Ren {Four Months}

Ren. At your 4 month photo shoot, I couldn't get you to sit up without sitting forward and crashing, so you're kind of sunk into yourself, which makes you look smaller than your 3 month photo even though you're not. :) Crazy kid. At 4 months:

*You weigh 15.2 pounds according to our scale. Not sure of your length. We have an appointment on July 2, so we'll figure that out then.

*You have outgrown most 0-3 month size clothes and are wearing 3 month and 3-6 month stuff. I really need to switch out your closet but haven't had time.

*We're finishing up using the size 1 diapers and will move onto 2s after we finish this last pack of 1s.

*You had still been nursing every 3 hours, about 10 minutes on each side. But the last couple of days we've run into problems. You started refusing the nipple shield, which is fine. So I began consistently nursing you without it. Now you won't nurse as long or eat as much and I'm in a ton of pain again like at the beginning. We'll keep working on it and I suppose if all else fails, we'll go into the breastfeeding clinic for some help.

*You like to suck your bottom lip in, which I think is part of why I'm in so much pain…your latch just isn't quite right without the shield. You kept your bottom lip in for a lot of these photos, like the one belwo:

*You're still on a similar schedule to last month. You wake up around 7:30am for the day. You take a nap in the morning, for an hour to an hour and a half. Sometimes you'll take a few shorter catnaps instead of a long one. Then you take a long afternoon nap. And a shorter evening nap. Or once again, sometimes just some catnaps. It depends on how busy we are and if we're moving you around or not. Luckily, you're a go-with-the-flow kinda guy.

*You still usually eat just once during the night, anywhere between 2 and 4:30am. Then you wake up again around 6 or 6:30 and I bring you to our bed, feed you laying down and we both go back to sleep until Sutton gets up around 7:30 or 8. If you wake for the day before Sutton does, we just lay in bed and talk and smile. I love these precious one-on-one moments with you.

*You are just so happy. You love to smile at us. When Daddy gets in your face and says "Can you say Daddy?" or if I do the same with "Can you say Mommy?" …your face just lights up! I can tell you love us. Sometimes we'll just catch you watching us and smiling. You give big brother lots of smiles too, but sometimes he can overwhelm you a bit. :)

*In the past couple of weeks (around June 7, 8, 9), you've started laughing. It's the cutest thing. We will rub our face in your belly or kiss your neck repeatedly and you just have this low raspy laugh, just like your voice.

*Around June 6ish, you started reaching for things. Your bouncy seat has some toys that hang down over it, and your Daddy and I both noticed separately that you'd finally noticed the toys, and were kind of reaching for them. I caught you smiling about it one day too.

*Your talking can get really intense, like you're really trying to tell us things. It's so sweet and you get so animated about it. I need to get some videos of this.

*You've started putting your left left straight up in the air sometimes. Like when you're in your carseat, I'll catch you with your leg up in the air. The photo below kinda shows it, but usually it's higher.

*You also like to put your right fist in the air, like you're a superhero flying through the sky.

*We took you swimming for the first time this month. We just put your feet in, and you didn't seem to care one way or the other. Maybe later on this summer we will put your body in too.

*You will not stop chewing on your hands. Your hands are often in little fists, and always in your mouth. We try to keep them out and keep the pacifier in, but we fail at that more often than not.

*I've been putting you in your Bumbo chair more and more and you're doing better but still pretty floppy about it. You always lean to one side or forward and after awhile you get mad about sitting like that.

*You fall asleep a lot after feedings and when I'm holding you. If I'm holding you and walking or talking, you're just lulled to sleep. I know you won't sleep for much longer while I hold you so I'm trying to soak it up.

*I read back through your 3 month post, and I feel like most stuff is still the same as last month. I can't believe we're a 3rd of the way through your first year already!

*I feel that I cannot for the life of me capture your cuteness in photos. I think your photos are cute, but I think you're way cuter in real life. Oh well.

And the monthly comparison. See how I said he looks smaller than last month? But it's just because he was being all slouchy. The thighs have definitely gotten a big chunkier. :)