All about Alex at 4 months

My littlest cutest baby is 4 months old! We had his pediatrician appointment this morning and stats are as follows:

Weight: 17 pounds even (81st percentile)
Height/Length: 26 inches (86th percentile)
Head Circumference: 16.75 inches (78th percentile)
Shots: DTap-IPV-HiB, PCV-13, Rotateq are making for a cranky baby right now
Diapers: Size 3
Clothes: 6 months
Pacifiers: 0. He does not seem to be into them, much to my extreme dismay. I don't know if you've heard, but Ashton's alter ego is "Super Paci Man". I wonder if they can ever be friends in light of this huge difference.
First date: Laying on a blanket in the park with Addie Hunter (he's older by 3 weeks and I assure you he was a total gentleman)
Political views: None

I looked back at Ashton's four month post and Alex is doing a lot of the stuff that Ashton did back then (real surprise eh?), including sitting in the infamous pink Bumbo seat.

It's pink because it's a hand-me-down. I am not in an appropriate-baby-gender-color crisis about it. As such, the Baby Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit that Alex slips into for naps and at night (any sleeptime, basically) is also pink due to hand-me-down status.

For those of you wondering what on earth this monstrous space suit looking thing is, it makes babies feel more snug and secure when they are in between swaddling and a regular sleepsack. It keeps their startle reflex down so they can sleep more peacefully. It looks ridiculous but it works. Speaking of swaddling, Alex never liked it whereas with Ashton it was a necessity. We actually had to double wrap him until about 5 or 6 months old. Anyhoo.

As far as the good old shut-eye goes, I wouldn't know because I don't think my lids ever close. That's right. This baby is up all.the.time. Sometimes 4 times between 12 am and 6 am. I'm officially exhausted. The first three months are so simple, newborns fall asleep at the drop of a hat.

"Oh, you just picked me up. [SNORE]"
"Look at that...[SNORE]"
"I think I like the sound of the dishwasher. [SNORE]"
"Oh, you just put me down. [SNORE]"
"And by the way, [SNORE]"

It's like stupid how much newborns sleep and how easily, for hours at a time. At 4 months, BAHAHAHA. Naps are 45 minutes if you're lucky and if you don't put them down right when they get tired, at that magic moment, they wail and get overtired. Then they wake up more, are cranky, and if you're Alex you don't take a paci. So that's that about that. Sleep is not my favorite topic right now. I'm gearing up for some serious cry-it-out because our current situation is not sustainable.

On to the cute things. Alex has discovered his voice and loves to make long loud sounds that mean nothing. He smiles all the time and while he does not blow raspberries per se, he smacks his lips to make a popping sound.  He has also discovered his feet, which are his favorite new toy.

He enjoys general hanging out, either in the jumper or carrier:

 Or with the 'rents:

No more rolling over really. He is more intent on grabbing toys that hang from his playmat than getting onto his belly. His hair is taking on that wiry texture that Ashton's has, and you can see in this photo that sticks up and is quite long.

Ashton's first haircut was around this age so that might be coming down the pike. His cradle cap isn't as bad as Ashton's was so the hair situation is not so dire. It's really amazing, by Ashton's four month birthday we had already been through the eczema, allergies, creams, wet wraps, etc. and he had a dermatologist and an allergist. Alex has had none of those adventures thankfully.

Well that about does it for the 4 month mark. Overall he's right on track, staying busy by munching on his fingers and proving the four month sleep regression really does exist. Lucky me ;) xoxox Alex!