Scarlett and Clark - 4 Months

Scarlett and Clark turned 4 months yesterday! Our days with them have been flying by, and while it seems like they were newborns just yesterday, it also feels like they've always been a part of our family. It's hard to remember how easy our days were when there were just two kids in this house.

The babies have had some major changes over the last month. Sleep being a big one. We went from Clark sleeping through the night, to him waking every few hours. Scarlett's long stretch of sleep seems to be getting shorter and shorter. We stopped waking them both to eat since their sleep schedules were so different. That resulted in me waking up way more than I should be. One night I counted and I was up with one or the other of them 8 times throughout the night. Needless to say, I'm not game for that many wake ups, so we are getting back to some stricter sleeping arrangements.

They just started a new bedtime routine that doesn't involve nursing to sleep. I am trying to be better about not just pulling Scarlett into bed with me if she cries and won't take a paci. It's so darn easy to just pull her in bed though, so we aren't completely away from that. We have started to work away from the swaddle, which may be partly to blame for their less than stellar sleep. They are both currently rocking the one arm out swaddle. While Clark loves the ability to suck on his fingers, Scarlett isn't quite sure what to do with her arm a lot of the time.

Their naps have also seen a major makeover. Since they were born, they've always napped in the living room, usually in their swings. Harrison and Brooke are no good at being quiet, no surprise there, so swing naps have become problematic the older Scarlett and Clark get. They have been napping in their cribs for a week now, and it's going really well. Falling asleep is pretty easy for them, but making it past the first sleep cycle has been tough, especially for Scarlett. We've wound up with a bunch of 30 minute naps, and only a few lasting an hour or more. If anyone has any suggestions on how to get them to nap longer, I'm all ears.

We are trying to stick with and E-A-S-Y routine as much as possible. Their routine gets a little messed up on mornings when we run errands or go to the zoo or library. They both fall asleep easily in the van, so often they end up sleeping sooner than they should. They happily roll with the changes, and we're usually able to get back to the normal routine after their next nap.

Over the last month we began noticing Scarlett getting increasingly irritated during feeds. She would get painful gas and randomly cry out or have a hard time burping. She also had an eczema flare up that coincided with the timing of her tummy issues. Combing that with her constant blowouts, and we started to think maybe she has a milk allergy. I went back and forth on if I should cut out dairy, but I eventually decided to cut out all dairy and soy from my diet. We are going on almost 2 weeks of dietary changes, and we can see a huge difference in her. I've even noticed that Clark is less gassy during and after feeds. They both eat every three hours and are now nursing for shorter periods of time. I'm not sure if they've become more efficient or if we're just spending less time burping, but our nursing sessions are now about 15-20 minutes instead of 30-45.

This is what their schedule has looked like over the last couple weeks:

5am tandem nursing session

5:20am back to sleep

6:45am lay in bed for a milk top off

8:30am nurse and up for the day

10:00am nap time

11:00am nurse and then play

12:30pm nap time 

1:30pm nurse and then play

3:00pm nap time

4:00pm nurse and then play

5:30pm occasional cat nap

6:45pm bath time

7:00pm pajamas and final nursing session

8:00pm bed time

1am-5am occasional quick nursing session and then back to bed

Playtime still mostly consists of time on their ocean play mat. The love hanging out with their best friend, blue octopus. He tells great jokes and has a little fish friend they can hang onto. ;) They are both spending more time in the exersaucer and jumperoo, as well as their Bumbo seats. They each got a cloth Eric Carle book from the Easter bunny, and they have really taken to those. Their bouncy seats are permanently on our island, and they happily hang out there while we eat breakfast and lunch, or while I cook dinner or clean the kitchen. I decided to purchase their high chairs last month even though I know we won't be starting food for another couple months. I'm glad I bought them early, because they really enjoy sitting with us at dinner time.

Clark

Clark is still in size two diapers and is wearing 3-6 month and 6 month clothes. He can fit into 6-12 month clothes, but they're a little baggy. He weighs 17lbs (70th %) and is 25 1/4" long (70th %). He doesn't cry often, but when he does it is the saddest thing ever. He has a very high pitched wail of a scream. Painful gas and me raising my voice are guaranteed to result in him crying. I've learned pretty quickly not to yell at H and B if he's around. I think maybe he's just trying to keep them out of trouble. He is a very happy boy and he smiles and talks a lot. He has decided over the last month that tummy time really isn't that bad and he's getting pretty good at it. He has more hair than any of the other kids had at this age. It's super soft, mostly blonde, and I absolutely love rubbing it. His nicknames include C Dub, Chubby Man, and Meatball.

Scarlett

Little miss is wearing size 2 diapers and can still fit comfortably into 3 month clothes. Most of her things are 3-6 months, and there are a few 6 month items mixed in. She weighs 15lbs2oz (80th %) and is 24 1/2" long (60th %). She LOVES Harrison. She likes everyone, but he is her favorite and I think she might be his too. She has always been willing to take a paci, but she is now especially fond of her hippo Wubanub. She craves touch. She sleeps best when snuggled up against me, and my hand resting on her chest or letting her hold my hand is enough to soothe her back to sleep most of the time. Her face is so perfectly round that I sometimes think she doesn't look real, almost like a baby doll. She smiles and giggles all the time, and while she doesn't "talk" quite as much as her bother, she is still a chatterbox. Her nicknames include Scarlitto, Punky, and Little Miss (think Spin Doctors and imagine us singing it to her 10,000 times per day).

Happy 4 months, Scarlett and Clark. If the last month has taught us anything, it's that just when we think we have it all figured out, you two will throw us a curve ball, or two. I can't wait to see what changes the next month has in store for us.