Brice's 4 month doctor's appointment

So, remember how I was all worried about Brice eating enough and gaining weight? Yeah. The boy put on 2lbs in a month! He was 15lbs 2oz and 25.5 inches long!

There's a lot we can possible attribute it to: more bottles, solid foods, formula, and a recent growth spurt (29oz of milk a day for 3 days last week). Regardless, I'm proud of our little man for growing so much.

Not much to report other than that- the doctor said he was good and he's hitting all of his developmental milestones. Brice (and Mommy) did great with shots-- only a few tears and then he was distracted by a bottle.

All three of the boys have runny noses and some congestion that we're attributing to school germs. Hopefully they will clear up soon.

And now a few pictures from our weekend...

Brice at 4 months!

I teared up while packing Brice's newborn and 0-3 clothes up for storage the other day. Brice is growing so fast! The time seems to be going more quickly than it did with Chase. This month Brice did a lot of growing and got into a new daytime routine that involves more meals rather than snacks throughout the day. He's just as happy and smiley as ever, and starting to move around!

At 4 months, Brice is:

-Taking a 4-5oz bottle or nursing for 20 minutes every 2 1/2-3 hours. All it took was me going back to work to get him to stop grazing.

-Taking a 60-90 minute morning nap 2 1/2 hours after he gets up, and a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. We have had some trouble with his late nap (i.e., my first week back at work he fell asleep at 6pm and slept into the night) and I think he's given it up. If he wakes up at 4pm, he can make it to about 8pm for his night sleep.

-Sleeping a little better at night....the last few days. This month Brice's sleep was awful. He was waking up at 12am and at 4am. After the 4am he'd often have trouble going back to sleep for as many as 2 hours! He wanted to play with us (and it broke my heart because I know he misses us during the day). I had a few days start at 4am because Chase woke up at 6, just as Brice was going back to sleep. Oy. We had been giving him a formula bottle before bed and one at the midnight feeding to fill him up and help him sleep. However, last week we ran out of formula so he had breastmilk bottle before bed---and he slept straight through to 3am! He nursed and went back to sleep (although I feel asleep with him in the glider for an hour) for 3 hours. The next night was the same, except I only stayed in there for 30 minutes. Last night wasn't quite as good (he woke up at midnight, but settled back to sleep without eating, and then again at 2am), but it's nice for us to sleep for 4-5 hours straight!

-Eating: So far, only rice cereal, avocado, and banana. Now that he's 4 months old, we'll get a little more adventurous.

-Rolling over, both ways. Brice started rolling over a few days after his 3 month birthday, but he could only get from his back onto his belly. A few weeks later, after some hysterics when he was stuck on his belly, Brice started rolling onto his back. Now he's mostly sleeping on his side, but often winds up on his belly.

-Drooling everywhere...but not a tooth in sight...

-Sitting up in the bumbo and LOVING the exersaucer. He's also sitting up with just the boppy pretty well.

 

 

 

-Reaching and grabbing toys...and actually playing with them!

-Absolutely in awe of his big brother. Brice often looks around the room for Chase and gets a huge smile when he sees him! Chase loves the attention and comes over and gives Bricey kisses or hands him a toy. They are so sweet together. Stay tuned for a post dedicated to this special relationship.

 

 

 

-On the move and difficult to catch with a smile!

As happy and sweet as ever!

 

iPhone photo dump:

 

Preschool!

Tuesday, September 4 was Chase's first day of preschool!

We spent the early part of the summer looking for the perfect preschool for him. At the time, we were planning on Stephen being at home so we wanted something that was part-time and at least 3 days a week (since it would be far less than daycare anyway). We quickly learned that there are many different types of preschool (Montessori, play-based, co-ops, etc) in different types of settings. We consulted Carrie, who recommended that we find a place and a teacher that we felt comfortable with and that would provide a warm environment for Chase.

For privacy reasons I won't disclose the name of the preschool here, but suffice it to say that we knew pretty quickly that it was the right place for Chase. The whole basis for the school is peace, and the "curriculum" includes elements of play-based and Montessori education. Most importantly, it provides a very warm and loving, supportive environment for the children. Chase's teacher, Ms. Fiona, quickly put us at ease. We brought Chase in for a visit/interview in early August and he was immediately comfortable (although that may be due to the sweet playground they have and all the toys!).

We talked a lot about going to school (and read Llama Llama Misses Mama) so Chase knew it was coming. The first day I made him get dressed up and made the above sign for him to hold.

The first day was a "play date" where the kids practice being in the classroom and the parents practice leaving. Carol and Brice came along to meet the teachers.

Chase was only slightly reluctant as we walked into his classroom. He said hello to his teachers who showed him some fun toys right near where we were standing. After a few minutes he became more confident and went further away from me. Not long after that he went to play on the indoor playground and then came back to paint with Ms. Fiona.

Chase did great with listening and following directions from his teachers. He looked back to me for reassurance every few minutes, but those looks became more spread out. I had told Chase that I wouldn't leave him, so when the parents were asked to leave the classroom, I told him we were going into the lounge just down the hall. Carol, Brice, and I waited with the other parents and listened to some of the children crying. Every so often one of the parents snuck over to the doorway to see what the kids were up to: circle time, reading, and singing.

By the time it was time to go, Chase was having so much fun that he didn't want to leave!

Wednesday was his first day at school "alone" with Ms. Carol taking him and picking him up (and Mommy's first day back to work) and Chase did great! He had so much fun and was eager to tell me about his day when I called around lunch time. He was the child who put out the candle during story time (which he was so proud of!) and peed on the potty. I emailed with his teacher later in the day and she was also pleased with how well he did.

So far all reports since then have been positive. Chase loves his school and hates to leave. He's been peeing on the potty there. Every day he reports who in his class put out the candle and what he went on on the playground. I love to hear the enthusiasm in his voice as he tells me all about his day. Even though I couldn't believe that my baby was going to school, Chase was ready to enjoy this new adventure!

Stop in NY

We stopped in NY on our way back from Concord to see the Zayacs again before work started up again. Brice spent some time with Grandma and Grandpa...

 

...and Chase played baseball with Nonnie and Pop!