The Fowler Family: Grayson's Fourth Month

Grayson's fourth month was from May 27th to June 26th. This month he started playing with toys and found that his two favorites were attached to the ends of his arms!! Grayson was happiest in the morning this month - he is definitely his father's child.

Playing with toys

Growth:
This month Grayson weighed in at 12lbs 14oz. He is still in 0-3 month clothes. Grayson is progressing just as expected and, as I mentioned above discovered toys. He loved to swat at them and learned what his hands can do. Discovering his hands was a big milestone this month, they were not only used to play with toys, but they were a toy in themselves. Grayson keep his hands in his mouth a good bit of the time, mostly chewing on them. The chewing coincided with more drool and fussiness so we purchased Grayson's first amber necklace.
An amber necklace helps relieve drooling and fussiness caused by teething and, although we did not expect Grayson's first tooth to break through any time soon this is a good time to put it on so that he is use to the necklace before he can play with it. As soon as it arrived I popped that bad boy on & Grayson's drooling was greatly reduced. I'm sure we have all seen the babies with soaked shirts, having to wear bibs all the time - Grayson is no longer that baby! He is dry and comfortable and now just chewing on his hands as a means to explore himself.

How hilarious is this face!

Breastfeeding:
This month breastfeeding was a breeze. Grayson was waking up at my bedtime and usually two other times during the night. We learned to nurse while I lie on my side and he lies facing me, this way we can both naturally fall asleep as he has a midnight snack. This skill is really key for getting more sleep and I have to say, we LOVED it. So cozy, lights stay off and sleep is increasing!
I didn't snap any breastfeeding photos this month - probably because we slept through it all! Not really, but for some reason, photos were slim pickings this month. We must have been very busy.

Co-Sleeping:
Although side-lying breastfeeding means that I was getting much more sleep this month, sometimes I do have to hop up for a midnight bathroom break and this is an example of what I come back to! Don't worry - Grayson does not sleep on the pillows, I laid him there while I was up. Also, can you tell that his diaper is HUGE, he looks twice his size in the nighttime fitteds.
Clearly, co-sleeing was still going well this month. Nothing changed from last month other than more sleep for all!

snoozin'

Well something changed... since Lucy isn't allowed to co-sleep she has decided she will just make her own bed... in the crib. She was obsessed with sleeping in here this month. I just took her out at Grayson's bedtime & shut the door.

Just making a little cozy bed

Diapering:
This month we ran into our first real diapering issue. Toward the end of the month Grayson developed a little rash. I used RLR laundry treatment in an attempt to get out whatever was bothering him, but by the end of his 4th month we hadn't figured out where exactly the rash was coming from. I started to suspect that yeast was involved and treated with coconut oil and topical probiotics, but that only kept it at bay (spoiler - I figure it out next month).
This month we started using Bumgenius Elemental diapers and Swaddlebees Simplex diapers for trips out of the house. I really liked the all-in-one aspect of them and how easy they were to change when out of the house.

Babywearing:
This month my Tula Baby Carrier arrived!!! It, along with the ring sling kept Grayson close and happy for his fourth month. The Tula is a soft structured carrier that is made to keep baby's hips in an ergonomic position. It is perfect for long lengths of time because it disperses weight through my midsection and torso. I wore Grayson in it for walks most days of the week with my friend Bri and her son, Justice.
We still loved the ring sling, but it honestly may have gotten a little forgotten about this past month.

Right after we got the Tula

Grayson visits the Poulsbo Marine Center in the Tula

We still have love for the ring sling

Grooming:
This month Grayson started taking showers with Tim. Tim held him in the water, which he MUCH preferred to a bath, and I leaned in and wiped him down with a washcloth. This went really well. Although, we still only bathed Grayson once every couple of weeks. He wasn't mobile enough to get dirty and we wanted to make sure his natural barrier stays intact.
It took both of us to shower Grayson, so there were no pictures of it... but he really loved to be under the water. So cute!

My clean little man. Look at that love.

Other new things this month:
-Grayson will pull a blanket off his face and try to hide with it.
- When I fold clothes next to him, Grayson will pull the folded ones out of the pile!! He is such a big laundry helper.
- We finally captured a smile!! Check it out, he just melts my heart.