Jonah is four (months)

::Sigh::

I can’t believe I’m writing Jonah’s four month post already. Seems like just yesterday that this sweet little butterball came into our lives. I completely skipped out on his three month update, but in truth there wasn’t a whole lot to talk about. Other than showing you guys how cute he is and how much we love him.

This month seems to have brought on a lot for our littlest dude. He’s got four teeth coming in on the bottom. All four of his bottom front teeth are peaking through. Two are very clearly in, the other two are just starting to show their little white tops. He won’t have his gummy baby smile for much longer. Teething has been killer the last couple of weeks. Not so much an all day thing, but just off and on; usually right after lunch. He isn’t even really all that cranky, he just wants to be held and snuggled. Most days, I’m happy to oblige.

We are still exclusively breastfeeding, though we do throw a bottle in there from time to time to make sure he hasn’t forgotten how to take one. We are going on vacation in a little over a month and the husband and I will be taking our first trip away, alone, in over two years. So he’s got to remember how to drink from a bottle so his grandma can feed him while we’re away. We have given him baby rice and oatmeal a few times and he loves it. Just like his brother, I expect he’s going to wean from milk early and be eager to enjoy big boy food.

As for sleeping….

We have finally gotten him out of his swing and we’re working on getting him into the pack-n-play in our room. He’s getting there. It’s a slow process. He tends to start out in his pack-n-play and then ends up snuggled up next to me before morning (i.e. I am too lazy to sit up and feed him so I bring him to bed with us and nurse him while I doze). I don’t mind it too much. He’s a sound, solid sleeper. Most nights he’s in bed by 9:00 at the latest. I usually get a four-five hour stretch the first part of the night, a middle of the night feeding around 1:00-2:00 am and then he’s up by 7:00 most days.

He still won’t take a pacifier and doesn’t really suck his thumb, but he is a finger sucker and a chewer. He loves his little connecting rings (the ones you can attach to the carseat that just link together) and occasionally enjoys a good chew on Sophie the Giraffes legs. Typically though, it’s his fingers. He hasn’t really taken to a lovie of any kind yet. Noah was a little older (around 18 months) before he ever got attached to anything, so I don’t expect Jonah to be any different…if he ever does get attached to anything anyway.

He’s wearing 3 month, 3-6 month and the occasional 6-9 month outfit and size two diapers (though I did just order him size three’s). He’s started to discover his feet this week so he’s enjoyed playing with his toes. He’s also a hair puller and a face rubber. He likes to snatch on my ponytails during the day, but he also loves to scratch and rub my face and my arms when he’s nursing or snuggling. He is a wee bit of a mama’s boy, and I absolutely adore that about him. He’s also SO close to sitting up on his own with anyone helping him hold himself up and he’s got the rolling from back to tummy thing down.

That being said, he also idolizes his brother. I mean big time. There are days where I can’t get him to calm down when he’s upset and cranky, and all it takes is Noah coming over to him, sitting down in front of him and playing. He doesn’t even have to play with him. He just has to be within visual range. It is the sweetest thing and it absolutely melts my heart to see this little boy so in love with his big brother already. I look at the two of them and think of that Campbell’s Soup commercial that was on over Christmas about the two brothers with the baseball glove. It just turns me into a big mush puddle to watch them interact.

And Noah? Noah loves him to pieces. He dotes on him and plays with him and loves on him like it’s HIS baby (which, in his mindset, it is). They sit on the floor and eat breakfast together every morning (well, Noah eats…Jonah watches) while they “watch” cartoons. Noah makes sure to tell Jonah all about his day at school on the ride home every afternoon. He reads him stories, draws him pictures, shares his toys with him. It’s the best to watch their budding relationship grow right before my eyes. We’ve had our issues with Noah adjusting to not being the only child anymore, but never has he shown any animosity or frustration or dislike toward Jonah.

I know they say that your heart grows with each child, but I seriously can’t imagine it getting any bigger. This little boy just filled a corner of my heart with so much love and adoration. Love that I didn’t even know I had because of how much I already love and adore Noah. I don’t remember how we got along without him and I certainly can’t imagine life without him in it now. He fills a void we didn’t even know existed. One thing is for sure, this happy little chubster knows that he’s loved by everyone in this house.