4 month photo dump

4 months of Emerson

We find ourselves more in love and in awe of you every month.  It seems like you're learning/doing something new each week. This month has brought with it some challenges regarding your sleep.  You have never been a good napper, but this month we've even had issues with your GREAT night sleep. You are learning to do so much and are becoming so much more active.  From things that I've read online this can mess with your sleep patterns. Mama is praying that your sleep gets back to normal soon.

You like:

* When Mama kisses your neck over and over again.  It really makes you giggle.
* Playing horse ride on mama and daddy's legs.
* Your black and white flash cards.
* Books.  You don't really like to read them right now.  You'd rather put them in your mouth.
* Chewing on your fingers.

You dislike:

* Having mama take boogers out of your nose.
* Getting stuck on your side when trying to roll over.  Sometimes you get so frustrated that you haven't quite figured out how to roll all the way over yet.
*Being in your car seat when you aren't tired.
* Loud noises.
* Having to wait to long to eat when you're hungry.  

Our favorite things about you are:

* How stubborn you are!
* How you love the word "poopoo head."  If I ever need you to smile, all I have to do is call you a poopoo head.
* How you shiver after every time you pee.  I can always tell when you're peeing because you get really still and serious and then you give a little shiver.
* How you yell really loud when you get frustrated.
* Your adorable little voice that you use ALL OF THE TIME!!

Weight: 14 lbs 5 oz

Length: 25.5 inches

Clothing Size: You are wearing 3-6 month and 6 month clothes!  

Diaper Size: We were trying to use up all of our size 1 diapers, but I felt like they were cutting the circulation of in your legs.  You also had quite a few poop explosions, so we gave the remainder to your cousin and we moved you up to size 2. 

Feeding:  You still eat every 3-3.5 hours now, except at night.  

Sleep: Your naps during the day are getting a little better.  They typically are around 50 minutes long now.  Occasionally you'll throw in one that is an hour and a half long.  When that happens I don't know what to do with myself.  I have gotten accustomed to doing everything in under 30 minutes, so I rush through my tasks and when you take a long nap I have time to spare!  I also just decided to change up your nap routine a bit.  I was getting really tired of fighting you for sometimes up to an hour to take an early evening nap.  For some reason when it hits 4:45-5:00 you really don't want to go to sleep.  So now you're taking your last nap around 3:30 or 4:00 and you're awake for the rest of the evening until bedtime at 7:00-7:30.  The last few weeks have brought us an interruption in your 7-8 hours stretches of sleep at night.  I've been reading up on this a lot and it seems that it's very common for 4 month olds to have some sort of sleep regression. I guess that your little mind is in overdrive with all of the new things that you're learning.  I PRAY that this is a quick phase because Mama is not used to the lack of sleep anymore!  

Milestones:  You are on your way to rolling over from your back to your tummy!  You have started to say the 'g' sound.  

Adventures: We didn't do anything too exciting this month.  We do go a few times a week on a long walk up to Starbucks and I've been trying to take you to the park more to lay on the grass.  We went to Berkeley and spent a little bit of time in a fun bookstore picking out a few books for you.

Mama and Daddy could not get through this month without:  Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme.  We have been washing our hands so much now that we have you both of hands were starting to crack and bleed.  This stuff is amazing!  It really worked on healing my cracked and bloody hands. We are also very thankful for your sleep sacks.  You've outgrown being swaddled and I don't want to put a loose blanket in with you yet, so right now you sleep in a sleep sack.  It looks like a dress on you, but it helps keep you warm at night.  

We love you to the moon and back kid.  We think you're pretty awesome!

10 ways to calm the chaos of mommy hood...

Being a new mommy is amazing, but it is also challenging and tiring at the same time.  You go from being your own person to having someone attached to you pretty much 24/7.  It can take quite some getting used to having a tiny little human rely on you for absolutely everything.  I feel like I'm just now getting the hang of everything and starting to feel a little like myself again.  If you're a mommy you can probably relate to some if not all of the things below.  Here are 10 things that I have found over the last 3 1/2 months that have helped me still feel like myself amidst my rapidly changing life:

1.  Make time for yourself - Every single night I take a bubble bath after Emerson is in bed.  I usually watch a little TV on my iPad or sometimes I even use the time to take a 20 minute nap before going to bed :)  I also get my nails done every 2 or 3 weeks.  I'm usually only gone for about 30 minutes, but it's still nice to get out of the house and pamper myself.  I go grocery shopping every weekend.  I used to hate going grocery shopping, but now that it provides an hour out of the house by myself, I'll gladly do it!

2.  Get some sunshine and fresh air - Emerson and I go on a walk every single day if weather allows.  We have also been known to throw out a blanket at the park on the grass and play for awhile.  Sometimes it will be a quick 30 minute walk, but other times I'll take advantage of the beautiful weather and I'll walk around our neighborhood for an hour and a half to 2 hours while he's napping.

3.  Open up your house - When I get up in the morning I make sure to open the blinds.  Letting in natural sunlight will almost always make my mood better if I'm in a bad one.  I plan on opening the windows when the weather gets warmer.

4.  Create a weekly chore chart - Before I had Emerson I was a neat and clean freak....actually I still am, but it is proving to be much more difficult to keep my house neat and clean on a regular basis.  I also don't have as much of a desire to keep things picked up when I could be playing with my boy.  A few weeks back I created a weekly chore chart for myself.  I pinpointed certain chores around my house that were the most important to me and I designated a day of the week that I wanted to attempt to complete them.  These chores are things that only take about 20 minutes to complete, besides doing the laundry, so they are things that I can easily get done during one of Emerson's naps.  I can also do some of them while he watches me.  He likes to watch me vacuum and clean the floors, especially when I dance and sing while doing it :)  Here is my weekly chore chart that I created for myself:

Monday:
KitchenWash towels & sheets

Tuesday:
Dust Vacuum

Wednesday:
LaundryTidy bedroom

Thursday:
Sweep & mop downstairs

Friday:
Clean bathrooms Clean showers & tubs

Saturday:
Laundry

Sunday:
Meal planGrocery shoppingErrands

5.  Find more efficient ways to do things - There isn't a lot of time in the day anymore to do the things that I used to do now that Emerson demands so much of my attention.  I've been trying to find ways to quickly stay organized.  One way that I have kept myself organized in a 2 story house is to keep a small basket down at the bottom of the stairs.  Throughout the day I throw things in the basket that need to go upstairs and I take it up on one of my trips.  Then I can throw things in it from upstairs that need to go downstairs.  It saves time and it is a lot easier to carry everything up at one time.

6.  Find a mom's group and make friends - I have been getting pretty lonely here now that I have Emerson and it's just me and him at home all day, every day.  I feel very isolated from my family, so it is really important to me to meet people.  I have joined 2 mom's groups and have met one friend so far.  I plan on going to more events to make more friends.

7.  Call/text friends and family to talk - Being a new mommy can get lonely.  It is really important to stay connected to friends and family even if it is only over the phone or through text messages.

8.  Exercise - I walk every day if the weather permits.  I also go to yoga 2 times a week.  Every Saturday morning and on Thursday nights.  Layton comes home early on Thursdays and gives Emerson a bottle so that I can get out of the house and go to yoga.

9.  Have play dates - It's so helpful to talk with other mamas that are experiencing and going through the same things as you.  I've made one friend in my neighborhood so far that has a son that is only 2 weeks younger than Emerson.  It is so nice to get together/text each other and talk about our challenges and excitements.  It's a really good support system to have.

10.  Take a shower and brush your teeth every day - There have been a few days where I haven't gotten a shower in and I've felt kind of depressed all day.  It's amazing what just stepping under some hot water for 5 minutes can do!  I rarely do my hair these days or even put make up on, but just taking a few minutes to get clean can really lift my spirits.  I also try and get my teeth brushed before noon now.

3 month photo dump