the fourth month

Height: 26.25 in (90%)

Weight: 17 lbs 9oz (90%)

Head circumference: 17in (75%)

I can't believe my baby is four months old! He has definitely started developing his little personality this month and it is so exciting to see him turn into a little person!

This month, we spent a lot of time with family. Katie and Rory spent a couple of weeks here with Carter.

My mom wanted to have a photoshoot with her too grandbabies..

Carter just wanted to eat Nolan's hands.. :)

Best uncle ever? The babies aren't quite so sure.. ;)

Scott's brother Chris and his wife Suzy and their three kids came into town as well. Nolan got to meet three more cousins and his aunt and uncle! We also took Nolan and Carter to meet their Great-Grandpa Butterfield who is 90yrs old. He isn't doing that great and is now living in an assisted living home. We were lucky that he was very alert when we came to visit and he was excited to meet his great-grandbabies.

This month, Nolan slept SO well when we were staying with my parents, but as soon as we came home, he had a major sleep regression! He didn't want to take ANY naps and he is up ever 2-3 hours at night. It can be SO exhausting! Last week, we had a night like this and every time I finally got him to sleep and then finally got myself settled and about to fall asleep (sometimes it takes me awhile) he would wake up again! I'd probably gotten about 2 or 3 hours of sleep all night in little bits here and there and it was 6:30 in the morning and Nolan woke up again. I knew this time it was late enough that he would be up for good and I was SO exhausted that I had a mini breakdown! I just didn't think I could make it the whole day on no sleep (even when Nolan does take naps during the day, they are never longer than 45 min, which is not long enough for me to take a nap as well). So, my wonderful husband decided to use one of his very few days off so that he could stay home and take care of Nolan so that I could get a little sleep. He even took him out of the house for a couple of hours so I could have some uninterrupted sleep (I always wake up whenever Nolan makes the tiniest peep anywhere in the house). I think it was one of the best two hours of my life! :) It is amazing what even a little bit of sleep can do for you!

Other milestones/interesting developments:

- Nolan has discovered his toys and loves to play with them! He grabs at everything now!
- He especially loves his stuffed giraffe that Scott named Soggy - I'm sure you can guess why :)
- He drools all over the place! (maybe he is teething?)

Ready to go to a work BBQ!

- He is so interested in everything! It makes it hard to nurse because he gets distracted all the time. I have to nurse him in our room with no distractions - which means I can't do anything and Scott can't be in the room.
- He laughs when Scott or I are playing with him/tickling him
- He loves to look at books but gets frustrated that he isn't coordinated enough to turn the pages himself. His favorite is our Book of Mormon Stories Board Book
- He likes to look at himself in the mirror and sometimes gets upset when we go away from the mirror.
- He doesn't like tummy time very much - but this has helped him learn to roll! I've learned that when he gets upset on his tummy, I can just leave him a little bit longer and he will roll over! He can roll from his tummy to his back from both sides. So far the only time he has rolled from his back to his tummy is on our bed when he is waiting for me to feed him. I'm not sure if he can do it on the ground yet.
- When he is on his tummy, he is constantly trying to go places. He gets his feet and knees up under him and tries to push of the ground - but he hasn't learned how to use his arms yet so he doesn't really go anywhere. He is just barely starting to push up with his arms. Maybe he will be an early crawler! ... I guess its time to start baby proofing!
- He found his feet!

- He always wants to be sitting up straight! He can now sit for a few seconds before falling over. He still needs a lot of practice with this one! :)
- Sometimes I put Nolan in his carseat while I'm showering or eating etc, but lately he has learned how to get out! He wiggles and kicks his legs and slides out the front of his carseat (I hadn't been strapping him in before this!). I looked over at him the other day and his legs were on the ground and his head and back were on the bottom part of the carseat where he usually sits. Thank goodness its so close to the ground! I will now be strapping him in every time!
- Nolan has decided that only Mom can put him to sleep - no Dads (or anyone else) allowed!

Nolan sleeping in the big bed ... his favorite place!

My parents took a short trip to Bear Lake last week and asked us to watch their dog, Pookie, while they were gone. Nolan has finally started to notice her while she's been at our house. Whenever she is nearby he lunges for her. She doesn't like it very much and runs away whenever he is nearby. It will be interesting to see what happens as he gets bigger... :)

I've been looking at some old picture of Nolan lately and I barely recognize him! I can't believe how much he has changed in just 4 short months. It has definitely helped me learn to try to appreciate the moment, even when he wakes up at 4:30am (for good!) or when it takes 2 hours to get him to bed at night. We absolutely love our little guy and wouldn't trade him for anything. I'm also super appreciative of my awesome husband who let me sleep in both mornings this past weekend! It helped prepare me for last night, I guess ...Nolan was up 4 times to eat! My guess is he's going through another growth spurt. I guess we'll see after his next appointment!

Sorry this post was so long! :)