Calvin at 3.5 Months

 Calvin is now approaching 4 months old and I can hardly believe it. My little cutie pie is growing up way too fast! In case you were interested, here are some new facts about this kiddo.

- He is way, way calmer these days. He only cries when he is tired or hungry. He still isn't too crazy about going down for a nap, but only fusses for a few minutes before peacefully drifting off. He sometimes wakes up around the 45 minute mark during his nap, but will generally go right back to sleep after a few minutes. I am a staunch guardian of his sleep because I know how grouchy he can be when he is chronically tired! If he will not go back to sleep mid-nap, I will just move him to his swing or feed him and adjust our daily routine a little.

- As long as he has a good first morning nap, he can have a "bad" or shorter nap later in the day and still be great at night. I try not to do this very often though. He is much more portable these days, but I still try to keep him at home and then do errands when TJ can be here to watch him. 

- He never wakes up in the middle of the night (except for once when he was sick for the first time). His bedtime is between 8 and 8:30, and he will sleep from then until 6:30 or 7 am. It is bliss! I do feed him once in between at 10:30, but I don't really count that because I just feed him while he is still sleeping. I will either give him a bottle while he is still in his bassinet or gently pick him up, nurse him, and put him right back down. The books call this a "dreamfeed" and it has done wonders for extending Calvin's sleep. I have been doing it since he was 4 weeks old. 

- He eats 6 times and takes 4 naps every day. His awake time is roughly an hour and a half including feeding time. I have strategically tracked his optimal waketime and this seems to be it. He will always start to get fussy after an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half of being awake and it always means he is tired. Once I swaddle him and put him down, he is asleep within 5 minutes. 

- He loves to smile, talk, and laugh! His laugh is the absolute cutest thing on the face of the earth. Kissing his cheeks or tummy makes him laugh the most. Dad is a lot better at making him laugh than Mom. :) This should surprise no one who knows TJ. He loves having a new audience to laugh at his jokes.

- He likes to practice standing. He also likes to touch and grab at toys. He is almost rolling over, but not quite. He gets about halfway there and then gets distracted by something and stops. He is great at tummy time and really loves it.

- He drools EVERYWHERE. 

I think he is such a sweet, cute baby! He is my best buddy. He has such a peaceful spirit about him. I think he has a gift for bringing peace and happiness to those around him, but then again, I am his mom and might be a little biased. :) All I know is he's brought me immeasurable joy. I'm so glad I made it through the first couple months, because this is definitely the honeymoon period. TJ and I are so in love with our Mr. Man!