Andrew's 4-Month Update!

Dear Andrew,

Oh, baby boy!  You are 4 months old.. we have officially started the countdown to six months.  How is this possible?!  This month hasn’t been too crazy with adventures except the ultimate adventure of going to school!!  Mom has officially gone back to work and she’s so sad to leave you every day.  You handle it like a champ though.  You’re not even phased when I drop you off, though I know that won’t last for forever and we’ll go through phases of you not wanting to be dropped off to phases of you don’t care.

Your teachers at school are Ms. Mary and Ms. Denise and they seem to be taking good care of you.  You are still figuring out this whole nap thing at school.. some days you go a great job and some days you take these little 15 minute naps throughout the day.  It’s a transition I know, but on the days you don’t nap well at school you look so tired when we get you home.  You started getting sick a whopping 8 days into school.  So, you’ve had the pleasure of experiencing the nose Frida, saline drops, Vick’s vapor rub, and the steam of a hot shower.  When we first did the Nose Frida, you’re brother went crazy trying to protect you.  He thought we were hurting you and kept pushing daddy away.  We explained to him what was going on and now it’s OK.  I always knew he would be protective of you!  You having bronchitis wasn’t so much fun, but you handled it like a champ and managed to kick it on your own without any meds.

DD Nana and T-Pa have come to visit us again… you love both of them!  We also took you to the zoo with big brother and you got to ride the train!  You did so well at the zoo; I was so proud!  You really like jumping in your jumper and just watching everything that is going on.  You are still a really chill baby, but you like it less when we “leave” you, i.e., we walk to the kitchen while you’re in the living room.

Looks like we're going back to TCH Neuro to get your head checked  out.  It's not as flat as big brothers, but its not 100% round either.  I'm hoping we can still avoid it, but I think its best to get it looked at.  More to come on if we're going to go down the helmet route.

You have just about 100% figured out your thumb.  I think you will be a thumb sucker, but right now you aren’t partial to any particular finger.  Whatever you can get a hold of you suck on in your mouth.  You are trying to roll over from your back to your front, but haven’t made it all the way yet.  You get stuck on your side.  You definitely can roll from front to back though… we lay you down on your tummy and when we go to wake you up, you are on your back!  You like reaching for toys and bringing them to your mouth.  Becoming quite the explorer!

Baby boy, at four months you:

• Weigh just shy of 15lbs, at 14.92lbs and are 25 inches tall.  Both are in the 50 percentile.  Growing boy!
• You poop 1-2x a day and wear size 2 diapers.
• Wear 6 month clothes and seem to have big feet because I feel like the 3-12 month socks won’t fit you for very long.
• If we’re going to school, we wake you up at 6:30 and you fall asleep at 8.  You haven’t had any wake-ups to eat, but occasionally we have to go in there and rub your bottom so you fall back asleep.  This usually happens when you’ve scooted yourself to a side of the crib and can’t figure out how to keep your head from hitting the rails.  You are a great sleeper!!  I love you so much for that.
• If it’s a weekend you sleep from about 8:15 to 8 and take two really good naps during the day that are about 2 hours each and an evening cat nap around 6:45.  God bless you.
• During the week, you eat 5, 6 oz bottles.  During the weekends, you eat 4, 6 oz bottles.  You still spit up, but it’s getting a little better.  You must also be burped regularly as well.
• Like to bounce in your jumper and play under your mobile
• We sit you in the bumbo on the table during dinner and you like having us all stare at you.  Big brother makes funny faces at you to try to make you laugh.
• Do a little tripoding, but otherwise will sit up in your bumbo or if someone is behind you.  I know we’re going to come a long ways with sitting this coming month!
• Have started riding in the “big boy” stroller and you really like seeing everything happening around you!

It’s been such a joy watching you grow this month!  You are always happy and quite literally, I think, the best baby ever.  I’m looking forward to seeing you try some food this month, too!  Mommy and daddy love you baby boy, always and forever!

Andrew's 3-Month Update!

Hi big boy!  You sure are growing fast!  I love you so much!  We’ve done lots of fun things with you this month, with the biggest thing being a trip to Arkansas for Christmas!  We spent a full week in Arkansas over Christmas and stayed at DD Nana’s house.  You finally got to meet all the rest of the Meier family on this trip!  Everyone enjoyed holding you and commenting on what a good baby you are… which is so true!

You traveled very well and don’t seem to be bothered by not keeping to your schedule as much.  You are pretty laid-back, that’s for sure!  I tried to keep you on schedule as much as possible since I have to go back to work on January 3^rd!  Didn’t want to get you too off kilter for daycare.  You went to see Christmas lights at the Fayetteville Square—which you mostly slept through [of course].  You didn’t sleep that well at DD Nana’s… you woke up pretty much every night except the last one.  I think you have also decided that you do not want to be swaddled anymore.  Which is OK—Daycare won’t swaddle you anyways!  I still keep you in a convertible swaddle though—just your arms are free!  You handled the airplane like a champ, too!

You have gotten lots of toys this Christmas--- I can’t wait to watch you explore them [mostly with your mouth]!  We have been putting you in a jumper which you seem to mostly tolerate, but sometimes really enjoy, too.  You have recently been wanting to stand up so I thought we’d get the jumper out for you.  We stick a teddy bear behind you to help stabilize you inside of it--- you are probably a bit small for it still, but you like making it jump!  Your favorite thing to do is definitely lay under a mobile and bat at the toys.  You will literally do that for an hour at a time if we let you!

You are all smiley, now, too!  Especially after you eat.  We just sit and smile at each other.  You will also stick your tongue out at us as well.  You still spit up lots, but I think that’s your normal.  Hiccups still strike you regularly, too. You coo a lot, too.  Big brother never did this very much so I'm really enjoying hearing all of your baby noises.

DD Nana and T-Pa think your head is starting to look rounder.  But, I went ahead and got us a referral for a helmet consultation at TCH.  I wonder if we’ll get the same doctor as Parker?!  You spend a significant amount of time on your tummy now, so I’m hoping your head continues to round itself out.  It will be up to daycare, now, though!  I’ll have lots of instructions for them.  ;-)  You are also starting to look right more and we’ve been doing some neck stretches which I think have been helping.  I don’t think you’ll need physical therapy at this point.

We've spent this month mostly just doing Christmas things-- we have gone Christmas shopping, walks to look at Christmas lights, gone to see Santa and watched Christmas movies all day long [OK, that was mostly me].

I can’t believe my three months home with you is coming to an end!  I have enjoyed it so much, Andrew!  We’ve had lots of fun and I can’t help but snuggle with you a little longer these last few days since we’ll be spending more time apart.  I’m sorry you have to go to daycare…I’m going to cry like a baby at drop off.  I know you will learn lots there and will benefit greatly from the experience in the long run.  Just know how much I will miss spending all of my time with you.  I’ll miss seeing you smile at me and playing with you.  Rocking you to sleep has been my favorite activity these past few months and what I’ll miss most—having you all cuddled up with me.  You have been the best baby—the kind of baby that makes you want to have more babies!

Here’s a few more updates about you at 3 months:

• Eat 4-5 oz every 3 hours during the day
• Wear 3-6 month clothes.  All of the 0-3 month clothes is too small!  In fact, your 3-month picture was taken in a 6 month outfit!
• Sleep about 8:30-7 with no wake-ups.  You literally did 3 weeks with no middle of the night wake-up until we got to DD Nana’s.  But, on your first night home from the trip you slept 8:30-7 again, straight.
• Poop 1-2x a day.  Wear size 2 diapers. You usually wake yourself up at 7 with a poopy diaper.
• Weigh about 14lbs and 2 oz.
• Love facing outwards and watching what is going on in life.
• Smile at your baby brother and tolerate his hugs and kisses very well.
• Love, love, love playing on your play mat with a mobile and batting at the objects.
• Head control is getting pretty good—almost 100%!
• Nap anywhere from 1-2 hours 3x a day with a 30-45 minute cat nap before bedtime.
• Love taking a bath with daddy in the sink!
• Smile big grins!
• Must be burped after every 2 oz with a couple of spit ups at each feeding.  If we don’t burp you often the whole bottle will come back up.
• Love putting your hands in your mouth, but you haven’t discovered your individual fingers, yet.
• Like pacifiers as well, especially to sleep.  I switched you from a Soothie paci to a Phillips Avent one this month.

 We love you baby boy, always and forever.

Meeting Santa for the first time!

One of my favorite pictures of you two with your DD Nana

Celebrating Christmas at our house!

At the Fayetteville Square

Andrew's One-Month Update!

Dear Andrew,

You are officially one whole month old!  I can’t believe it!  My how time flies.  It feels like you have been with us for forever already.  You fit in just perfectly.  Things are mostly the same from your two-week update except you’ve just gotten bigger.

We had our first big outing as a family of four… we went to a pumpkin patch.  You did wonderfully.  We got some pictures of you with big brother and mom & dad.  You slept most of the time and when you were awake you enjoyed just looking around at all the action.  Mom has also been getting out of the house with you… we’ve been to Target, the mall, Hobby Lobby, Kroger, Babies R Us and to pick big brother up from school.

Parker loves seeing you in the morning and still always wants to give you a hug and a kiss all the time.  The rest of us could be chopped liver, but not you.  He also likes to help you do tummy time… he gets excited when he can “play” with you.  Parker will still give you his elephant, but maybe not as much as before… he takes it back a lot quicker now.  But, it’s still pretty special that he gives it you.  You guys are going to have so much together soon!

You are doing a wonderful job at sleeping at night time, but you maybe require a little more work to get to sleep.  You have a certain point that if you exceed that time... it’s hard to get you to sleep and then you won’t sleep very long, either.  You love to be bounced and you also LOVE, LOVE the blanket Grandma Kathleen got you…. It’s all warm and fuzzy.  Nevermind that it’s still 85 degrees here, you are basically sleeping with a winter blanket.  You love to be warm.  You aren’t soothing yourself to sleep as much… it requires some work from mom & dad.  You still sleep in the rock n’ play and I’ve moved the rock n’ play to your room during the day so you can start to get used to the new environment.  We’ll be working on transitioning to the crib very soon!

You also like to be outside.  You and I will sit outside and just hangout.  I think you like to hear the wind/leaves and listen to our water feature.  We go on walks with big brother and you like to just watch him run around.

We take a bath every night and you still love the warm water.  You SOMETIMES take a pacifier--- I’m not sure if you really like it or not.  I’ve seen you suck on your thumb, too. 

We’re so glad you’re hear and look forward to watching you grow into your personality!  At one month you:

•          Have put on some weight!  You are somewhere around 8lbs and still wear newborn clothes.
•          Drink about 3 oz at every feeding.  The first feeding in the morning you will drink 4 oz and then at night you will drink a little more, too.
•         Sleep from about 10-7 consistently now.  Of course, now that I’ve typed that it probably won’t be consistent any longer. Hehe.
•          Poop 1-2x a day and wear size 1 diapers
•          Love to be bounced and rocked.
•          Love watching big brother run around and jump on the trampoline.
•         Do very well in the car… it puts you to sleep very quickly.  But, you like to be moving in it.  You aren’t really a fan of the car seat if it’s not going anywhere.
•          Nap about 1-2 hours at a time.
•         Don’t mind tummy time as long as your stomach is full.
•          Doing a great job of holding your head up and you will turn your head from side to side while on your tummy.
•          Like to lay on mommy.

We just got your newborn photos in!  Woo hoo!  See how much you’ve grown, too?!  Mom and Dad love you baby boy, always and forever.

Andrew's One-Month Update!

Dear Andrew,

You are officially one whole month old!  I can’t believe it!  My how time flies.  It feels like you have been with us for forever already.  You fit in just perfectly.  Things are mostly the same from your two-week update except you’ve just gotten bigger.

We had our first big outing as a family of four… we went to a pumpkin patch.  You did wonderfully.  We got some pictures of you with big brother and mom & dad.  You slept most of the time and when you were awake you enjoyed just looking around at all the action.  Mom has also been getting out of the house with you… we’ve been to Target, the mall, Hobby Lobby, Kroger, Babies R Us and to pick big brother up from school.

Parker loves seeing you in the morning and still always wants to give you a hug and a kiss all the time.  The rest of us could be chopped liver, but not you.  He also likes to help you do tummy time… he gets excited when he can “play” with you.  Parker will still give you his elephant, but maybe not as much as before… he takes it back a lot quicker now.  But, it’s still pretty special that he gives it you.  You guys are going to have so much together soon!

You are doing a wonderful job at sleeping at night time, but you maybe require a little more work to get to sleep.  You have a certain point that if you exceed that time... it’s hard to get you to sleep and then you won’t sleep very long, either.  You love to be bounced and you also LOVE, LOVE the blanket Grandma Kathleen got you…. It’s all warm and fuzzy.  Nevermind that it’s still 85 degrees here, you are basically sleeping with a winter blanket.  You love to be warm.  You aren’t soothing yourself to sleep as much… it requires some work from mom & dad.  You still sleep in the rock n’ play and I’ve moved the rock n’ play to your room during the day so you can start to get used to the new environment.  We’ll be working on transitioning to the crib very soon!

You also like to be outside.  You and I will sit outside and just hangout.  I think you like to hear the wind/leaves and listen to our water feature.  We go on walks with big brother and you like to just watch him run around.

We take a bath every night and you still love the warm water.  You SOMETIMES take a pacifier--- I’m not sure if you really like it or not.  I’ve seen you suck on your thumb, too. 

We’re so glad you’re hear and look forward to watching you grow into your personality!  At one month you:

•          Have put on some weight!  You are somewhere around 8lbs and still wear newborn clothes.
•          Drink about 3 oz at every feeding.  The first feeding in the morning you will drink 4 oz and then at night you will drink a little more, too.
•         Sleep from about 10-7 consistently now.  Of course, now that I’ve typed that it probably won’t be consistent any longer. Hehe.
•          Poop 1-2x a day and wear size 1 diapers
•          Love to be bounced and rocked.
•          Love watching big brother run around and jump on the trampoline.
•         Do very well in the car… it puts you to sleep very quickly.  But, you like to be moving in it.  You aren’t really a fan of the car seat if it’s not going anywhere.
•          Nap about 1-2 hours at a time.
•         Don’t mind tummy time as long as your stomach is full.
•          Doing a great job of holding your head up and you will turn your head from side to side while on your tummy.
•          Like to lay on mommy.

We just got your newborn photos in!  Woo hoo!  See how much you’ve grown, too?!  Mom and Dad love you baby boy, always and forever.