Another month gone. Time really does fly! Toby is now five months old and he is an absolute superstar! If you read my post about a possible four month sleep regression (and are possibly going through the same thing!) then you’ll be pleased to hear that things are almost back to normal in the sleep department. Toby is back to sleeping from 6:30 pm to 8 am probably five days out of seven and if he does wake up it’s just for one feed then straight back to sleep. That three weeks of waking up two, three or even four times a night must have been some sort of growth spurt I think because Toby went from 14lb 2oz to 15lb 13oz in three weeks, when he’d only put on 14oz in the four weeks before that! He is getting longer and longer (or taller, depending which way you look at it) too. I measured him the other day and he is 69cm which puts him almost in the 98th centile for his height, while he is only in the 25th centile for weight! He has grown out of all his 3-6 month sleepsuits and vests now, although separates are still OK. I can’t believe how quickly Toby is going through clothes – it’s good news for my friend’s two month old twins though!

We still haven’t got much movement – Toby has managed to roll from his front to his back a couple of times but it isn’t something he does often. He can also sit up unaided for a minute or so but still loses his balance quite easily. The newest development is that Toby has just found his feet! Whenever he is lying on his back he lifts his legs up and grabs his toes. It’s funny to see the slightly confused look on his face when he’s got stripey socks on! He loves to stand up when we hold his hands too. I can see he’s just itching to get moving. He gets really frustrated after a few minutes on his tummy because he’s trying so hard but just can’t quite work out how to move anywhere.

We haven’t started weaning – and on that note, no teeth yet either, although I don’t think they’re far away. We’re planning on waiting until Toby is six months and then going down the baby-led weaning route. He is starting to get more interested in food though. I’ve been sitting him on my knee while I eat lunch and he’s started grabbing (and squishing!) my sandwiches, although he hasn’t tried to put any food in his mouth as yet. We’ve also started keeping him up a bit later a few nights a week so he can sit with us (in his Bumbo seat on the table) while we have our dinner to get him used to the routine. The hope is it will be more normal for him when he comes to start eating with us. I’m really looking forward to starting our weaning adventures – I can’t wait to see Toby’s face when he tries different tastes for the first time!

Toby’s personality is showing more and more every day. He’s so noisy these days, always making funny squeaks and babbles. It’s the cutest thing and he really does sound like he’s joining in a conversation sometimes. He’s growing up so quickly. I know people say you shouldn’t wish away the baby years because you’ll miss them when they’re gone…But I have to admit that I’m enjoying Toby much more now than when he was a tiny baby. I found it really hard work looking after him when I didn’t get any reaction from him but now he smiles and laughs (and hardly ever cries!) and it’s just so rewarding.

So over the coming month we’ve got Toby’s first Christmas and the start of weaning to look forward to. I can’t wait to see what else it has in store!

Four months! I can’t believe Toby is four months old. One the one hand it seems to have flown by but on the other he seems to have been with us forever!

Toby is developing so fast these days so I’m planning a monthly update to keep a track of where he’s up to.

He is holding his head really well now. He can sit in his Bumbo seat although does still seem to list to one side a bit. He also takes his weight on his legs really well and likes to stand with support.

Tummy time continues to go well – Toby has been able to lift his head since he was born pretty much but he now pushes up on his arms and has just figured out he can move them to reach for stuff. He does get frustrated on his tummy though – I think because he really wants to move but can’t yet! He’s rolled over from his front to his back on his own twice now but I think it was more luck than really on purpose. Toby is suffering a bit from plagiocephaly, or flat head, so we have to try and get him on his tummy or sitting up as much as possible when he’s awake to give it the best chance we can of growing into a more normal shape.

Toby has recently found his voice a lot more and likes to make lots of babbling noises but no distinct syllables yet. Although a few weeks ago he did very clearly just say ‘A’ but he hasn’t done it since! His chatting makes me laugh so much – he always seems quite serious about it. So cute.

No teeth yet – one of the babies from our NCT class has two already. And no real signs that they are imminent either. Toby is quite dribbley but he doesn’t really chew on anything and has only just started putting things in his mouth. I’ve started doing a bit of research about weaning but we’re planning on leaving that to as near six months as we can.

He can grasp toys and things fairly accurately and his now learning to let them go as well. We’re pretty sure he’s going to be left handed though as he really seems to favour hitting or grabbing toys on his bouncy chair or baby gym with his left hand.

And lastly, sleep. Toby is still sleeping through the night; about 14 hours usually, and hopefully that won’t change any time soon! The nap situation is improving too and I’ve managed to get him to have a nap of between one and two hours every afternoon this week.

So that’s it really. At four months old Toby seems to learn something new every day so I wonder where he’ll be when we get to five months?