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Saturday, March 29, 2008

Four Month Check-Up

Katie and I took Steven to the doctor's today for his four month check-up. He did great, as always, and the doctor was again impressed by how strong he is. (Oh, just imagine how it will be when he is two and that strong!)

He checked in at 14 lbs, 6 oz, which puts him just a tad over the 50th percentile. He is in the same percentile for his height--25 inches. He's grown 4-5 inches since our last check-up!! No wonder his sleepers are too small! He can still wear them as long as he doesn't want to straighten out, but that's not really going to happen :)

He also got four more shots and an oral vaccine. He had a bit harder time with the shots this evening than he did before. Tonight he was fussy and feverish, but after he took some tylenol, he did better. It didn't help that Mark accidentally ripped off one of the band aids when he was changing Steven's diaper.

The doctor also said that he is ready for rice cereal, and he proved her right tonight. If he hadn't been so sleepy and sore, he would have gobbled it all up. As it was, he ate a pretty good amount and still took a bottle after/with it even though he had had a bottle only an hour or so before. My little man definitely likes to eat!

We're hoping that by increasing his feedings before bed (2-3 bottles in the last few hours before bedtime) he'll start sleeping through the night. Now, we don't count it as sleeping through the night if he gets up before our alarm clock, but that's not how it is typically defined. He has slept for 7+ hour stretches before (midnight to 7:00 a.m. at least once), but he usually wakes up to eat between one and three. He takes a full bottle at that feeding and goes right back to sleep; he's not just playing or anything like that.

The doctor said to gradually decrease the amount in his bottle in the middle of the night as we increase what he eats before going to bed. When he's down to just an ounce or so, she said to let him cry longer to see if he'll go back to sleep on his own. It will be nice when he sleeps through the night, every night!

Now to be fair, I must tell you that Mark does the first night feeding, and since Steven is pretty much down to one, that means that he is the only one getting up in the night. What a guy!!!

I have pictures from today as well as from our trip to Iowa, but it's getting late, and I need to get to bed. I'll try to post them tomorrow!

1 comment:

Megan @ SimplyThrifty said...

You're very blessed that Mark helps with the feedings. Granted, I do breastfeed, but Phil puts his earplugs in when going to bed and whenever taeya cries, hungry or not, so far, it has been I that has gotten her. He does other many wonderful things but disturbing his sleep has yet to happen. I too am REALLY looking forward to getting a full nights sleep!