Ephraim is 4 months!

Let’s see what’s new…Ephraim is getting stronger and stronger every day.  He can consistently hold his head up.  When he’s agreeable to doing tummy time, he’s able to keep his head up and push his chest up.  He’s much more likely to do tummy time if his brother and/or sister join him.

Ephraim has had a few instances where he cries inconsolably and becomes very clingy.  While I love me some baby snuggles, it makes it quite difficult to get anything done around here!  We’re not sure if it’s teeth or the cold that we’re all battling.  Whatever it is, I just hope that it passes soon!  Unfortunately, he seems to know when Russell and I get a date night out because that’s when he really puts on a show!  Dearest Ephraim, I love you, but your mommy needs a night out from time to time for her own sanity!!

At Ephraim’s 4 month appt, the only milestone that his pediatrician asked about that he hadn’t hit yet was rolling over.  He’s super close, but that’s an awful lot of body to move!  I’m sure it’s only a matter of days.  He weighed in at 17.11 lbs (91%), 25.5” long (69%), and head circumference of 17.25” (86%).  As you can see, my buddy is still a big guy – though his height percentile is dropping a bit (shocking, right?). 

Dr. Zimmerman did diagnose Ephraim with laryngomalacia or “floppy vocal chords.”  It’s generally a benign condition.  The soft, immature cartilage of the upper larynx collapses inward during inhalation – which just means that he’s noisy.  He always has a bit of a wheezy sound when he’s breathing and when he gets excited he makes this ADORABLE squeaky sound.  In fact, Dr. Zimmerman says that they call children with this “happy squeakers.”  His breathing seems fine, which is the only real concern, but we do need keep an eye on him for sleep apnea.  And, in most of the cases, the babies grow out of it by the time they are 1 or 2.