He's how old??!!

Sorry to leave you hanging. In the week following my last post Ethan developed really frequent and painful gas which kept us both up for hours on end each night that week. When I eventually called the pediatrician I was given four bits of advice designed to ease his gas and cut back on his increased spit up. These were:
1)Give him Mylicon as needed (after meals or before bedtimes) to ease his gas. (It's like infant antacid.)
2)Have him sleep on an incline so that his head is above his tummy.
3)Burp him for at least 10 minutes after each feeding.
4)Keep him vertical for 15-20 minutes after each feeding.

This combination of things seemed to really do the trick. There was an almost immediate reduction in both his spit up and his gas. I, however, never seemed to have regained that tenuous routine I had established prior to that. Thus my neglect of this blog. For this I apologize. I am hoping the new year will somehow help things slow down and reorganize.

In the meantime, some interesting things you might like to know:

Ethan now weighs over 14lbs and as of Dec. 15th he measured 24inches in length! That's more than double his weight.

He loves to have his palms/fists hit lightly upward in a sparing motion.

Clapping his feet together will get you a big grin- especially if he's barefoot.

He sometimes chuckles in his sleep.

When he's in a happy mood and someone is talking to him he will make happy noises back.

About 3 weeks ago we laid him on the floor in front of his travel swing and he discovered on his own that if he pushed it with his fist it would move! (We have this on video.)

Ethan loves to take a bath and doesn't even mind when water might accidentally go over his face.

Ethan loves to suck his fist.

Ethan has always seemed to have an incredible understanding of routine. He recognizes things that are done prior to feeding him and will actually stop crying once he notices that these "rituals" (ie. picking up the boppy/ lifting my shirt) have begun. However, his patience only lasts about 1 minute or so. If he has not begun feeding by then he will loudly declare his disapproval of your pace.

Something else unique about our son is his utter fascination with our guest bathroom. We're not sure if it's the soft feel of the relatively new bath mat, or the quiet whir of the fan that comes on with the light, or the conrast of the green towels against the offwhite walls, but something in there must be amazing to him because as I type that is where he lays- peacefully swaddled on the bath mat and making happy noises for the past 10 minutes. Of course just as I typed that sentence he lost interest and daddy had to go and pick him up. However, anything that can keep a baby's interest for 10 minutes is impressive in my book. And he's been like that almost from day 1.

Now for an interesting comparison.

Things Ethan does:

Rolls from his belly to his back (has done so 4 times).

Pushes with his legs to stand while being kept balanced by a grown up.

Bats things away from his face.

Grabs something held in front of him and puts it in his mouth.

Will hold his head up on his forearms for up to 5 minutes at a time while on his tummy.

Holds his head up when held in a sitting position.

Once held himself in place for 3 seconds in a sitting position where his arms rested on his legs.

Can spot us across the room and follow us with his eyes as we move around.

Knows how to get our attention by crying and/or spitting out his pacifier the second we walk away.



Now compare to this copy/paste from a parenting website:

By 4 months, your baby probably:

• Holds up his head on his forearms or even his hands. Holds his head steady while being held in a seated position, all the better to have a talk with you.
• Can spot you across the room and follow you with his eyes as you move around.
• Knows how to get your attention by crying, dropping something, or even emitting a phony "cough."
• Bats at objects and sometimes manages to reach and grab things. If he grabs something, he'll shake it or stick it in his mouth. If he lets go, it's an accident that surprises him.
• Finds his own hands very interesting. He'll swipe at them, touch them, and just look at them.
• Drools a great deal, making his toys and you very wet. But his teeth probably aren't coming in yet.
• Recognizes your voice and will calm down for at least a little while if you call to him from another room. He's learning to anticipate and wait.
• Can fall asleep on his own if you start a sleeping ritual and give him a toy or blanket to comfort him.