pearson {4 months}

Dear Sweet Pearson-

You are growing up way to fast.  I wish I could find a way to slow it down and keep you little forever.

 It's crazy that you've only been with us for four short months because I can't even remember life without you.  We can't imagine life any other way.  You are a perfect addition to our family. 

You are such a chill baby.  Everybody always comments on how content you are.  You definitely have your Daddy's personality......chill and laid back.  You still like to talk and coo at us but you do most of your talking to your toys.  You absolutely love talking to the bugs that hang on your carseat.  It is the cutest thing to look back at you and see you having conversations with them. 

We think that your feet are connected to your smiles, because everytime we play with your feet or put your feet up to your mouth you give us the biggest smiles.  You still won't giggle for us yet though.  I guess we aren't that funny or you just haven't found anything funny enough to laugh at.

There was one week this month that I thought you might be teething, but I think you just had a bad week.  You had a low grade fever one day but it went away very quickly.  You were drooling not stop, chewing on your fingers, not napping well and overall fussy.  I got absolutely nothing that week because I found that you were just happier if we were out and about.  We ran lots of errands that week, took multiple walks a day and we even took a trip to the fair with my Mom and grandma.  

You are still a great sleeper.  You sleep 11-13 hours at night.  It's just crazy how well you sleep at night!!  We moved you into the larger SwaddleMe blanket about 2 weeks ago and you were still loving it and sleeping great.

About a week ago you woke up screaming at about 5:30am because you had rolled over onto your tummy and couldn't roll back over.  I had heard from friends that this meant our swaddling days were over.  

I just wasn't ready to stop swaddling so I swaddled you with one arm out and one arm in for a few days.  You didn't roll over, but you kind of woke up a few times grunting and moving around.  The pacifier would soothe you back to sleep but it was still annoying for me to have to get up to give it to you.  I decided to do one day of you swaddled with both of your arms out and then I just put you in feety pajamas and dropped the swaddle cold turkey.  

The first night without the swaddle you rolled over onto your tummy, so I knew you were trying to tell me that you wanted to be a tummy sleeper.  The last two nights I have put you to bed on your tummy and you have slept 12-13 hours.  I am so thankful that you are such a good sleeper at night.  

I am most thankful that you are a good sleeper at night because this month you have decided that you hate to nap.  The first couple weeks of this month I was having to rock you, bounce you, pat your bottom, and hold you until you were good and asleep.  I would lay you down on a pallet and then you would only sleep for 45 minutes or so.  It was really ridiculous how high maintenance you were getting at nap time.

Last week, I decided that it was time for you to learn to fall asleep on your own at nap time.  You are such a good sleeper at night and always go down without a fuss that I thought you would do great at this.  The first day we did "crying it out" you only laid in your crib for 18 minutes before you were fast asleep.  After that first nap, it's been close to and hour before you fall asleep.  You don't cry the entire time, but you definitely cry for a good 20-30 minutes.  Sometimes I'll pick you up and bounce you just to see if you are tired and your eyes get so heavy, but when I lay you in your crib you are so unhappy.

Today you didn't sleep a wink while you were at church, on the way home or at my parents house for lunch.  You fell asleep for about 15 minutes after I nursed you this afternoon, but you refuse to take a nap this afternoon.  I think you just might be one of those weird kids that doesn't need to nap.  Sigh.  

You do really well in the nursery at church, Bible Study and MOPS.  You don't ever sleep but the nursery workers always brag about how sweet and content you are when you are in there.  I hope you always love coming to church and are always sweet for your teachers.  It makes me so proud to hear your teachers say they love you and don't want you to go home!!

We took another "road trip" to Grammy & Grandaddy's this month.  Your Daddy had his 10 year High School Reunion, so Grammy & Grandaddy got to babysit you will we went out with Daddy's old friends on Friday & Saturday night.  You were absolutely perfect for them!!

You also had your first sleepover this month.  I invited some of our friend to Top Golf to celebrate Daddy's birthday and we stayed out late and got to sleep in.  I left a bottle for Lolly to give you at bedtime and a bottle to give you first thing in the morning.  We came and picked you up around 9am.  Pops was out of town, but Lolly said you were absolutely perfect!!

As far as eating goes, you are still on the same schedule as last month!!  It is so nice to know when you are going to eat.  It's still an "ish" schedule....give or take 30 minutes.  I nurse you at 8ish, 11ish, 2ish, 5ish and 7ish.  You use to be able to wait until 8pm to eat, but this month you started letting us know you are ready for bed.  You get super fussy around 7:00 right after we eat dinner, so I nurse you and you go right to sleep.  It's crazy how you really to "ask" to go to bed.  

I still nurse you 95% of the time.  I give you a bottle of breastmilk maybe once a week.  I absolutely hate to pump and I really don't like giving you a bottle. I don't like have my hands all tied up and I'm just uncomfortable when I give you bottles.  I love breastfeeding and hope to be able to exclusively breastfeed for a couple of more months before we introduce solid foods.  We'll see what the doctor says next week!

You have started playing with more of your toys this month.  You are really grabbing at the toys on your play mat and you will grab your rattles and shake them.  You don't necessarily know it's in your hands but you do shake it.  You have also discovered your feet this month.  You constantly have them up in the air and you love to grab them.  You haven't put them in your mouth yet, but I'm pretty sure you will soon. 

You are definitely a pacifier baby, but if your paci isn't around you love to suck on your fingers.  You stick whatever fingers or fists you can get into your mouth and suck on them so loud.  You haven't ever figured out how to get your thumb in your mouth and I'm happy about that!!  I'm looking forward to the day that you can just pop your paci in and out of your mouth!! 

You haven't started rolling all over the place, but you can roll from tummy to back and back to tummy. You usually only do it when you are mad or when you are in your crib.  If we put you on your tummy you are just pretty content and have no desire to roll!  

You love to go places with me.  You love riding in the car and taking walks with me because you have your bugs to talk to.  Every time I go grocery shopping I put you in the K'Tan and you are so happy to look around.  You just love to be out and about.  I think you get tired of staring at the same 4 walls every do.  I do too, so I don't blame you!!

Pearson, we are loving watching you grow and change each day.  It's so fun to see your sweet personality develop!! We love you more than we can express.  We can't wait to see what month five has in store for us!!

Love-

Your Mommy

{4 month Stats}

Weight:  14lbs  7oz (25th percentile)

Length:  25 1/4 inches (50th percentile)
Head Circumference: 16 1/4 inches (25 percentile)

Eating: nursing exclusively about 5 times a day (around 8am, 11am, 2am, 5pm, 7pm)

Bedtime: around 7:30pm

Awake: around 8:00am

Naps: two 45 minutes-1hr minute naps around 9:30 and 3:00

Diapers: size 2's

Clothes: 3-6 months and 6 months

Favorites: eating, sleeping on his tummy, tummy time, the bumbo, bathtime, his bugs on his carseat, looking at himself in the mirror.

Latest Tricks: blowing bubbles, grabbing his feet, grabbing toys& rolling from back to tummy

Look how you've changed.