Bo is 4 months!

 

Our sweet baby Bo is now 4 months old. Every day he changes and grows and we are starting to see little snippets of what his personality is going to be like. He is a sweetie. Bo loves to snuggle and be held. He (and I am not bragging here its just the truth) L-O-V-E-S his Mama! He only wants me to rock him to sleep and I’m pretty sure he would prefer it if I just held him ALL THE TIME. He has the best, big open-mouthed, smile and gets very happy, jumpy, giggly when someone he loves (Mama, Daddy, John Brooks) walks into his room. Here are some other facts about our little man at 4 months:

As of April 29th, Bo weighs 13 pounds 1 oz and is 24 1/2 inches long. He has gained 3 pounds and 3.5 inches since his last check up! He is in 3 month clothes but can wear some 3-6 month clothes. People sometimes act as if he is small and maybe he is but the clothes fit and he has rolls so it kind of gets on my nerves when people say that. He has the most adorable cheeks and is getting little fat rolls on his thighs and wrists. I adore a chubby baby! Remarkably, he is rolling over from tummy to back and is starting to show signs that he may want to roll from back to belly pretty soon. He is smiling big and starting to laugh. He is starting to “play” with toys and feel things for texture rather than just staring into space. His one delay at this point is a “head lag” which means that he is still unable to hold his head steady when he is pulled from a flat position to a seated position. Due to the nature of his birth injuries, we are expecting Bo to have some delays/residual effects which is why we already have him working with both an Occupational and Physical Therapist.

In addition to his well-check, Bo also had follow-ups with Hematology and Neurology this month. The good news is that his coagulation labs are all normalizing which means he does not appear to have any underlying bleeding risks that will affect him throughout life. More good news is that the Phenobarbital levels are non-readable in his blood and he has not had any seizures so we are taking that as a sign that whatever blood was in his brain has reabsorbed into his body by now. The Neurologist that saw him said that he looks “80% better” from the previous appointment. The doctors/therapists all seem to say that though he will meet his milestones it will be on his own time frame, not necessarily at the time when he is “supposed to” meet them.

Eating: Bo is exclusively breast fed. It is fun to watch how excited he gets when he is about to eat! Sometimes when he is eating, he will stop, look up at me and smile as if to say “Ahhh this is great Mama”. We are hoping to start him on solids at 6 months but that time frame will have a lot to do with when his his head/neck strength/control improves. I am slowly adding dairy back into my diet. So far, he tolerates sour cream and small amounts of butter but still gets fussy when I eat shredded cheddar or a lot of dairy foods combined together (think casseroles). He feeds on demand so pretty much whenever he starts arching his back, screaming like a howler-monkey and trying to scratch my eyes out (seriously he whacks my face when he’s ready to eat…how early is too early to say No?) It usually averages out to about 7 times a day. Usually, 7 am, 8:30 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, 6:30 pm and 7:30 pm.

Sleeping: Knock on wood and Thank the Lord, we have another good sleeper (so far, I hope I don’t jinx it by typing it out). Bo is usually asleep by 9:00 pm and wakes up around 7:00 am. I would love to say that he takes 3- 1 hour naps a day as well but I can’t say that because it would be a lie. To be honest, he really only naps well if I am holding him or he is in the Ergo or the car seat and we are moving. He has the most sensitive movement sense I’ve ever seen. He will be sound asleep and as soon as I lay him in the crib or the car stops in the pick up line at school he wakes up and starts screaming. He gets VERY ANGRY when his demands are not met and has been known to hold his breath, turn red in the face, and screech like a howler monkey. I still try to put him in his crib for naps but at least once a day I hold him for 45 minutes so that he can nap. Not the best system but its what works for now.

Play: Bo is finally starting to play! He is starting to pick things up, put teething rings on his arms and bat at toys on the floor. We spend much of our time playing on the floor and working on his motor skills as well as his head/neck control. He is able to lift up on his arms when he is on his belly now and is starting to straighten his arms as well. The occupational therapist put athletic tape on his back and his triceps to help his nerves/muscles learn how to work right. Sometimes I get sad when I think how hard this baby is having to work just to be normal but then I think how blessed we are that he is even here to work and that all of this work is going to make him even stronger than he already is! Oh and he ADORES John Brooks. He follows that kid with his eyes wherever he goes and he get so excited when John Brooks plays or talks to him.

All in all, Bo is making progress. We continue to work with him and we pray that it will be God’s will for him to be a healthy, wild little boy who can follow his older brother and get into the trouble that little boys seem to always find.