4 months!

Well, ok, three months and 29 days. But as of tomorrow, Silas will be four months old. It's great to see him become more aware of his surroundings each day.

I know that all babies are different, so I wanted to share what he is like. Silas still eats every two to three hours during the day, and wakes up two to three times at night. I put him to sleep at night around 9:30pm most days, and he wakes up between 7 and 8:30am most mornings to start the day. In between, he tends to wake up around 1:30 to 2:30am, and then every two hours thereafter.

Silas loves to be held and to be walked around. He likes to be held upright and cries when he is put down on his back. The sound of the vacuum cleaner and running water will help sooth him. I can take him and put him on a blanket on the bathroom floor while I shower and he will play with a toy happily during that time. He likes to sit up supported by a pillow and to occasionally "stand" by being supported by someone. During tummy time, he tries to roll over, but can't figure out what to do with his legs. When he's on his back, he tries to roll over, but can't figure out what to do with his arms.

He can take a bottle, so I've heard. He doesn't quite know what to do with them, but if he is calm and sleepy, he takes a bottle well. When he has a bottle, he takes 2-3 ounces of expressed breastmilk. When he nurses, he takes between five to twenty minutes and will eat from one side or both. There is a wide range of normal.

(I'd also like to side note that although I think breastmilk is a great thing to give your baby, I've never once in my life met someone and thought to myself "oh, well, THERE'S a formula fed baby." Nursing is my personal preference and one that I will certainly advocate for, but I'd like to make sure no one thinks I judge if you choose to feed your baby formula. I only judge those who do not feed their baby anything.)

I share these things because I know that anyone with a kid can look at that list and think to themselves, "well, my baby slept through the night at two weeks" or "well, my baby does fine by himself when I need to shower or to put him down" or whatever have you. This list is to let those parents out there who are wondering "well, why doesn't my daughter sleep longer?" or "why does she always want to be held?" that your baby is normal too. I might only have one son, but I have four younger siblings and 36 cousins (more if you count my cousins who now have babies), so my credentials are that I've seen a lot of babies in my lifetime. And they have all been different.

Don't compare your baby to another person's baby. Love your baby for who he is. Know that she is doing what is normal for her. Don't second guess yourself as parents when it comes to milestones, sleeping patterns, growth, whatever. (Caveat: if you are thinking about feeding your baby a pureed hot dog thinned with pop in a bottle, you might want to discuss that with your pediatrician first).