We had his four month well visit this morning and he weighs in at 12 lbs 9 oz and is 22.5 inches long. Short and chunky! He's in 3-month clothes and we're quickly using up all of the size one diapers. He has a blowout almost once a day so he definitely needs to move up in size!
We've seen full-blown smiles this month, too! Oh man are they cute. My eyes well with tears every time I see that smile of his. They're coming more frequently but I have yet to capture a good one on camera! His whole face lights up and it's just the best. It's common for kiddos with Down syndrome to mile later than their typical peers and it was definitely hard to wait but so, so worth it. Can't wait to see them come more easily as he grows!
Baker is gaining more strength every day. He went all baby Hulk on me and was legitimately trying to sit up when I was taking these pictures! Look at him lunging forward! I couldn't believe it. We need to do better about him spending more time up off the back of his head. Poor dude has a flat spot developing since he favors his right side. I'm hoping it'll correct itself before we're told he needs a helmet!
Baker is starting to find that voice of his and will "talk" back and forth as he tries to imitate sounds. We usually have some really good conversations after he eats. A few weeks ago, he started refusing bottles (either offered by me or Justin) so he's been exclusively breastfed pretty much all month. I'm a little nervous about this considering he's starting daycare in February and will need to eat while I'm gone. We have some time to work on this and I'm curious to see if he goes back to taking one after surgery.
Speaking of surgery. Baker will be getting his broken heart repaired next Monday. It still doesn't seem real or that the time has come but we head to St. Louis on Friday to meet with the surgeon to go over the plan to get our little man all fixed up so he can continue to thrive. I'm feeling anxious and I have a to-do list a mile long to get done before we leave which is keeping my mind occupied so maybe that's a good thing. Since Baker doesn't get admitted to the hospital until Monday morning, we're doing one long day there and back on Friday for pre-op so we can come home and spend the weekend at home as a family. We're so thankful for grandparents who can help us out during this time - both Justin's mom and my parents will be looking after the girls as we go back and forth in the coming days.
Our little warrior has some tough days ahead of him and my own heart breaks knowing he has to go through this but I've seen time and time again how resilient these babies are when it comes to healing after an operation of this magnitude. Baker is so brave and strong and I'm so incredibly proud him.
Oh Baker boy ... he is strong and has grown quite a bit this past month! I can't wait to snuggle with him and get a smile because those really are the BEST!
ReplyDelete