Poor Baby :o(

Well, Matthew is sick :o( I use that term loosely, because I don't know exactly what it is he has, but he had a fever of 101 this morning. No other symptoms, though. He's not congested, no coughing, sneezing, diarrhea, loss of appetite, throwing up, etc. Just the fever. And, of course, trouble sleeping :oP I got maybe 4-5 hours of sleep last night because he was up fussing quite a bit. This morning I gave him some tylenol around 6am and he felt much cooler before I left to go to work at 7:30. I almost hated to give him anything, because I know that fevers can be a good thing in that they are the body's way of fighting off infection, but he just seemed so uncomfortable. I told my husband to call me later today and let me know how he's doing. We'll probably end up calling the doctor if he's no better tomorrow. I hate to panic about a fever when he seems fine otherwise - I know that fevers are common in children. But it's scary since this is the first fever he's had that we can't link to his vaccinations. We'll just keep an eye on it.

Well, with all the drama I almost forgot. Matthew is 19 weeks old today :o)

Your baby boy, Matthew, is 19 weeks (Approximately 4.4 months) old now.
Although your baby is sleeping longer at night, it may be a while before he or she stops waking at 6 in the morning; but don't bother trying to keep him or her up later at night in the hopes he or she will sleep later in the morning - that generally doesn't work at this stage of development and you'll just wind up with a tired, cranky baby. He or she might be able to entertain themselves for a few minutes in his or her crib after waking, but for the most part, he or she will be anxious to get everyone in the household up and started on a busy day of playing. Sometimes the best way to allow other family members to sleep longer in the morning is to move your baby farther away from the other sleeping members of the family.
Are your baby's naps getting shorter and less frequent? At this age many babies begin to sleep less and play more during the day and are happy to take three or four naps of about an hour a piece. However, some babies will take several shorter naps, while others will take two longer naps. The number and length of naps your baby takes isn't as important at this stage as the total amount of sleep your baby is getting in a 24 hour period. Your baby should be getting approximately 14 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. If you don't think your baby is getting enough rest, check with your doctor.
Your baby is figuring out who's who in the world and likes Mom a lot more than most others, and may start to feel insecure in the company of strangers. As a result, you may notice your baby is becoming more selective with his or her smiles - strangers are not welcomed as readily as they once were. Your baby is also starting to develop preferences. Your little one may reach out for his or her favorite toys and turn from those he or she doesn't like. He or she may also become attached to one toy more than others and rely on it for security.
Matthew does like to hold onto toys and his burp cloths all the time...especially when he's going to sleep. And he has been insecure with strangers for quite a while. Just his personality, I guess, since he wasn't really supposed to start that behavior till right about now. He just takes a while to warm up to people - once he's been around them for an hour or two they can hold him and play with him without too much trouble. If a "stranger" (i.e. anyone other than mom or dad) picks him up or starts talking to him right off the bat, though, he'll scream. Won't have to teach that kid not to talk to strangers! :o)

Well, that's it for now. Hopefully I'll have some more pictures later this week or early next week. Everyone please send prayers and positive thoughts that Matthew will be feeling better very soon!