4 1/2 months

My CAT Scan came back normal. I guess thats good news but I was actually disappointed that they didn't find something that could be "fixed" so my headaches would go away or lessen. My head X-rays show moderate inflammation of my sinuses (Sinusitis) but I've been told by my physician that Sinusitis is difficult to treat. I have a physical w/ my primary care doctor next Monday so I'm hoping that she'll at least have something new for me to try...for both my migraines and daily headaches.

Andrew and Matthew are 4 1/2 months old now. I enjoy each day more than the previous one. And just when I think they couldn't possibly get any cuter...wham...they are cuter than ever. I love the laughing... the giggles and chuckles. I can't get enough of it. I spend the majority of the day trying to get one more laugh or enormous smile. We all have a pretty good routine down and it doesn't vary much. We do the eat, activity/play time, nap, eat, activity/play time, nap...over and over again. The activity time gets longer and longer each week. Right now we play anywhere from an hour to two hours at a stretch. Usually we play in the exercisers, then go to mat/ activity gym time and sometimes into the playpen depending on our mood. Matthew almost always goes straight into nap time after playing. Whereas Andrew needs to cuddle and be held for at least 10-15 mins before being put down.

Andrew is definitely my cuddle baby. He soft and round w/ many rolls and a big Buddha belly. He likes lots of attention and isn't going to be rolling over or crawling anytime soon. He just wants you to hold him and if he's playing he's more interested in watching everything than in trying to move around. I actually call him my drama baby now. He's so passionate about his feelings. He'll be deliriously happy and have this intoxicating laugh and smile that lights up his whole face. He'll laugh and laugh (a full belly laugh)...and a mil-second later he's needy and crying to be held. He'll want to be held close and hear me sing nursery rhymes while we snuggle. If he doesn't get this right away he'll scream...blood curling screams that cause tears to stream down his face. In fact he'll start to hyper-ventilate b/c he forgets to breathe between sobs. I actually have to laugh sometimes b/c he's so quick to go from one to the other and flop back and forth between the two. Mr. Drama baby that one.

Matthew is very different from his brother. They are definitely two separate little guys w/ very distinct personalities. Matthew is much more active and independent. Matthew is long and lean... he looks so skinny next to his brother. They are actually only 1.5 pounds apart but on a baby it looks like a lot. Matthew can play independently for a long time and he is desperate to roll over. He rolls onto his side non-stop. And you can see him struggling to make that last push to flop all the way over. When I help him complete the roll from his side to his tummy he's so happy. He'll be rolling over any day now. He also "swims" while on his tummy. You can see that crawling won't be far off either. Matthew still spits up like crazy whereas his brother keeps down every drop. When Matthew falls asleep in my arms it's extra special to me b/c normally he gets "squirmy" after a while and seems to like relaxing in his bouncy seat more than being held. I can already picture him saying "down" when I try holding him once he starts talking. He does like time in the baby bjorn carrier and loves it when you lay next to him on the ground or talk to him when he's in the swing or bouncer. He'll stare right at you w/ those big blue eyes and try to mimic your expressions. Sometimes he looks so serious. Matthew was my more difficult baby in the beginning but I think it was all due to the reflux. So now that we have him on Zantac he's pretty easy most of the time. He's very easy to read. If he's crying it's because he's hungry or has a dirty diaper. Otherwise he's fine. He likes to play and he'll go down for a nap easily. Although Matthew is the more "independent" one at this stage...I'd also say he has a shy side to him. Or it appears that way. He likes to hide his face. When you hold him he burrows his face in your chest. It makes you wonder if he can breath. And when he smiles he looks bashful. He gets this big grin and then turns his face a little like he's embarrassed. I'm sure none of this is actually true...but it's how it looks.

As far as sleeping goes. On a good night they go 8 or even 9 hours. (from the start of one feed to the next) On a bad night it's usually 5. I'd say they typically go 7 hours. And it's never the same one that consistently wake us up. They seem to take turns. Sometimes we're curious on just how long they would sleep if we fed the one that wakes and not the other. But, we almost always regret doing this when the other wakes up 30-60 mins after the first. So we normally feed both in the hopes that we can feed them quickly and get a little more sleep before we start our day.

***BTW we had our first two vaccinations at their 4 month check up and it went much better than I expected. They cried for a minute or two and that was it. I've had a few people interested in how we decided on our vaccination schedule. If you have any questions and want to know where we gathered our information...please e-mail me so I can respond to you privately. My e-mail can be found on my profile page. This reminds me... At just over 4 months....Matthew weighed in at 14 pounds (24.6 inches) and Andrew was a whopping 15 pounds 10 oz (25 inches).



Andrew




Matthew