Four Months Old: Rollie Pollie

Emerson turned 4 months old while we were on vacation and we had his four month check up right when we got back so I am little behind in posting his new information...but here it is now.

Emerson has mastered rolling over! At an early age (around two months) he rolled over from tummy to back, pretty sure it was on accident, but I still count it. Now he can roll over from back to tummy.

All month I have been watching him swing his legs from side to side and finally, while we on vacation, he made the big roll. I unfortunately missed it, but at least Jesse and Pops got to see it. Now he rolls over almost anytime you put him on his back. The only downside is he prefers to be on his back, so once he gets himself on his belly he has a hard time rolling back over.

Emerson has also now moved into his own room! He has been in our room since birth in his Pack n' Play. It was a bitter sweet moment for me. I was ready for him to move on out so we couldn't hear every little baby noise he was making and so we wouldn't have to tip toe around him, but it was also very convenient and comforting knowing he was right there. It made it easier to get out of bed when he started crying as well. We have had a few rough nights, but overall he has done quite well.

Just warming up to his whale friend.

 

Another big thing that happened this month was surgery! Yes, Emerson had his first surgery. Something that I was not excited to write down as his "first." To spare you the details and later embarrassment for Emerson, the surgery went well and he is now doing great. We go back for a check up next week to see how he is doing.

This surgery was nothing life threatening, but it was still really hard on Jesse and I. I thought the nurses taking my baby away from me would be the hardest (and that was very hard), but really it was when he woke up from the anesthesia and we got to see him for the first time right out of surgery that was the hardest. He was still asleep with a tube down his throat and was in his little hospital gown. I could even see the little red marks on his eye lids from when they taped his eyes shut : ( He woke up crying and he didn't sound like himself at all and he wouldn't eat. He just cried for an hour until we decided he needed more pain medication. That was the hardest part, seeing my baby not be himself.

But we had lots of people praying for us and we survived, and now Emerson is his happy self again.

 

He found the ceiling fan.

Here is a breakdown of his activity this month:

Sleeping: Towards the end of his third month, we hit some sleep issues. I had heard about this four month sleep regression and hoped and prayed it would not effect us, wrong. Well, I am still not sure if it was really what the experts call a "sleep regression" or just a growth spurt, but either way, it was no fun. Emerson was sleeping a good seven hour stretch at night and would easily go to sleep. However for about one week he would wake up frequently during the night and one night he was up every single hour. Pure torture. Thankfully during vacation he did OK and is sleeping longer stretches again. His latest thing is he won't go to sleep at night. He will be sound asleep in my arms and then 30 minutes later he is up again, we did this song and dance for about four hours the other night. It was exhausting. Just like everything else, this too shall pass.

Eating: He is growing, growing, growing, so obviously this tells me that eating is going very well : ) He is still exclusively breastfed, but the doctor gave us the OK to start rice cereal, so we may start that here pretty soon. We are also considering just skipping the rice cereal completely and waiting until he is six months old so he can start solids.

Activity: His smiling, laughing and talking have become even more active during this month. It doesn't take much to make him smile, but what he loves the most is when he is playing on the floor and you get right down with him and tickle his tummy. He will just giggle and giggle. The more ridiculous you feel, the more he will laugh. Totally worth making a fool of myself in public to get a smile from him : ) He also thinks his daddy is just the funniest person ever. Jesse can always get him to smile and laugh.

Jesse and I need to start collecting more toys for the kid. He really doesn't have much because he never really had any interest, but now I think we really want to get an exersaucer and/or a door hanging jumper.

Doctor visit stats:

• Weight:15 lbs 5 oz (46 percentile)
• Height: 26 inches (81 percentile)
• Other: More vaccinations. He screamed bloody murder and then went to sleep. Those things just knock him out.

Likes, dislikes and other milestones:

• Loves to put cotton material in his mouth, especially his burp cloths.
• Has started to give us real belly giggles. It takes a lot of effort on our part, but it is so worth it.
• Traveled to Sedona, AZ for a family reunion.
• Swam in a big swimming pool for the first time. He didn't mind it, but wasn't laughing and splashing about either.
• First plane ride. We flew from Houston to Phoenix.
• First time meeting his great grandparents, Paula and Dennis, as well as other distant relatives.
• I have started to wean him from swaddling. He still sleeps in a sleep sack, but with arms out. Some nights he does just fine, other nights, I go ahead and swaddle one arm. 
• Eyelashes are growing! 
• Hair is growing longer and is getting more blond and less red. It is also thinning out, he is rocking a few bald spots.
• Loves to suck on his hands, fingers, thumbs.
• Getting better hand control but he still moves his arms and hands about.
• He went to the nursery at church for the first time one Sunday night. He was fussing when I picked him up, but they never called me to come get him so I can only assume he did just fine.
• I think he has started teething. He drools constantly, and likes to chew on everything. His gums are looking more ridged and swollen as well. Maybe a tooth is in our near future.
• He would much rather suck on his hands then a paci.
• He loves to chew on his paci, but not really suck on it. It is a battle to get him to take it during nap time/bed time.
• We now carry him facing outward in his BabyBjorn carrier and he loves exploring the world that way. 

Finally got a smile!

 

Things to look forward to:
My parents are coming to visit us next weekend and we are going to the OSU vs. Mississippi State game here is Houston. Several of our friends are going as well so should be lots of fun. It will be Emerson's first football game.

That is a wrap, mom. I am done with this photo shoot.