Luca’s Four Month Update

I sort of feel like, I can’t believe my little Luca is already four months but at the same time, it kind of feels like he’s been a part of our family longer than four months?! I don’t know how that is possible but I guess it means four months is about right :)

Personality

Luca is a pretty chill little guy most of the time. He doesn’t get real excited or upset about much. He’s happy to sit back and watch our chaos unfold each day. Luca is an observer and seems to like taking things in, especially his crazy big sister. We have to work hard to get him to smile and laugh, but the challenge makes it that much more rewarding!  

Feeding 

Tubba Wubba is an expert breast feeder. He’s definitely a boob man and would like to spend most of his time with one in his mouth ;) He never eats for very long (just a few minutes), but likes to eat often, especially during the night (more on that in a minute). He will take a bottle from Daddy, when I happen to be out without him (which isn’t very often) so that is a relief! Mama needs a break once and awhile. 

Size 

Baby boy has rocketed up from 6 lbs 5 oz & 18 in at birth, to 16 lbs 4 oz & 25.5 inches. This puts him between the 50-85 percentile for size and weight. I love his chunk so much- his whole body is rolly polly! 

Skin 

Our biggest struggle lately is getting Luca’s skin under control. He has severe eczema on his face and entire body. It developed just before Christmas, about 6 weeks ago. It has gradually been getting worse and worse. I have received so many recommendations on products to use, but unfortunately nothing has fixed it. We’ve seen four different doctors and I’ve already spent hundreds of dollars on products. Some things have helped temporarily but it never fully heals and then the eczema returns with a vengeance.  He recently started a new prescription steroid cream that I’m praying takes it away and doesn’t cause any damage. It’s been stressful to navigate this. Once I figure out what works for Luca, I will be sure to write a full blog post on his eczema.  

Likes 

Little man seems to be a mama’s boy so far. Fingers crossed that continues because we already have a Daddy’s girl in the house. He enjoys watching his cactus mobile in his room, his colourful playmat, bedtime stories with his sister, bath time, and chewing on everything he can get his hands on. Watching him start to use his hands is seriously the cutest... until he began grabbing his manhood at every diaper change. It looks like hurts haha. His favourite toy is a colourful caterpillar  toy that was also loved by Bella as a baby.   

Dislikes 

Luca King prefers to be held and not set down for any length of time. He’s not fond of being on his tummy either. He sticks out his bottom lip and bursts into tears when his big sister growls and talks like a bear (which is actually pretty funny). 

Sleep 

Oh how I miss sleep. Because of his eczema, Luca is a poor sleeper. He is so itchy he can’t seem to get comfortable and relax long enough to fall into a deep sleep.  He is always trying to scratch himself in his sleep and I’m always trying to stop him, otherwise he wakes up covered in blood. I try to swaddle his arms down but he is too strong and can break free. He wears mitts but can open up the sores on his face, just by rubbing the fabric against his skin. For the most part, he ends up in the bed with me, breastfeeding throughout the entire night. This isn’t ideal for either of us but right now it’s the best option. We go to bed around 10pm and sleep in until 9am most days.  He tends to have 2-3 brief naps during the day, usually lasting from 30 mins to 90 mins each. 

While this stage can be hard at times, having been through it once before, I know that it is a fleeting one that will be over before I know it.  So I try to remind myself to soak it all up, the good and the bad, because it won’t last long. Gotta be strong as a mother. 

Xo KK