As cliché as it sounds, babies really don’t keep. I’m learning that firsthand as we celebrate Jack hitting the 4 month mark today. 4 months?! It seems like I blinked and he’s no longer a newborn – he’s this little person now who changes every day. And yet, even though the time has gone fast, it also seems like he’s been here forever. It’s that syndrome of forgetting that you ever existed without him. Jack has completely changed our lives and at 4 months here’s what I can tell you…
At 4 months, Jack has reached several milestones. He laughs, coos all of the time, reaches and grabs. He tried his first little bit of cereal and he’s ridiculously strong. He’s 15 lbs (right at the 50th percentile) and a little longer than average at 25 inches long. He loves his hands, reading books and standing on laps!
At 4 months, Jack’s biggest issue (now that the gas has resolved itself) is sleeping. He is a cat napper and needs to nurse to fall asleep. I feel guilty because I know I had a huge hand in allowing this to become his norm and I can admit I took the easy road. But these first few months have been exhausting and really it was just about survival. Sleep training has not been easy on us but we have every intention on continuing, especially now that he’s a little older.
At 4 months, I see a lot of me in him, even though I think he looks more like Ryan. He has the same cowlick, the same curled toe, the same head shape as his dad.
At 4 months, I am amazed at how quickly the days pass by. I can start out with every intention to get a million tasks accomplished and then Jack pulls all my attention. He has made me slow down…he has made me realize that it’s ok to just sit and play or snuggle together…to let the dishes pile up a bit or let that blog post wait for another day. Some days it’s harder for me to embrace the new normal and my mind starts whirling with all the things I could or should be doing, but compared to preJack days, I have changed tremendously. Case in point – it’s taking me days longer to write this post than in preJack days lol
At 4 months, I am starting to feel closer to my regular self but, truthfully, I still have a long way to go. I still find myself looking in the mirror and thinking “this is my body?!” I have been taking Jack to Barre classes and walking the dogs, but it’s going to be a slow journey that may never yield the results I want. Regardless, I am so looking forward to the day when I’m back into “regular” clothes, and not ones I had to strategically wear for nursing or to conceal a body part or two. I know that women will chant “love your body” and while I’m proud of it for carrying Jack into this world, I can’t admit to loving it at the moment.
At 4 months, I admittedly feel like I have no idea what I’m doing. I constantly second guess myself and I have a feeling that won’t go away anytime soon. Being a parent is much tougher than I thought it would be, but also, much more rewarding too. I have these moments, as does Ryan, when that Jack love hits me hard and fast…and all I can do is be incredibly grateful and smother him in a million more kisses.
Happy 4 months my Jack! xo
My god he’s adorable!!