* Four Months Old*

How old? 4 Months
Total Weight:  Find out Friday…I’m guessing around 16 lbs.

Length: Around 25”
Eating: Nursing or Bottle every 3-3.5 hours.    
Sleep: Bless him….He has become such a good napper, but his nighttime sleep is still quite unpredictable.
Fun Facts: Dawson rolled over for the first time last night (10-9-13), Also he has really become quite strong.  He loves to stand in his exersaucer and play.  He now chews on EVERYTHING! 
New Developments:  DROOL, DROOL, DROOL!!!

Our sweet boy has such a personality these days!  He loves to talk ...guess he got that one honest...loves to stand and play and just be super active!  Last night he had been asleep for a couple of hours then, all of the sudden, we hear him just talking away.  Brent goes to look on the monitor and low and behold our boy had finally done it....he had rolled over from his tummy to his back and apparently had been quite excited!  After a proud high five from mom and a good night kiss we got him to go back to sleep.  I thought sure he may be trying this all night.  We knew it was coming soon because everytime I put him down for a nap or bedtime he would try with all of his might to roll over.

Poor boy has had such a rough time with his tummy this past month...I think I had consumed some  milk ingredients by mistake at a luncheon.  We ended up with several sleepless nights and terrible diapers.  For those who don't know MPI or MPA ( Milk Protein Intolerance or Allergy) causes baby to have gas, intestinal cramping, and sometimes bloody stool.  Well this past time we had ALL 3 symptoms.  I took Dawson to the doc just to rule out anything else.  He did some testing for bacterial issues and suggested that if they were negative that we continue to cut out ALL milk protein forms.  Thank goodness his tests were negative and after about a week or so his tummy seemed to calm down.  Brent and I have been really stressed about the allergy because it seems that any slight amount of milk affects him easily.  We went through debating to switch to hypoallergenic formula and have discussed what will be best for me and Dawson.  I called the doctor about this and they suggested that breastmilk is still better than formula for a baby that has allergies.  My other question was...well can I get him used to formula just as a back up.  The nurse said we could try weaning him onto some formula by slowly introducing it to him.  For those unfamiliar with the cost of formula these days...hypoallergenic is EXPENSIVE!  I had heard that the insurance will frequently cover the cost of this type of formula.  Well after forever on the phone with the insurance they have now decided that they will NOT cover it anymore! SOOO we decided that we should just test it out before committing.  I am currently on a totally dairy free diet....basically Vegan with the exception of meat.  It is not really my thing considering I LOVE cheese, yogurt, ice cream and basically processed foods (shame shame) . At this point we are planning on sticking to my diet and supplementing some formula here and there just to see if it helps soothe him.  The type of formula we are trying has a probiotic for digestive health added in.  Dawson has been drinking 1 oz of formula mixed in with his bottles for the past three days and seems to be taking it well.  He also seems to be sleeping better since we added to formula to his bottles this week. 

The decision to try formula has been quite emotional for me.  I in no way am ready to give up on breast feeding, but also want what is best for my little man.  Hopefully he will grow out of this before the end of the year!  So please pray that he grows out of the allergy quickly!

 

Now....as far as things Dawson loves at 4 months....where to begin.  He loves his floor gym...finally grabbing the toys...he loves his exersaucer, his swing (although he is getting to big) ,bathtime and he loves PHOEBE....yes, the child loves his dog.  He follows her with his eyes everywhere she goes..he loves when she brings him her bone...he loves when she (gross) licks him...and he just thinks she is so funny!  Our little man is so full of life and I cannot wait to continue watching him grow!  So for now to end this loooong post I leave you with some sweet pics of our little man!

Love you baby boy!!!