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A week behind due to travels and sleep regression. I'm writing this while I sit in the car in the garage on the first night of sleep training. The brave husband took on the sit and wait role inside the room with Z and, even with earplugs, I can still hear my heart break as he cries.
The fourth month has flown by and I feel like Z has made so many big leaps this month! I think 4 months has been my favorite (though I say that every month). The tiniest bit of his personality is starting to show and I loveeeee how interactive he is becoming. He has been more observant and curious of the world around him (mostly because he is able to see further and more clearly) and has started to have opinions or preferences on what he wants (so it begins...).
The firsts this month include:
Hearing him giggle for the first time (it is the absolute sweetest and I always melt)
Being able to do tummy time for a significantly longer duration
Discovering his hands more and putting everyyyyything in his mouth
Finding himself in the mirror (and loving it!)
100 day celebration (not a first but a major moment!)
A tremendous amount of drooling and first signs of teething
Overnight road trip to Marin
First flight and cross country trip! more to come on this...
Pumpkin patch & Halloween!
Wedding attendance (actually attended two!)
A not so desired eczema breakout
The beginnings of sleep regression...
100 Day Celebration
We hosted a small get together in our backyard to celebrate Z's 100 day :) It was simple and sweet to have the grandparents there with us.
Pumpkin Patch & Halloween
Our first visit to the pumpkin patch was a bit of a fail due to poor nap timing... so we planned a second trip that was a bit more successful.
James' skilled mom help sew a little sushi costume for Z and though we had no where particular to go (and was not even going to be in town for Halloween), I wanted to capture his first dress up. This is likely the only year where we will be able to choose whatever we want him to be :) An easy tutorial and simple outfits later, we had a family costume!
Wedding(s)
The first wedding Z attended was in San Rafael which meant a lot of timing and logistics so we didn't show up with a crying, tired baby :) The long(ish) drive prompted us to book a nearby hotel so we could squeeze in a nap before the wedding and quickly put him down afterwards. Z was a champ! He loves people watching and is so curious about the world around him that he was just soaking it in. Thankfully we sat amongst other families with kids so even he melted a little, all is forgiven :) He took a carrier nap while we were there and managed to hang on until about 8pm or so. I think social events may be up his alley! (whew!)
The second wedding we attended was in Maryland which was the main reason for our first flight and family trip!
After much, much deliberation (literally changing my mind by the hour), we finally decided to take the plunge and take Z on his first plane ride. I was soooo anxious and concerned leading up to it because 1.) Z is not a fan of long car rides as it is and can only last ~1 hour at the most 2.) the flight was not direct making each journey was 8+ hours 3.) the trip was cross country which meant changing time zones.
I had played and replayed the timeline multiple times in my head - when he would need to wake up, eat, change, stretch, repeat - in order to make sure he was happy and content. Much to my surprise, he actually stuck with his routine quite well and never had a meltdown on any segment of the trip (there and back)!
Timing his nursing sessions for take off and landing helped a lot but the real game changer was these baby headphones we purchased last minute to block out any loud noises. We are SO glad we did because the loud intercoms in the airport and on the plane would startle him awake (tip for future self). It also helped that we had a middle seat and/or his parents so that we could change him in our seats without having to use the restroom. Z pulled through all his naps, feeds, and play sessions to make it there and back fairly calmly. Hopefully this is a foreshadowing of all our upcoming trips because, boy will he be well travelled by the time his is one :)
While we we in Maryland, we were able to stay with James' cousins who are so hospitable and sweet to be around. We managed to also plan a quick two day trip to Washington D.C. and take Z out to the National Mall :)
There was a moment when we were walking around the National Mall where I felt so alive again being able to (somewhat) live the lifestyle we had pre-baby and pre-COVID. Only it was even sweeter to be able to do it with Z. I can't wait to experience the world with him :)
On a tangential note, I also had such a mom moment when Z woke up from a nap right as we were at the Lincoln Memorial and he decided that he was hungry right then and there. Anyone else ever nurse on the Lincoln Memorial? On one hand, I felt a little uncomfortable that it might be disrespectful. On the other hand, maybe it is actually empowering?
The irony is that on our walk back to the hotel, Z needed to nurse again (and when he wants to eat, he does not have the virtue of patience just yet... :)). We were in the heart of downtown still many blocks from our hotel with no where to turn to. I frantically told James that we just needed a bench anywhere and he points to a bench across from 2 homeless men jamming out to a boombox. I was desperate. Z was hungry. So that was it.
What a day it was.
The rest of our trip to Maryland was filled with quality time with the cousins and family before we made the long trek back. All in all, it was a success!
Sleep Regression
The four month sleep regression hit hard this past week... more to come on this in the next post once we see how sleep training plays out :)
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With the holidays right around the corner, I feel like time is passing quicker than ever. I'm sooooo excited to have our first holiday with Z and have already filled our calendars with way more than we likely need. The thought of starting family traditions fills my cup and I hope that we can make memories that last a lifetime for him. One of the sweetest things about having Z is being able to see the world through his innocent wide-eyed eyes and I want to be able to keep that pure for him as long as possible.
The other day as I was planning out our December, I asked James if we should do Breakfast with Santa to which he looks at me and goes... Zion can't even eat.
:)
We'll save that for next year :)...
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Zion, you are growing up way too fast and it is so bittersweet.
When I think you can't get any cuter (unbiased opinion of course), you somehow manage to.
When I tell myself to soak in today because it is full of the most precious moments already, somehow the next day seems like an even greater gift.
Some days are harder than others and parenthood is no joke but I hope you know how much we love and cherish having you. You really are the best thing.