Jake 4 Month Update

Our little one is now 4 months old and doing great! He has new tricks up his sleeve every day!

He now weighs 15 lbs 10 oz (Our pediatrician calls him her little butterball :-)!!!)
He is 23 1/2 inches
He is closer to sitting up with the help of his hands and tummy ;-)
He loves bath time and kicks the bubbles all out of his little tub with excitement!
He laughs and squeals and kicks his feet when he's happy

He sticks his bottom lip out, stares wide eyed, and makes gurgling noises when he's focusing on something
He is ticklish on his tummy and neck
He still dislikes tummy time, but he can roll over!
He goos and gahs and wakes up in the morning by growling and gurgling for 20-30 minutes.
He has a bedtime routine and always wakes up for good at 7:30 am.
He takes 3 naps a day.
He has learned to put himself to sleep, although he still wakes up a lot at night and wants to eat.
He had his first bug or flu, it was awful and scary, but he was a trooper.
He loves his jumparoo toy and looks like he can do riverdance moves.
He is happiest when he is outside on walks.
He tried rice cereal, but it made his tummy super upset, so doc said he has to wait a few more weeks to help his tummy develop.
He still has colic, but is doing much better at managing the pain.
When he sleeps his index finger moves all around like he is conducting music.
He loves chewing on hands and fingers more than any toy he has.
He has lots and lots of cute chubby rolls that we like to pinch!
He has starting making an mmm sound when he wants to be picked up
He screams real good now
He loves to get raspberries blown on his tummy.
He is such a sweet boy.
He is loved soooo much!

This list maybe updated as I think of more things.

Quiet as a Mouse!

Today started like any ol' day with Jakey-pooh. He woke up and as I promised myself, I promised to make him smile each time he wakes up (a little smile goes a long way for both of us). He was fed. He was diapered. He came with momma to drop dad off at work. He played happily in his jumparoo. He got lots of love and attention and then THIS happened...

SLEEP TRAINING, or rather TORTURE.

I cried. He cried...no, no...he screamed bloody murder, so I had to check on him and I saw the saddest face I have ever seen. The hugest lower lip pout I have ever seen. So as any good mother would do... I took a picture. I know what you're thinking, GO comfort him!!! Well, see that is where our troubles lie. He hasn't learned the technique of self soothing or being able to fall asleep on his own and so we tried to cry it out, together. I gave him (us) 15 minutes. TORTURE for the both of us. My heart sank. My whole being and every fiber of my motherly instinct said, "GO, rescue your child!"

But no sooner than the torture began. It stopped. For 2 1/2 glorious hours. Jake took one of the longest naps of his life. This is the lovely peaceful face I found a few seconds later...

When he woke up, he was still the loving sweet boy I put down. He still let me hold him. We are learning together. AND if you are wondering why he is wearing a mouse suit from the Gap...It is because today was freezing in LA!!! It is one of the warmer sleepers that he has and he loves it. Have any of you had luck with sleep training? I hope we can get better cause this ain't easy!

Photo Diary of the Last 3 Months...

I love being a Mom. Mother's Day is a special day. I cried tears of joy of exhaustion, of love, and of happiness. Being a mother is work. It is joy. It is laughter. It is eternal. I can remember the first month of Jake's life. I was in survival mode, tired to the core, but I promised that each time my sweet boy woke up my goal was to make sure he woke up smiling. I remember holding his tiny little body as he cried in pain when his tummy would cramp. He would try and tell us the best way he knew how that he wasn't feeling good. He would scream and scream until his fists would ball up and his face would turn red, then purple, then he would forget to breath, and then in one quick moment he'd breath, turn white, and then back to pink. It was so hard watching him cry like that. I thought for sure Heavenly Father knew how much I needed an easy baby. He didn't send me the easiest baby, but he sent me a baby that needed me, and I needed him and the lessons that will and have come with being his momma. I love him more than anything. He has always had really bad colic and it gets worse at night and in the early mornings, but with all the sleepless nights, I wouldn't trade missing those special sunrises with my little one. On Mother's Day, I thought about my mom. She is a saint in every way. I thought about my grandma. She promised to send us the very best as she passed away with cancer, and she did with Jake. I thought about motherhood. It is the most rewarding, and the most beautiful job in the world. It has brought our home more joy than life itself. Our sweet little Jake is the life of our days. Motherhood has opened my eyes. It has softened my heart. It has changed me. It is a 24 hr, round the clock, full time joy. My boy is my everything. I love my Jake. I love my husband. I love being a Mom.

Best of Friends

These two are best buds. It's so much fun seeing them together. Jake loves his dad. His dad loves Jake. I love them both.

Holding up His Head!

Our lil boy is holding up his head and starting to reach for things. Have I mentioned how much I love him?