Going to the zoo today was our first family oriented outing...meaning we were among swarms of other young families. It was baby central and more strollers than I've ever seen. We learned babies love staring and pointing each other out. Bigger babies point out the little ones and I've never seen such SUVs of the stroller world; one kid stands, one sits, a third in a car seat attachment, only 5 feet wide...
Rowan enjoyed what he was awake for. He is desperately bored by our house and there are only so many errands and park visits you can do. I'm not sure how many animals he noticed (other than the loud chattering birds from the video) but he had a great time. Doug and I noticed the altered universe we are now a part of- where you are completely in tune with noticing every small person and gushing over the tiniest ones and how long ago since Rowan was that tiny already! Or was he EVER that small?
At 4 months now, here is a run down of the little guy. Yes, still a voracious eater but easily takes a bottle from Dad on his baby days, and Rowan seems to know that there is only so much per feeding and can go hours between. However, when I'm home sometimes it sometimes turns into several shorter feedings spaced closer together. I can't force feed him into the "bottle schedule" he just stops after 5-10 minutes and a couple ounces and then we go again in a little while..and a little while...
The cloth diapering is a breeze right now because as the Dr. said, it's normal for him to poop only once every few days now. It has been about every 3rd day, but then watch out! We call it Poop Day and 4 hands are needed unless we plan on bathing him right then and there! Usually its several whoppers in a row and we just hope that Poop Day is not when we're planning an outing! Today makes about day 5 with no poop (I googled that because this pattern makes me anxious, and that is normal too) so I'm bracing myself for tomorrow...lots of gas today and that's the pre-game. In other new baby body functions, last week was the first that he sat in his chair and caught my attention with a very animated and dramatic grunting routine to sound the alarm of Poop Day.
He is finding his voice, he's always chatty in the morning but now he's adding in more during the day, gaining some new vocal tricks and volume and learning some variations created with his hand in his mouth. His hands are constantly in his mouth and he's drooling like a faucet which is making me insane trying to keep fur and our hair out of his clammy little hands!
He wants assistance to sit and stand all the time now. When I pull him into a sit, he sometimes stiffens like a board to go right into standing. He loves being manhandled now and the one and only accepted carry position is long gone. We do some gentle wrestling and rolling around and even some airplane and he loves it. He is not a gentle little guy, he is wriggling and squirming through all diaper changes and dressing and when on his back his legs are just kicking with joy- watch out! When nursing he is pushing and pulling and grabbing and we can't de-claw him! I trim and trim and he's a little slasher, his poor little face (and ours).
Bedtime is so much better! We have used the swing to get him down only 1 in 10 days or so and only after a night of 2 hours of wake-ups. He's going down around 6:30. Once and a while it's just one successful put down, usually it's a 30min sleep then crying then we resettle and try again usually with success...sometimes with 4 tries in and hour or more. It depends how many Italian neighbors are outside and if Wally chooses to not start caterwauling exactly as Rowan's falling asleep. But several nights a week he is getting 6-8 hours straight sleep and he's up for the day between 6 and 7. He's still a very restless sleeper. He moves and kicks a lot in spurts and will change his orientation in the crib 180 degrees in his restlessness.
He smiles all the time and is starting to giggle. My favorite thing is his new giggly sound effect that sound like Ernie from Sesame Street laughing:
