Henry at 4 Months

So much has happened in Henry's life since he was three months old.  In the past month we took several trips, including to Chicago, for my college roommate's, Chrissy's wedding, and to Door County for a week of family vacation.

Enjoying a beautiful wedding reception for Chrissy and Tom. 

Dancing at the wedding.  

UST alums with the bride and her groom! 

His fortune was accurate at Paul and Bridget's house. 

I'm 4 months old!  7/8/12 - At Paul and Bridget's in Chicago. 

Henry has grown so much physically, developmentally, and emotionally since his 4 month birthday.  Physically Henry was 15 lbs 8oz at his 4 month check up on 7/11/12.  He was 2' 0.65" long and his head circumference was 42.5 cm.  To put this in  perspective, he was/is in the 61%tile for weight, 55%tile for head circumference, and 38%tile for length.  At his 2 month check up he was 11lbs 14oz and 1'10.32" long, so he has grown a ton.  He is a short and chunky guy.  =) When we went back to the pediatrician this Monday 7/30/12 to get a few more immunizations (we've decided to space them out and do our own schedule) he was 15lbs 15oz, so by the end of the week he will most likely be 16 lbs!

4 months old - 7/8/12

Hey mom, I'm 4 months old! 7/9/12

I love you smiley guy! 7/9/12

The drool king! Almost 4 months - 7/3/12

As I mentioned immunizations before, this was something that I agonized over before his 2 month appointment when he was set to get his first round of immunizations.  The current schedule suggests that each baby get Hep B, RV (Rotavirus), DTap (Diptheria, Tetnus and Pertussis), Hib, PCV (Pneumococcal), and Polio vaccines, all at one visit!  This seems completely crazy to me.  Not to mention, hard for a little one to endure!  We have decided to skip the Hep B immunization for now, since he will not need it until he is school age, and spread the rest of them out over a more reasonable time period so as not to overwhelm his little immune system.  This means more trips to the pediatrician for me, but I think Henry is better able to tolerate the shots when it is just one at a time, and less likely to have an adverse reaction.  

A few weeks before Henry turned 4 months he figured out how to roll from his back to his tummy.  Once he figured out how to do this, we knew we had to stop swaddling him to sleep, as his did this when he was swaddled!  Henry likes to sleep on his side so he would roll from his back to his side, and then over to his tummy.  He has still not figured out how to roll from his tummy to his back, which I guess is quite unusual.  The transition to sleeping un-swaddled was a little rough for about a week or so, but since then he has gotten used to it, and likes to move around.  We first transitioned him to a sleep sack, which is like a wearable blanket, to simulate the coziness of being swaddled, but now he just sleeps in footie PJs.  Also right around the time he turned 4 months we took the big leap and moved Henry into his crib in his own room.  It was really hard for me initially, but now I think we are both sleeping better.  

Sleep is always on our minds, as nobody seems to be getting enough!  Recently we have been struggling with sleep, I think since going on vacation for a week got Henry out of the pattern he was used too.  There were two nights in the past week where Henry was waking every 30 min, and that's no fun for anyone!  The night sleep has gotten better since we have gotten home from Door County, but naps have been really hard this week, with Henry only sleeping for 15 -20 min in his crib, which is just not enough for the poor guy.

Henry's sleep habits have also changed.  Henry is now sleeping in his crib in his own bedroom at night and (supposedly) at naps.  We first transitioned Henry into his crib at night, and continued to let him nap in his swing inside his crib for a few more weeks (the good old days when he would take 1.5 -3 hour naps... maybe one day again!).  Our pediatrician recommended that he stop napping in the swing by the time he is 6 months, and since he started rolling he likes to move around while sleeping anyway, so his naps in the swing were starting to become less stellar, so we thought it was the time to transition him out of napping in the swing.  He did ok before going to Door County, but since coming back he has been having a harder time.  We also have been working on trying to teach him how to fall asleep by himself.  Henry used to nurse to sleep every night, but now we have been nursing, but making sure he doesn't fall asleep on the boob, rocking him until he is drowsy, and then putting him in his crib.  I stay with him until he is asleep, rubbing his belly, and relaxing him until he goes to sleep, which sometimes is right away and sometimes takes up to 30 min.  My hope is that we can slowly move towards Henry having more independence in falling asleep. 

Not only is Henry rolling from his back to his tummy, he is also very close to sitting up independently!  He does a great job sitting up being supported by a pillow, and he can even sit up for a few seconds on his own.  He has extremely strong abdominal muscles and legs.

Henry is a really happy and funny guy.  He loves to smile, "talk", make all kinds of crazy noises, and most recently, he has been into sticking out his tongue and blowing bubbles.    Henry has laughed a few times, but hasn't cracked up as much as he did the one time I was able to capture it on video.  He likes to giggle more than full-out laugh.  

Getting ready for his morning work-out. 7/23/12 

Swimming in the waters of Green Bay - Door County, WI -7/23/12

Henry's new favorite face! At Cavepoint State Park - Door County - 7/26/12 

Enjoying another beautiful sunset on the bay.  Door County -7/26/12

This month has been filled with so much joy as LJ and I watch Henry grow and transform himself, but this month has also been filled with new challenges too.  Just a few days ago I was having a really hard time reconciling with how hard it is to be a mom.  As we struggled with Henry sleeping this week I found myself thinking:  "I thought it supposed to get easier now that he's not a newborn, so why is this so hard?"  The reality of parenthood is that each stage has its joys and each stage has it's challenges, some more than others.    When I find myself thinking: "when does the good part start?" I think its important to find the beauty and joy in each day, and when I see Henry's smile, thankfully its pretty easy to do that.  =)