Palmer Family Chronicles: Sumner is ALREADY 4 Months Old.... Time, Please Slow Down!!!

Here we go again! Sumner is no longer a newborn. He has upgraded to the infant status! Oh my goodness, I love this little boy so much! He makes me complete and brightens my life! I am so thankful for all of the extra time I have been able to spend with him. Unfortunately, the next time I blog, I will have gone back to work... So, please, remember me in your prayers! At this point in my life, it will be the toughest thing I will have ever had to do.

But, enough negative! Lets talk positive! I have a healthy, happy, beautiful 4 month old in my life. Boy is he growing! He is over 25 inches long and 16 1/2 pounds! The nurses at his 4 month wellness visit couldn't believe how much he had grown since the last time they saw him. I overheard one nurse even call him a "chunk"! Rice cereal is to blame! I still put 1 tsp per ounce in his bottles to keep him from spitting it all up! I try to do less and he just can't do it! I've been stressing about the rice cereal making him "obese", so I asked his pediatrician. She eased my fears by telling me it would not! She said once he got to walking and stuff he would slim up! She said the most important thing would be his lifestyle once he gets older!

In the past month, Sumner has outgrown his sling in the bathtub and now leans back using a stopper to keep him from sliding down! We had to adjust his shoulder straps on his car seat and swing.

We also bought an activity saucer and jumper that goes in the doorway. He can't move around in them but he likes them because he can stand up and play with the toys.

He can roll from his tummy to his back with no problems and can just about roll from his tummy to his back. He LOVES being on his side, whether it be sleeping or playing.

When he plays on the floor and someone walks by, he will turn his eyes and neck to follow them wherever they go.

He is cooing and smiling ALL the time. He has also started laughing. The first time he did it was when my mama tickled him under his neck. But, the one and only time he just started laughing for no reason was when he saw his face up close in our hallway mirror. I was taking him to his room to change his diaper and I noticed him staring at his reflection so I stopped and turned so he could get a good look. When I did he just started chuckling which made me laugh. Then, my laughing made him laugh harder! It went on and on for over a minute! It was SO sweet! Luckily, Matthew was there to hear him too!

Sumner met his "mee-mee" this month too, Mrs. Joan Ziegler! She is going to keep Sumner for us when I go back to work! I am so thankful for her! I don't think I would be able to go back if I didn't have her! She is going to come to our house, too, which is GREAT! She came once this month so far and watched him while I ran errands. She is going to come once a week until I go back to work so I won't be such a drastic change. The first time she called to talk about coming to watch him for a day I got off the phone and cried my eyes out! It made it all seem so real! I called Matthew, hoping he would console me, and all he had to say was "I'm sorry baby,but you have to go back to work, we have to have insurance"....BAD MOVE MATTHEW! I knew what he was saying was true, but that was not what I wanted to hear at that moment! Needless to say, the next time I call him upset about something, he will find other ways to make me feel better than just telling me the plain and honest truth! haha!

Sumner eats about 5 ounces every three hours during the day. I put one teaspoon of rice per ounce of baby water. At night I prepare 7 ounces. Sometimes he takes it, sometimes he doesn't. His sleeping is very unpredictable! Some days it seems like he takes several short naps a day. Other days he will take one really good morning nap and one really good afternoon nap. I have read that he is just now getting to the age where he will become more predicable! Mrs. Zeigler said she will help us with that, so I am glad! Nighttime is the same way. I finally figured out he likes an early bedtime. He gets SO tired around 6:30! So, the first sign of tiredness, I begin his bedtime routine which consists of bath, massage, bottle, sing, prayers, and down in crib. He is usually in bed by 7:30! On a good night he will stay asleep until 7 the next morning! He does it a lot, but then there are the occasional 3:00 wake ups. He usually isn't hungry, but I feed him anyway because it puts him back to sleep. Otherwise, he would be up until 6! I think we figured out the cause of his wake-ups though, he's cold! We have hard wood floors throughout out house with area rugs. We set the thermostat at 75 and since its been hot, he sleeps in one of those gown things. His room is the only room without a rug which makes a big difference in the temperature. I realized this when we put a thermometer in his room and it was reading 4-5 degrees lower than any other place in the house! So, we started putting him to sleep in footed pj's. Once it started getting cooler, we even put a thin onesie underneath is pj's and he hasn't woken up since! (knock on wood)!

We have a lot to look forward to in the next few months... Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas! I am so excited! I just thought I loved the holiday's before! This year they are going to be a million times sweeter! I can't wait!