January | 2016 | living a life of hope.

Harrison is 4 months old. It seems like forever ago that he was born. He’s growing and changing with each day that passes. He’s happy and healthy and we are so very thankful.

Firsts: I wouldn’t say there are a TON of new “developments” with Harrison this month, but he is changing more than I think we realize. He has discovered his hands and feet. Often times, his hands can be found inside his mouth. He’s starting to understand that these brightly colored objects we keep putting in front of him are toys–he’ll grab for them and somehow they end up in his mouth! 😉 He’s starting to discover his “voice” as well. Lots of squeals, giggles, and other vocalizations.

This month he’s become quite fond of his Bumbo seat and exosaucer–both allow him to be upright and watch what is going on around him!

Personality: Generally, he’s one happy boy. He’ll smile at the drop of a dime and will offer up a laugh with just a few tickles on his tummy. If people are around and providing some sort of entertainment–he’s happy. He loves watching what is going on around him–this is a similarity I notice between him and August. Both being VERY alert and curious to their surroundings.

Likes: Being held, watching himself in mirrors, tickles, laughs and of course… snuggles with mom, dad and big brother August. A major like right now is drooling. He’ll go through several outfits in a day because they get SOAKED with drool. For several weeks now, we’ve thought he’s teething. Alas, there are still no teeth!

Sleep: I’m hesitant to even write about sleeping since there are so many differing opinions on what’s “right”. But–the purpose of this blog is to document life with Harrison and to look back on these months to see how far we’ve come.

Let’s just say, Harrison’s days full of deep slumbering are over. We have struggled with sleep more this month than any previous. I’d venture to say–this has been the hardest month with him. We’re to the point where we should have him figured out and on a good schedule–and it’s just not happening.

It all started over Christmas break. Napping is sporadic. Peaceful bedtimes are a thing of the past. We’ve had some really bad nights where we are up with him every hour and some good nights where he only wakes up twice. I feel like we’ve experienced bad sleep in all areas of sleep (naps, bedtime and nighttime). There are naps, bedtimes and nights that are better than others. I feel like it’s all a cycle we can’t break–poor daytime sleep=being overtired and won’t go to bed=not sleeping well at night. Needless to say, we are hoping that this ends soon.