Ezra's 4 Month Update

My little Ezzy had his 4-month birthday a couple of weekends ago! I had intentions of typing up his 4-month update last week, but my poor baby came down with a virus and was keeping his Mama extra busy most of last week. Thankfully, he is feeling much better, and we are off to a much better start this week!

Ezzy & his brothers

In fact, Ezra was feeling well enough to go for a little swim with his Papa and his brothers early this afternoon. Our pool water is still a bit cool so it took him a little while to get used to it, but once he did he was happy and soaking it all in.

Aside from a good case of the fussies last week {from the virus, of course}, Ezra is typically a happy 4-month old who smiles very easily and loves to people watch {especially when it comes to watching his brothers}. He doesn't laugh for just anybody, but when someone familiar makes a sound or motion that really amuses him, he has a really great laugh on him. It's one of my favorite things to hear. 
 
His favorite place is still in Mama's arms, but he does last a little longer on his play mat grabbing for his toys, rolling, and scooting. He is finally able to hold on to his toys with a better grip, and if he sees one that is out of his reach he is able to scoot his little body over to. He is pretty proficient at rolling from belly to back, but we still haven't gotten a back to belly roll. I'm really surprised considering the fact that he can scoot already, but I know it'll come in time.

He is still drooling like crazy and obsessed with having his hands {or someone else's hands} in his mouth. Looking back at Liam's baby journal, I noticed that Liam cut his first tooth at 4.5 months. I'm not sure if Ezzy will follow in his brother's footsteps, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if he did! Something funny worth noting is that when the drool collects in the back of his throat he starts making a gargling sound.  I like to repeat the sound back to him, which encourages him to keep going.

Speaking of hands in the mouth, Ezzy is my first baby to deny the pacifier in place of... HIS THUMB! And there is absolutely nothing I can do about it at this point. I know if this habit continues we will be in deep trouble in a couple of years, but to be completely honest it's actually much easier than constantly trying to keep a pacifier in his mouth at this point in the game!

 
Then there's the car sear. Oh, the dreaded car seat. Like his brother Silas, Ezra absolutely hates his car seat and will literally get so mad about us forcing him to sit in it that he turns bright red and foams at the mouth. It's pitiful, y'all. But all we can do is endure it until he outgrows it and try to keep our traveling adventures to a minimum. And when we do travel, it has to be a team effort!

While Ezra dreads the car seat, he's becoming much fonder of the bathtub. He recently took a bath with his brothers, which was extra fun.

Ezra is also the first of our children to make it past 4 months in the pack 'n play in our bedroom. I haven't had the energy to transition him into his crib yet, and honestly, until he's giving us longer stretches at night I'm not in a rush to do so. Sleep is of highest priority right now!

 Other stats worth noting...

* He's wearing a size 2 diaper
* He's in 3-6 month or 6 month clothes
* He's eating about 5 ounces every 4 hours
* His bedtime is usually between 6 and 7 and he wakes up anywhere between 5 & 7:00 {with 1 or 2 feeds in between}

I'm a big fan of the book The Wonder Weeks, which guides you through 10 predictable fussy periods of babies. So when I started noticing that Ezra was becoming much more shy and sensitive around strangers, demanding much more attention than usual, very clingy toward mommy, and taking in less formula than usual {all these even before the virus hit last week}, I pulled my book out to discover that week 19 is a wonder week. So I'm expecting some more developmental changes are right around the corner. Knowing that all of these changes are normal have helped me to replace "what could turn into frustration" with an excitement at what's to come. Ezra and I have been snuggling a lot more and reading more books together these past couple of weeks. I'm soaking it all in because I know that pretty soon these activities won't come as easily.

Ezra brings so much joy to our family, and we are looking forward to another eventful month ahead-- which will include Ezra's first Celestin family vacation! Stay tuned for how that goes!

Happy 4 Months, Baby Boy!

Our Favorite Newborn Products {0-3 Months}

I'm three babies into this parenting journey, so I figured it's high time that I type up a post featuring some of my favorite newborn products. Today I'm focusing in on the 0-3 month age range.

Over the years different products have emerged as my personal favorites, and I find myself making recommendations based on my own experiences. Every mom has her own personal list of must-have items, and I'm certain many moms would have lists that look very different from mine.

I think it's fun to compare favorites, and I love hearing from other moms what they have had success with. Every baby is different and so is every mom.

 I'd love to hear what your must-have baby items are!

Here are mine...

{1} Pack 'N Play - Our pack n' play has survived 6 years, 3 babies, and lots of overnight trips. The version we have has a changing table and diaper/wipes storage attached so it's perfect for setting up in our bedroom after baby arrives. Our babies typically stay in the pack 'n play for 3-4 months after birth just for convenience sake. 

{2} Pre-fold Cloth Diapers (Used as Burp Cloths) - With all the drool and spit up that comes with newborn babies, having a good stock of burp cloths is a must. I've found white cloth diapers to be perfect for the job of cleaning mouth messes. With Ezra we stuck with white because they can easily be bleached to get rid of stains. 

{3} aden + anais Muslin Swaddle Blankets - These swaddling blankets are very lightweight, a great size for swaddling, and super soft. Aside from some homemade swaddling blankets that I received from an Aunt, these are my go-to blankets for swaddling. 

{4} Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child - This is by far the best book on infant sleep that I've read (and I've read plenty!). I've referenced this book with all three of my boys and have seen very similar sleeping problems/patterns emerge at different ages and stages. This book doesn't promise any magic solutions, but instead gives research-based information about how babies sleep and helps parents to ensure that they and their babies get the best sleep possible. The author also talks a lot about how to deal with high needs/fussy babies, which was/is extremely helpful to me personally.  

{5} Gas Relief Drops -Speaking of high needs/fussy babies, my babies were all tortured with gas for the first few months of their lives. Gas drops are not the ultimate problem solver, but they do help to break up the bubbles that can form from gasping for air while crying or from inhaling too much air when feeding. I used gas drops LIBERALLY with all of my babies to bring relief to their sensitive little bellies. 

{6} Hava Baby Sling - Babywearing is all the rage these days. While I'm not a fanatic about it, I do find it extremely helpful to wear my babies in public for the first few months-- not only because it's comforting for them, but also to keep them from exposure to too many germs that may cause sickness. I've tried different types of carriers, but I've always come back to my Hava ring sling. It's lightweight, easy to put on, and keeps baby as snug as a bug in a rug. It also has a super thick shoulder pad, which makes it way more comfortable than other ring slings I've tried.

{7} Zip Up Sleepers - Who wants to fumble around with snaps and buttons in the middle of the night, right?! Zippers are definitely the way to go! We had a variety of different sleepers with our other boys, but Kevin insisted that Ezra strictly wear zipper sleepers at bedtime if he was going to take any part in nighttime duties. So, of course, I stocked up, and unless we have a laundry crisis you'll mostly find Ezra in a zipper sleeper at bedtime, 

What are your favorites for newborns age 0-3 months? What would I find on your list?