The Four Month check up
This month we had our 4 month check up at our new pediatrician! I wasn’t 100% happy with the office we were using. It was a large practice and we felt more like a number. We were referred to DR. Ong and let’s just say the experience was a lot more personable. Kensie weighed 14.1lbs and was 25inch long. DR. Ong gave us a go a head to start oatmeal cereal. I’m not going to lie I was a little hesitant after having a terrible experience with rice cereal but she assured me that I was doing it all wrong……. side note: filling your babies bottle with rice cereal will not … I repeat WILL NOT help them sleep through the night. We had to learn this the hard way that result in a night of baby screaming from tummy pains. We ended the visit with our scheduled 4 month shots.
Daily Schedule
Having a strict daily schedule was not something that I wanted. Every parent dream of their child adapting to THEIR life style and let me say .. we tried .. we tried really hard, however a schedule is what works best for us. I’m not going to lie being home by 6pm on the weekend definitely takes some adjusting but at the end of the day a happy baby is worth EVERYTHING. We strive to stay on track on the weekends and let me tell you .. that is not easy.. especially when our day starts at 5:30am during the week. Our day to day schedule looks something like this:
- 5:30 am – Wake up ( morning bottle, get dressed and ready for daycare)
- 6:00 am – Out the door to daycare
- 8:00 am – Morning bottle 6oz
- 11:00 am – lunch bottle
- 12:00 pm – Nap as close to 2pm as possible
- 2:00 pm – Bottle 6 oz then playtime until nap
- 3:00 pm ish – Afternoon nap
- 4:00 pm – Afternoon bottle 6oz
- 5:00 pm – Pick up from daycare
- 5:30 pm – Arrive home, play time until bedtime routine
- 6:00 pm – Bath, Bottle, Bed
- 6:30 pm – Go to Bed
- Wake one time most nights for a bottle any where from 11pm – 3am
On the weekends we begggggg kensie to sleep in a little longer and put her back to bed after her 5am feeding and leave her until she wakes, usually around 7. We then resume the remainder of the schedule. There are some mornings where she refuses to go back to bed after waking at 5 am, the struggle is real at that point and I start to regret not going to bed early or drinking an extra glass of wine but reluctantly we wake with her and go to the play room until she’s ready to eat and then we have the first nap of the day.
The 4 Month Sleep Regression
The sleep regression is real and let me tell you it’s a tough one. We started to see signs of the sleep regression a few weeks before Kensie turned 4 months. Our normal routine was no longer working…. feeding to sleep when waking through the night and using the pacifier as a soother was quickly back firing. Before I demanded an intervention, Kensie was waking every 2 hours to eat maybe 2oz. We would then play paci pong until finally falling back to sleep all and all to do it over again 2 hours later. The saving grace was moving Kensie into her own room. I remember reading that sleep regression happen when the sleep cycle advances….. I have done so much research at this point .. I’m basically an expert… but really! By moving kensie into her own room she is now able to get uninterrupted sleep.Previously, we were co sleeping with a Dock A Tot and I’m sure our movements were disturbing. Another saving grace was removing the pacifier… yup! I know she was developing a sleep association with it and when the paci would come out in the middle of the night she would wake startled. I’m not going to lie this has been the most challenging month when it comes to sleep. The majority of nights end in tears and some nights full on tantrums. At one point we suspected an ear infections because of the endless screaming when we would lay her down, however …. Dr. Ong diagnosed her NOT with an ear infection but with being spoiled.
Highlights
- We really like oatmeal cereal
- Tried sweet potato and they aren’t that bad
- We celebrated our first news years and Kensie joined the party until 10pm
- Now she wears a size 6month in clothing and a size 2 diaper
- We are sitting up assisted
- Not rolling over just yet but getting close
- Attended Sunday service at church for the first time and loved the music.
- Can now blow raspberries
- Loves to smile and laughs when something is really funny
Our Farm House Fam 