Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Max, The Neglected One (4 month update)

Many of my posts lately have been focused on Alex. We do more with him, he does more on his own, and it's just easier to post about him. Max has been pretty cute, and he's a good kiddo...I guess he deserves a post of his own. Here's his 4 month update:

Max easily goes to sleep on his own when he's tired and it's quiet. He's getting too attentive now, and he doesn't sleep well in a busy room. He now naps in his crib, but he will sleep on a blanket if we're at somebody's house. (His big brother was never good at napping in other places, so we're very glad Max is easy-going about this!)
Morning - 7/7:30 AM
Nap - 9:30 AM (45 min- 1 hour)
Nap - 1 PMish (I'm flexible so the boys might nap at the same time, but he naps 2 -3 hours)
Catnap - 5 or 6 PM
Bedtime - 8/8:30 PM

My good sleeper was waking to nurse at 10:30 PM , waking at 4/5 AM to nurse, and going back to sleep until 7:30 AM. Now, the past week or two, he's waking several times during the night. I've tried rocking him back to sleep, but he seems hungry. I'm a little confused, and it's been HARD since Alex has been up several times each night lately due to fever and cough. I think they're ganging up on us!

My goal is to definitely wait until at least 5 months for solid foods, but I'd prefer to wait until 6 months. If the night wakings don't stop, though, I may try solids at 5 months for a few days just to see if it helps.
He's still rolling back-to-belly, but he has only rolled from his belly to his back once. He just lays there, stuck on his tummy, and cries until you flip him over.
He is "talking" up a storm. When he's happy, he has this high-pitched, glass-breaking squeal. It's adorable, but WOW is it ever loud!

Now, for the pictures...

Max has started reaching for toys and holding them independently.
Max sits in the high chair most nights while we eat dinner, and he often sits here when I'm working in the kitchen. He loves to gurgle, coo, and blow bubbles while he sits here & watches all that's going on.

He's getting to be a big boy! He's sharing the big bathtub with Alex from time to time, and Alex loves it.
Flashback to about 1 month old...

Alex got a little carried away with his dusting. He dusted the TV console, the Christmas tree, and the baby...who giggled like crazy!

Max is the most easy-going kiddo. His smiles come so readily, and he's starting to giggle much more often. I think that Daddy gets the best giggles from Max. I usually have to change his diaper & tickle his tummy to get a giggle.
We see this adorable smile every day, and we love how readily Max smiles!

I think I posted this before, but it's still cute :)

Max & Nana, enjoying each other
sound asleep on Grandma & Papa P's living room floor
Christmas Morning


Aunt Leanne


Aunt Diane

He contentedly puts up with whatever his big brother wants to do...
Yes, his head is covered with smiley face stickers :)

Max has no clue how silly he looks wearing these reindeer antlers at G&G S's house.


These two boys really do love each other.

This is the bassinet that my mom and her siblings slept in when they were tiny. It's over 70 years old. We didn't use it with Alex, but we've been blessed to have Max use this bassinet in our living room. He's finally outgrowing it, and it's sad to see it go.

Max as a newborn...
The bassinet


Max now...

Growing, growing, growing...and we love him more every day!

2 comments:

Allison said...

Maybe he's going through a growth spurt. Have you tried to get him to nurse more during the day? Sometimes my girls would wake to eat at night, since they weren't eating enough during the day. It usually was short-lived. Hopefully it won't last long for you either.

MamaDuck76 said...

I've wondered about the growth spurt, too, but it has continued even after I've tried nursing him more often or pumping during the day to increase milk supply. (sorry, anyone who's reading comments & didn't want to know that...) He already nurses every 3 hours during the day, so more than that seems a little excessive.

I'd really like to wait until 6 months for solids, but I don't want my baby going hungry. I will definitely stick it out until 5 months, but I may try a few days of cereal or bananas at 5 months if he's still regularly waking at night.