Raffi 4 month update
…3 weeks later.
Raffi is 4 months old!
The biggest news this month was our big move.
Our new home really feels like a home.
Raffi had a tough time adjusting, and in turn we all had a tough time. In the same week of the move he learned to roll from back to belly and hit 4 months, so there was a lot of change at once. He was up during the night 2-4 times, but thankfully we are down to 1-2 feedings/wakings a night again.
Our current bedtime routine looks like this:
6:45 PM bath, then diaper and jammies, nursing, and bed. If he falls asleep nursing I delicately transfer him to his crib. If he doesn’t I hold him upright, rock for a minute while humming Twinkle, Twinkle and then put him down. I don’t leave until he’s calm, but once he’s calm I’m out. Sometimes he doesn’t cry at all and just babbles until he falls asleep. Other times he cries for about 5-10 minutes. He always sleeps on his belly now, and even if I put him on his back he immediately rolls to his belly. We have no idea how his socks ended up where they are in the crib.
We stopped waking Raffi up from naps, and he stopped sleeping so poorly. We usually get one 30-40 minute nap and one 1-2.5 hour nap a day. not bad! His overnight sleep is usually about 10.5 hours since he wakes up for 1-2 feedings. He is up for the morning around 7:30, and Trig takes him for special dad/Raffi time so I can sleep for a few more minutes.
Our pediatrician gave us tips on starting solids, but we decided to wait until he is more ready, hopefully much closer to 6 months old. I’m not ready and Raffi isn’t quite ready either. He is sitting up right now, but only like a monkey with his hands in front of him. I even got iPhone proof.
I started dieting a few weeks ago, and so far it’s been a big failure. Raffi started nursing every 1-1.5 hours during the day. I added about 300 calories a day back to my diet and he went back to 6-8 feedings a day. It is fascinating to me how it works. I am willing to deal with these few extra lbs a little longer if it means my son doesn’t go hungry.
Raffi suddenly has a lot more control of his hands. He is very grabby, and I can no longer get dinner started with him in the baby carrier. We had a close encounter with a knife and a cucumber, and that was that. He loves sitting in his babysitter balance though to watch me cook. We still use the carrier a lot and make a point to go out in the fresh air every day. Raffi loves being outside and things like trucks, brick buildings, and people are just so fascinating to him. He will smile at the strangest things, and each time he smiles my heart fills up.
Speaking (writing?) of grabby, Raffi found his feetsies! He loves having his pants off and grabbing his feet. He rolls around and smiles nice and big.
We still use the pacifier for naptime and bedtime, but it has disappeared otherwise – except for car rides. If it’s dark out and Raffi isn’t tired, car rides are torture. The ride home from RI last weekend was quite interesting. I ended up moving Raffi’s giraffe to shotgun and sat in the back with R.
I sang him songs and gave him a pacifier and even ended up leaning over his car seat to nurse him while Trig drove. I just hope passerby didn’t notice. Raffi gets a kick out of the giant giraffe and giggles hysterically when the giraffe tickles him.
Mr. Snuggler is growing up every day and now loves to snuggle with us. On days when he wakes up around 5 and is tough to put back down we bring him in bed with us. He would fall back asleep in his crib eventually, but sometimes we just want to snuggle with him. I know I will look back on those memories with such happiness. Raffi sleeps so well that way too. It’s our favorite thing to put him in between us in bed and snuggle him all morning.
Last week we took Raffi out to dinner at a 7:30 PM reservation. He was amazing! He woke up after about 30 minutes and was passed from relative to relative. He loved the atmosphere and wasn’t cranky at all. He ended up getting into his crib at 10 PM that night and slept 8 straight hours. The new space didn’t bother him as much this past visit, and he seemed to remember some of my family. I was very happy about that.
He is such a good boy that he even slept through our entire house closing. He also went down easily for my father in law and his wife one night when Trig and I went out to dinner with friends.
Favorite moment of the month? When he giggled like crazy at Gio the giraffe. We caught it on video and watch it after he goes to sleep at night. We even watched it on our Valentine’s Day date. Yup, we’ve become those people and we love it.
Random facts:
Weight: 13 lbs 5 oz (25th percentile) He’s a peanut!
Height: 25 2/3 in (75-90th percentile)
Sleep: We took 2 steps back when we moved, but I hope things are turning around. Best stretch was 8 hours. The worst night included 5 wakeups.
Cloth diapers worn: 0 (in fact I’m selling them)
Outfit changes per day: 0-1. Poopcidents are very rare now.
Must haves: fleece zip up PJs, Wubbanub, Boppy to practice sitting up, soft cloth book, little washcloths as toys, iPhone to play music, Gio the 4 foot giraffe
He’s so cute! Love the giraffe in the front seat!
oh my gosh, he’s such a big little boy now! the smiles are the CUTEST π
What a cutie with his hilarious little facial expressions! The giraffe riding shotgun is priceless, I can only imagine the double takes from other drivers! Do you think you will blog a little about your new house/moving?
@Paige, Yes, absolutely! I am just waiting to hang 4 more paintings and then I will take photos!
Thanks for the compliments on my cutie pie.
He is just so adorable!
We bring our baby boy into bed with us sometimes, too. I know some people don’t approve, but some days he sleeps best in our bed..and we love it, too!
That giraffe photo cracked me up!!! Can you just imagine someone driving down the road and looking over and seeing a giraffe in the passenger seat?? :)Oh and the Mini Athlete is a snuggle bug too. I gotta admit, I love bringing him in our bed in the morning.
That giraffe is ridiculous!
Love the giraffe riding in the passenger’s seat!!!!!!!!!
Such a cute post, Sabrina!!! Raffi photos in the bed are adorable. I don’t blame you for snuggling that little guy. I want to come over + give him a squeeze myself! YOU also look beautiful in that photo!!!
adorableness!!!! That giraffe is huge! So cool. Glad hes getting back in the swing of things in the new place π
Sometime will you post a cloth diaper update (i.e. why you are selling them/not using them)? I am about to have my baby and am hoping to at least CD some of the time (going exclusive scares me). Would love to hear from another FTM.
@Mel, I second that! I’m pregnant now and registering for cloth diapers, but kinda scared I will hate them…
He is just so adorable! This was a great update!
He is super precious! How about your hubby with the glowing eyes with the giraffe in the front seat? Nice pic. π Your son is so precious!!!
Raffi cute little baby I love you I am hiding a cousin for you now I hope it will be cute as u π God bless
Raffi π we love you
He is so freaking cute! I too am interested in why you aren’t cloth diapering – I love the idea of it but it seems like too much. Also what kind of disposables do you use?
He is precious!! So glad to hear he is doing great! I agree with others, I’d love to hear more about the cloth diapers. π We really want to try them but I worry about daycares not willing to work with us in using them so we’re not sure if it’s really worth the expense.
Sabrina, how much are you selling them for? I’d be interested π
He is such a cutie Sabrina! I am waiting for the arrival of my own little man (I was due three days ago!)and Raffi’s cuteness makes me wish for him to be here even more! Totally worth it though! π I have to say that you look great as well! Seriously, you’re glowing in all of your photos lately!
@Kristen, Good luck with labor & delivery! And keep in mind the first 6 weeks are the hardest.
The big smiles are amazing! And don’t worry about what little weight you have left to lose…it took 10 months to gain, give it 10 months to lose!!
I third it! I am curious myself. I have heard good things about CD, but also don’t want to buy them all if I am going to end up not having the time or liking regular diapers more. I will be going back to work after maternity leave as well, so I am thinking it might be hard to find a daycare that will deal with them. Thanks π
***CLOTH DIAPERING POST COMING NEXT WEEK***
Thanks for all the questions- I promise to fill you all in as soon as I can write it all down!
What a cutie pie, adorable. He is getting so big. Please cherish every moment and don’t worry about the extra weight. He needs his mommy to be well nourished. π
What a cutie pie, adorable. He is getting so big. Please cherish every moment and don’t worry about the extra weight. He needs his mommy to be well nourished. π
What a little person! My little girl is about the same age now – it is amazing to see their personalities emerge. I was also set on using cloth diapers but have stayed with the disposables. The thing for me was that the cloth nappies are just not as absorbent, which means more contact with wetness, which means nappy rash (never had nappy rash with disposables) and unhappy baby…and also sometimes a wet cot mattress : ( I found the washing etc. of the nappies was not too bad at all once you have a system going. I might try again once my little one is a bit bigger (she’s still only 6kg) and use cloth in the day and disposables at night…but we’ll see. This is not to put off people wanting to use cloth – just my experience, and I used the old fashioned cloth nappies (in South Africa it is hard to get the others) so those new types might be much better. Waiting to read your post : )
Love the update! I had tO giggle, our very little peanut is about the same size at 6 months old!
I love the giraffe! I was looking at one by Melissa & David since the nursery is a jungle theme. Where did u get Gio?
He is too precious!! Glad things are going well…
I am looking forward to the diaper post. Bethany (with twins) registered for cloth diapers and never used them either. She is, however, making her own food. π
Also, he is getting cuter each day and looks just like you!
Do you already have someone to buy the cloth diapers? How much are you selling them for? I’ve been cloth diapering since the beginning of the year and I love it!
i’m so glad to see that you’re selling the cd’s- i’m debating doing the same.
love the giraffe!
xoxo
awwww what a big strong boy! You should be so proud π The pictures with the Giraff are absolutely precious! And might I add, you look fantastic…when your body is ready it will shed the few pounds that you want to lose π
So precious!!!! I love the pic in between the bed. That is our absolute favorite! Ella ends up in my bed every morning. My theory is she’s only going to be this small for a short period of time. I am going to snuggle her up in bed if I want!
Very cute pie!!! Love the picture in the shower π
Raffi is so adorable! I love the Giraffe too. Also I totally have been there done that, hopping in the back seat to nurse for night time drives. Certain vehicles are easier than others hehehe. that is the only reason our 8mth still has his paci is for car rides. Sorry to hear that CD did not work out for you. But I get it. CDing is not for everyone, can;t wait to hear next weeks blog! Thanks for sharing your family with us.
Sabrina, he’s just so precious! Sounds like he is doing great and you and Trig are certainly great parents. Look forward to more updates π