4 months

Henry is 4 months old today, and right on cue he rolled over for the first time!

Stats: Henry's 4 month appointment isn't for a while, so I don't know how much he weighs yet. He fits well in 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers. He's not too chubby, but definitely has some meat on him. He has the cutest juicy little legs, and chubby cheeks just like Celia did. His eyes have lightened into a true blue, and he has fair skin and rosy cheeks like his sister too.

Schedule: I can finally say that we actually have one! Of course things can be a little different some days, and when we're out of the house during a nap time the schedule can get off too. Now that we're on a schedule it's easier to just stay home or make quick trips out of the house so Henry can have good naps in the crib.

Early morning: Henry has a feeding, but the time can vary.
7:00 Wakes up for the day.
7:30 Feeding, Play a little or take a bath
9:00 Nap
11:00-11:15 Wake up, Feeding
- Play (tummy time, take a walk, go outside, sit in seat with a toy)
- Sometimes run an errand
1:00 Nap
3:00-3:15 Wake up, Feeding
- Play, Pick up Celia on days she's at daycare
5:15-5:30 Nap
6:00-6:30 Wake up, Feeding
8:30 Bedtime

Henry is now sleeping in his crib full time, and I'm really happy that transition is over with. At night he's still sleeping swaddled. I tried a new pacifier that doesn't fall out of his mouth as easily as the Soothies did, and it seems to help him sleep much better. When I started the pacifier, he began sleeping for 6-7 hour stretches on some nights and waking up for just one feeding in a night. He still usually wakes up for an early morning feeding too, but since it's almost time for me to get up anyway I don't really count it as a night time feeding. We will need to take the swaddle away at some point- maybe soon. But he still seems to have trouble with his arms flailing around, scratching his face, keeping him awake. I'd like to have him unswaddled, well-trained for night time sleep, and night weaned, by the time summer arrives.

Although it's hard to get out of the house with three naps a day, it's so nice to have a reliable schedule. We can really plan out our days now, and I have more uninterrupted time with Celia when Henry's napping. Also, because he usually falls asleep quickly and easily I'm not worried about how I'll get him to sleep and how long it will take.

Social and Communication Development: Henry is still very happy and social. He is laughing more now, but his cooing and babbling have almost stopped. Of course as a speech therapist this bothers me, but maybe he's just working on other things instead right now. He has started to enjoy little games like "Trot trot to Boston" and seems to anticipate what's happening when I start playing it with him. He starts laughing when I begin to bounce him and say the words.

Play: Henry likes musical and light-up toys. He likes looking at books and likes sitting and looking at the pictures when I read books with Celia. He also just loves being talked and sung to.

Motor Skills: Henry tolerates being on his tummy much better than he used to. He can stay there for a while and holds his head and shoulders up. He moves his legs around and sometimes gets his butt in the air a little. I've been putting him on the floor and moving him around/showing him how he can roll a little, and today he happened to end up in a good position for rolling and rolled from front to back all by himself for the first time! He was so surprised that he started crying, poor guy. Another new thing is that he can keep himself in a sitting position (hunched forward) for a short time. As far as fine motor skills go, Henry doesn't hold onto things very well yet. It seems like pretty soon he should start being able to touch things more purposefully with his hands.

That's about everything he's doing these days. I know we have big changes ahead in the next two months. Henry should start rolling and moving around more easily on the floor. He should also start to sit up more independently, and will start playing with and manipulating things with his hands. We have a lot to look forward to!