4 Months

WOW 4 months? I just realized that I didn’t take the 3 month pictures on the calendar.  I guess we skipped that month- you both keep mommy REALLY busy! It is really unbelievable to think that you have already been in the world with us for 4 months!! It is just crazy.  You are so much easier to handle alone now. Before it was overwhelming but is much more manageable now. We are having so much fun. Every day it seems a new milestone is reached and we love being parents!! I can’t imagine life without my little angels.

At 4 months:
-Both babies are wearing size 0-3 month clothes and size 2 Pampers diapers. Actually I have noticed that some of the 0-3 month clothes are getting tight especially on Foster so I pulled 3-6 out of the attic. Crazy to actually say 3-6 month when they were just in preemie! My mom and Aunt Lisa spent last night and most of today washing and organizing the clothes. I kept some 0-3 month clothes out but packed up most. We are so fortunate to have so many hand me downs especially at the rate the babies are growing.
-We are still on Emfamil Prosobee Formula (Soy) and eat about 4 oz every 3 hours. Neither baby is a very consistent eater. We now feed the babies 3 tablespoons of cereal at night before bedtime.
-We still aren't sleeping through the night YET!!! After referring to Babywise once again, we are waking them every 3 hours to eat during the day. The evening feeding is typically around 6-7pm and then if the babies are sleeping we wake them at 9:30-10pm to give cereal. They quickly go back to sleep. Both babies wake between 4:30-5:30am and are ready for 6 ounces of formula. Typically they will both go back to sleep. Anna Kate will sleep for about 30 minutes and then wake up. I normally go in and turn the mobile on. She will go back to sleep eventually or will have a conversation for an hour with the mobile. I just love listening to her. It gives me a few minutes to make coffee, let MM out, and start laundry or house chores.
-In a normal night Foster will wake about 3 times due to losing his pacifier or because of a wet diaper. Foster has been sleeping in the Fischer Price Rock & Play Sleeper on our side of the house. Anna Kate has been a much better sleeper. (Except for the last few nights!) She normally wakes once per night. She goes back to sleep with gas drops and a pacifier. Anna Kate sleeps in the nursery in a Nap Nanny. Both babies still sleep elevated and love to be swaddled. We love using the Aden and Anais blankets to swaddle the babies. I’m not sure if they will ever sleep without being swaddled.
-The babies are extremely active. They love playing on the piano activity mat and love the rainforest bouncy seat. Just this week during tummy time, Foster decided he was over tummy time and rolled from his tummy to his back. So much for tummy time! Anna Kate doesn’t enjoy tummy time at all. She throws a fit. I’m not sure if she can roll over or not because she gets so mad about it that I have to pick her up.

The 4 month check-up on Tuesday, July 3^rd

• Foster was 15.9 pounds; 26 cm long; and 42.25 cm head circum
• Anna Kate was 13.9 poundsl 25.75 cm long; and 40.75 head circum

The doctor told us that we can start offering cereal up to 3 times/day and give about a tablespoon each of the feedings. We have been giving 3 tablespoons at night so I'm not sure how we are going to do that. I guess trial and error. He also said that we can start giving the babies oatmeal.  I can't wait to see if they like it. I ask about bananas and apples- he said that it is reccomended that you not give the baby anything before 6 months besides rice cereal and oatmeal- BUT he also added that parents have been doing it for years. I'm not sure what we will do about that.  He told us that the babies should be able to sleep flat now so he prescribed meds for acid reflux. We are going to try it and see if it helps any. Hopefully it will so the babies can move to their beds full time.  Overall the visit was great! Our babies are developing right on schedule.