Dudes, it is seriously blowing my mind that Nugget has been here for A THIRD OF A YEAR.  And if you consider the fact that we found out last July that we were expecting him, he’s been in our lives in one form or another for almost an entire year now.  (That math is confusing me, but anyway.)  I already can’t imagine life without him.

Nugget gets more and more fun each day.  His little personality is really coming out and it’s such a cool thing to watch him grow into himself.  The other day, hubby remarked on how Nugget prefers to be held in a different way from Peanut when she was his age.  I said, “No surprise there, he’s a different person.”  And while that’s obvious, it’s also really neat.  He’s a person!  A teeny, tiny, but very real, PERSON!

New nickname this month: Three Sneezio.  He doesn’t do it every time, but maybe 60% of the time he sneezes, he sneezes in threes.  It’s hilarious.  I think he gets it from me, because I almost always sneeze in twos.  So he’s more talented, of course.

We’ve had a lot of fun this month and been out and about as usual.  We’ve been walking in East Aurora most sunny days, and we took Nugget for his first visit to Canalside on the fourth of July.  He’s also taken his first dip in the pool, and of course done plenty of this…

Lots of lap napping while I read.  I love turning the pages while he snuggles in my arms.  Seriously, is there a better way to read?  Because I can’t think of one.  I’m constantly taking breaks to snap pictures of him, though.  I love, love, watching him sleep.  But it always seems like my pictures don’t look like him.  The one above, I was actually satisfied with.

Nugget is a happy, fun little guy.  He’s sweet and cuddly and a blast to hang out with.  I never get tired of seeing his eyes light up when I pick him up in the mornings – I might be exhausted (oh, and I am exhausted) but I wouldn’t trade a moment spent with this guy.  He’s my joy.

Nugget at 4 Months

Weight: 13 lbs, 11 oz 

Height: 24.5 inches

Clothing Size: Officially in 6 months now.  That seems gigantic to me, but I have to remind myself that it’s a range.  6 months really means 3-6 months, so he’s growing into these clothes at about the right time.  Peanut always grew into a new size at the very tail end of the range.  Nugget isn’t a huge guy, but he’s bigger than Peanut was, so it shouldn’t surprise me that he keeps growing into new clothes.  On the plus side, I get to buy him the cutest little t-shirts and shorts.  Baby cargo shorts.  ‘Nuff said.

Sleep:  Kill me now.  Seriously.  Okay, I think he’s probably a pretty normal baby, but man alive it sure seems like he’s the world’s worst sleeper.  We’ve unswaddled him – had to, it was time, although he still has a little bit of startle reflex left – and he’s hit the dreaded four month sleep regression, which means the entire household is currently stumbling around in a haze.  (Well, except for Peanut, who is blissfully ignorant of this – one blessing.)  Naps are almost non-existent and have to happen in my arms if they’re going to happen at all.  Every once in awhile we get a swing nap, but the crib is out of the question.  I love having him nap in my arms, though, and I’m sure he will adapt when he gets to daycare, so it’s not the naps that are the real issue.  (Although sometimes he battles even the lap naps, which can be hard.)  But it’s night that really give us fits.  I start trying to put him down at 7:00, and it’s a major tug-of-war until he finally succumbs, usually, around 10:00.  There is walking, bouncing, shushing, dream-feeding – I pull out my entire bag of tricks every single night.  If we’re lucky he’ll finally hit the crib around 10:00 and stay there until his middle-of-the-night feeding (still anywhere from 1:30 or so to 4:30 or so).  If we’re not lucky, he’ll wake up and drag Daddy out of bed for more family bonding until midnight.  Nugget is sleeping about as much as I am at night, which is to say, not nearly enough.  I know it’s temporary, but I am WIPED OUT.

Likes: Tummy rubs and kisses, the Decemberists (yeah!), swimming in the pool (as long as the water isn’t too cold), his hands, his sister!

Dislikes: When Mommy leaves the room.  He’s just beginning to realize that he and I are different people, and he definitely doesn’t like when I put him down and leave the room – which I have to do, sometimes.  We’re basically attached at the hip most hours of the day, but if I need to go to the restroom or refill my water, I just have to set him down for a moment and he definitely lets me know that he doesn’t appreciate that.

Favorite Toys: Exciting stuff!  Nugget has finally realized that his play gym is not, in fact, an instrument of torture – and actually, it’s fun!  He’s been enjoying batting at the dangling toys and cooing at the animals on the mat.  Cutest thing ever.  And fortunately, it’s sturdy, because… ahem… Peanut likes it too.

Milestones: Another major holiday celebrated this month – Nugget’s first fourth of July!  I hope he loves that holiday as much as I do.  He’s also continued to have fun with his hands, which he found last month, and he’s gotten really good at rolling over.

Quirks: Back when Peanut was a baby, another mom and I were talking about their little predilections to favor one particular consonant when they really get a good wail going.  This other baby liked the letter L, so her cries sounded like “Laaaaaaaaaa!  Laaaaaaaaaa!” and prompted her mom to nickname her “Lala.”  Peanut favored N – “Nyahhhhhhh!  Nyahhhhhhh!”  I was interested to see what consonants Nugget would use when crying.  He seems to like M and W, both of which are hilarious when he really gets going.  Many of his cries are actually “Wahhhhhhhhhh!” – it’s as if he is following some crying baby script.  But even funnier are the cries that sound like “Mooooooooooooommmmmmmm!”  Of course I go racing to soothe him, but I’m also cracking up a little bit at his “Wah” and “Mom” cries.  It’s sad, but so funny.

Oh, I do love this little guy.