Four Month Check-Up

Baby Chase had his official four month check-up with Dr. Flowers this morning. I was pretty nervous going into it, because I knew he had to get shots, and Kevin couldn't be there to help soothe him afterward. But I'll get to the shots in a minute.

Dr. Flowers says he's looking GREAT! He now weighs 14lbs, 6oz. That's the 35th percentile for weight, and a increase of 3.5 pounds since his two month visit. He's 24 inches long (a gain of 1.5 inches, and the 15th percentile for height). And he's in the 27th percentile for head circumference. So according to Dr. Flowers, he's very proportional and looking good. Apparently the most important figure is the head measurement. And I can assure you that his head is growing...he's starting to outgrow some outfits because they don't fit over his head. lol. Another thing he's outgrown...size 2 diapers. According to the box, size 3's start at 16lbs, but he keeps peeing his pants with the size 2's. So we're moving up.

Now on to the shots. Today he had one oral medication, and a shot in each leg. Oral meds went down without a problem. And he didn't even flinch with the first shot. Then after the second, he realized was had happened...and started crying. But he was such a trooper! He cried for less than a minute, and even flashed a smile at the nurse before she left the room. Love that kid!

He slept much of the afternoon, but when he woke up at 5:30 he was on fire! Since this was his first time running a fever, I was trying not to freak out. I called the nurse, and she said to give him Tylenol, a lukewarm bath, and Pedialyte. Since his fever was 102.6, I jumped right on it. Tylenol...check. Lukewarm bath...check. Pedialyte...not having it. I tried over and over, and he made the funniest faces...he refused to drink it! So we gave him formula. Thank God, he didn't throw it up! He was a little irritable throughout the evening, but his fever is pretty much gone, and he is (finally!) sleeping soundly. Bless his little heart.

War Wounds :(

Napping with Dakota

Up close and personal

Mommy...I'm trying to sleep!

Four Months!

Happy fourth mirthday (yes, I stole that from someone else) baby Chase! Mommy loves you more today than she did the day you were born, and I can't wait to see what you become in the coming weeks, months and years!

4 Month Updates:

Feedings have definitely changed in the past month. Bottles have remained the same...six ounces with half a scoop of cereal. But lately he's been showing a crazy interest in food (I'm talking pitches a fit when someone is eating around him, and trying to get to the food!). So since Dr. Flowers told me we could discuss introducing foods between three and four months, we took the liberty of starting him at 3.5 months. So far he's tried bananas, apples, pears, squash and prunes. He LOVES it! Right now he only eats it once or twice a day, about 1/3 to 1/2 of a container in a sitting.

First feeding...bananas!

I'm still squeezing him into 3 month size clothes, although I feel like 6 months are just around the corner. That's probably good, because I've got a few 6 month outfits for summer that I would like to get some use out of. His 4 month photo shoot is a size 6 month outfit. It actually fits pretty well.

Sleep...yeah...see my last post.

Sleeping half rolled over. What a mess.

Overall though, he is just getting more fun and more cute on a daily basis. His little personality is really starting to shine. He's like his parents in some ways, like being groggy/grumpy right when he wakes up. He's finally liking toys, and it's so much fun to watch him chew on whatever toy he can fit in his mouth. He also loves to chew on his fingers. It's gross to mommy, but at least he's not sucking his thumb! *fingers crossed* He's learning to take his pacifier out of his mouth, and getting pretty good at putting it back in. And just today, he started scooting a little bit. Too cute!

First bite of steak (No need to call DFACS, it was a joke)

Grammy and Grandpa came to visit!

Hanging out with Uncle Evan

SLEEP!

I've mentioned lately how Chase has been rolling over in his sleep. Well my champion sleeper has turned into a bit of a bedtime nightmare. The past week in particular has been awful. He will sleep for two or three hours, and then start to roll around/over, causing him to wake up. I get him back to sleep, but after that he's up every hour until morning time. Torture. I feel like I have a newborn again. I've tried laying him on his belly, back, side...even in his Boppy. I've done swaddled and unswaddled. Nothing seems to be working. I don't know what to do anymore. Any experienced mommies out there have any tips or tricks for me?

I miss this...

Couponing

I love shopping. Sometimes I even enjoy grocery shopping. Especially when it involves getting a good deal. And I'm going to attempt to jump on another bandwagon...couponing. So I'm imploring my blogging and facebook friends for your help. I know that there are usually a great deal of coupons in the Sunday paper, but where do I go beyond that? I hear about all these people getting $100 worth of groceries for $50 and crazy stuff like that. So tell me some of your tips and tricks. Is it all about printing coupons online? (By the way, I'm not crazy about that one, because I feel like the money I save on groceries is spent on ink.) I've also heard of CVS-ing. What in the world? Can whatever this tactic is be applied to Walgreens? Rite Aid? Looking forward to hearing some of your shopping secrets!

OCD

I've never thought of myself as an obsessive compulsive person, a clean freak, or anything even remotely close to it. But having a baby has definitely brought out any obsessive compulsive tendencies I may have. To what am I referring, you ask? Laundry.

I've never liked doing laundry. If you ask my husband, he'd probably tell you that I'm not even any good at it. But there's something about baby laundry that makes me completely nuts. I can't stand the thought of Chase wearing stained clothes. Ever. And we're not just talking clothes. I don't even like when he gets something on his bibs or burp cloths.

I use baby Oxyclean like it's crack for laundry. Every time I wash his clothes, I pull out every onesie, shirt, sleeper, bib and anything else that might have a stain. Then I spray them to death with baby Oxyclean before putting it in the wash. Thank goodness, that stuff is amazing. I go through it like it's going out of style (and if anyone finds out it is, please let me know so I can go buy every bottle I can find).

Now that we've started him on baby foods, I'm going even more crazy. How do I keep all his stuff clean? I did get some great advice from a friend to set aside certain bibs for feeding only, and to turn the feeding bibs backwards so they can just be wiped down after he eats. But it's a huge struggle to not strip him down naked before a feeding, even taking these precautions. I realize I'm admitting to some serious issues here, but how can baby Oxyclean compete with a baby-sized mess?