Four Month Update!

Nicholas is four months old today, which brings his adjusted age up to two months. I know I’m too preoccupied with milestones and his adjusted age, and I need to take a step back and appreciate how far Nick has come in four months and that he really is a thriving, healthy baby. For everything other than his emotional development, Nick is basically a perfect two month old:

Weight
At his last appointment, Nick weighed just under 12 pounds. Strangers still make comments about how little he is (I always tell them his true age when they ask instead of his adjusted age), but his cheeks, thighs and arms have definitely filled out and are nice and plump now 😊. He wears 3 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

Eating
His huge weight gain he experienced last month is probably due to a growth spurt and the fact that he loves to eat. I seriously think if I kept refilling his bottle he would never stop eating. He will go about 5-6 hours at night without needing a bottle, but he is almost always ready to eat 5 ounces every 3 hours. I started adding baby cereal to Graham’s formula at four months, but Nick is a long way from having any type of solid foods introduced. Solids will be introduced based on Nick’s adjusted age, and his neck control needs to get much better before I would begin to think about solids with Nick. It’s so hard to believe Graham could sit up in a booster seat, let alone eat mashed up cereal, when he was Nick’s age. Nick is just so far away from that, but I know that’s the whole point of adjusted age. I wouldn’t dream of feeding a two month old cereal, which is just more evidence I need to stop comparing my boys and let Nick develop at his own pace.

Milestones
Rolling over from front to back was Nick’s big victory for the month! It’s surprising that he rolls over so easily because he still struggles to support the weight of his head a bit, but he does a good job at tummy time and propping himself up with his arms. If you read my last post, then you know I am still waiting on coos, smiles, increased eye contact, and for his personality to show through a bit more.

Coming Up
This month, Nick will get to celebrate his first holiday at home with us 🇺🇸 (I am on a mission to find my boys matching Fourth of July outfits 😊)He will also be heading back to the NICU for a follow up appointment with the  therapists who took care of him while he was in the hospital. At this appointment, the PT’s will do a thorough evaluation of where he stands development wise, which I’m sure will help put my mind at ease. ❤️