It’s been awhile since I’ve done a proper Augustine update. We’re a little over the 4 month mark now which is so hard to believe. My goodness time goes by quickly. Or the days do at least… nights are a whole other story! Here is what’s going on in Augustine’s world these days:

Augustine’s 4 Month Update

STATS

15 pounds – 26 inches

TEMPERAMENT

For the most part, Augustine is such a sweet and lovable little baby. We love making him smile and laugh. One of the first times he laughed was when we were singing that “I Wanna Hippopotamus for Christmas” song. Matthew and I were dancing around the Christmas tree and Augustine was incredibly amused and let out the cutest string of chuckles. Heart melted! Augustine does have a little bit of colic though which is so so sad! It’s just as hard for us as it is for him since there’s not much we can do. It’s normally evident in the evenings and during the night, when he’ll cry for hours at a time. We heard about the witching hour, but this is a little different and has lasted for months. Augustine will frequently cry when we’re  trying to put him down and often is inconsolable even when we’re holding him. I’ve been trying to pay better attention to what I eat, just in case there’s something that’s upsetting him. I don’t have much dairy but I do eat a lot of chickpeas and beans for extra protein. Augustine is also an opinionated baby, so he’ll let us know when he likes or dislikes something. His strong-willed nature will definitely be an asset one day, but boy is he going to keep us busy!

MILESTONES

Augustine is pretty good about tummy time and, with a little help, he’ll roll over. We’re waiting for him to do it on his own, which should be any day now! He grabs for items, and can even put his pacifier in and out of his mouth. He loves to “talk” and “sing” and have conversations with us. Augustine has a ton of strength in his neck and legs so sometimes I feel like he’ll be walking before he’s crawling. My thought is that he’ll be early on both of those milestones. Augustine has been teething since 2 months which is also really early for his age. Maybe that’s also to blame for some of his fussiness. We were thinking he might have a tooth break free by Christmas, but not yet!

LIKES

He’s a big fan of Mama and Dada. I love how he lights up when he sees us walk into his nursery in the mornings. He’s starting to recognize Ginger more and the other day he laughed when Ginger gave him a kiss on this foot. He loves looking at trees, lights, and candles. It’s so funny watching him just stare at our dining room chandelier. He’s so fascinated by it. I’ll give him kisses on his neck and he’ll open his mouth wide and giggle. It’s the cutest thing! And he loves when I play peek-a-boo with him.

EATING

I’m still exclusively breastfeeding and he’s a good little eater. We’re going to be introducing solids around 6 months. If any of you have tips on how you did that let me know! Matthew and I both eat lots of different foods and flavors and we want him to experience as much of that as possible.

SLEEP

Sleep is our biggest challenge. I haven’t had more than 4 hours of consecutive sleep in months. You hear these stories about babies that sleep through the night at 10 or 12 weeks, but that has not been our situation. We try to put Augustine down between 6:30-7:30 when he’s showing his tired cues but it’s a challenge every night. I’ve been trying to do a routine with changing him into his pjs, feeding him, and reading a book, but he’ll start to get so fussy and start to cry halfway through the book or as soon as he realizes we’re trying to put him down. There are frequently nights where it takes 2-3 hours to put him to sleep. Sometimes he’ll fall asleep for 30 minutes and then he’ll wake up crying. I try to not rock him to sleep but when I put him down he’ll start to scream so I have to pick him up. Since my back is still not 100% better, I want to limit the times I’m picking him up and putting him down into the crib. Unfortunately that means I end up rocking him to sleep, which I know isn’t recommended. And then there are those nights where I’m convinced he’s finally fallen asleep, I put him down, and he’ll start to cry.

Augustine wakes up about 2-3 times in the middle of the night, and will be up anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour each time. So if you think about it, some nights I’ll put him down at 7:30pm, he might sleep for 30 and then cry until 10:30. Then he’ll wake up at 12:30 and I’ll be up with him for an hour, and then he’ll be up again between 3:30 and 4 and then again 2 hours later. It’s rough you guys. Sometimes I don’t even know how I function. We were hit hard with the 4 month sleep regression too because it went from bad to worse. He was up crying for 2 hours in the middle of the night, and then would be back up 30-45 minutes later. And to top it all off, he’s the worst napper. It’s so much work actually putting him down during the day, and then he’ll maybe sleep for 25-30 minutes. Just enough time for me to wash my face and get a bite of food. I’m starting to look into sleep training because I know we can’t continue on this way. It’s not good for him or for me. I’m just worried that a lot of these sleep training methods aren’t geared for a baby with his temperament. Some babies you can put down drowsy but not this guy. Once his sleep situation is under control I think we’ll be a lot happier over here. If any of you have tips or advice for me, I’m all ears!!

FAVORITE PRODUCTS

When Augustine got sick the other week we really relied on the NoseFrida. It sounds so weird but it works really well. Another favorite is the BabyBjorn Bouncer. We also had the Mamaroo but he likes the BabyBjorn one so much better. We got the toy bar to go with it which he has a lot of fun with. My favorite thing about this bouncer is how you can fold it up completely flat and stow it under the couch, in your car, etc. It’s also light and really easy to move around the house. The Fischer Price Jonathan Adler Gym is amazing and we play on that multiple times a day. He’ll do tummy time and stare in one of the mirrors, and he’ll also lay on his back and kick at the hanging toys. The Rock ‘N Play Sleeper is another great spot for Augustine to hang out in when we’re making dinner or eating. My mom gave him Sophie the Giraffe the other day and he loves it. Favorite teething toy by far!

MOM UPDATE 

I still feel like I’m in a bit of a Mom Fog since I’m not getting much sleep. That aspect has been the hardest for me because I’m used to getting at least 9 hours a night. With Matthew back at work, it’s been a little more challenging but I feel like Augustine and I are getting into a rhythm together. Right now we’re doing what we can to survive but I’m definitely looking forward to having a little more balance. Matthew and I need to get back to having weekly or at least monthly date nights, and I’m hoping I can get some me time in eventually too! As tired as I am, I’ve really never been happier. I love this little baby so much and just live for his smiles and laughs. It’s amazing how much he changes every day. Everyone says the time goes by fast and it’s true. To think that in 2 months he’ll be 6 months old {half a year!}, eating solids and {fingers crossed} sleeping longer, is amazing. I’m just trying to cherish this time with him, no matter how tired I am!

xox

P.S. Check out my New Mom Essentials and our Newborn Essentials.