josh mused, “I guess after this he may never be a carpenter.” But since then, there’s been drilling going on almost every day in our house because of the reforming, and he hasn’t had a reaction in the least. The extra noisy days, though, I hang out in the other buildings around the property so it doesn’t damage his ears.

Last week I pulled out his 3~6 month clothes and put away most of his 0~3 month clothes.

Brian still isn’t very into his bath time. I put toys in his bath tub to distract him. He enjoys that and loves to suck on them while I shower his hair, -something he really tries to get away from.

His biggest development milestone he’s learning now is grabbing objects in front of him and putting them in his mouth. He smiles and laughs at toys that make noise or music.

This one lady that’s living here has started teaching English twice a week to two Japanese kids, -a 2 and 4 year old. I have been joining in to help translate with my very poor and broken Japanese. Of course, not much has to be translated. It’s all very visual and exciting for both kids and parents. I dress Brian up in his big boy clothes, -a shirt and jeans, and he sits on my lap very quietly and watches the kids playing and learning English. There’s lots of color, toys, and talking; all the things he loves.

Over all, Brian has been a very positive, happy, content, interactive, social baby. It brings me such joy when I see how Brian makes others happy. He’s so simple, joyful, and innocent, people can’t help but smile.

PS. Josh has still been sneaking food into Brian’s mouth when I’ve got my face in my bowl of soup. Ha! I don’t know what his first solid food is or what he has tasted and what he hasn’t. Ha!