Olivia - Four Months

Weight: 13 pounds (22%)

Height: 25 inches (75%)

Sleep: We went a little backward in sleep this month. She's pretty much at the same point she was at 3 months. She's sleeping 8-430 and, at a point, was waking up about 10 times a night for the pacifier. We think we solved that issue, the wake ups dwindled, and she did two whole nights 8-430 straight. (I, of course, was wide awake from 2-4 out of habit). Then she got a cold and spent the last three nights awake and crying all night. 

If someone had told me 3 weeks in that this is where we would be 4 months down the road I would have cried. Maybe thrown something at them. The only thing getting me through those first tough weeks was the thought that she would be sleeping 12 hours a night at this point, and would have been doing 9 a night for the past two months. 

You really do get so used to the lack of sleep. And you really do never sleep again :)

Naps have been better. She's napping almost always in her swing. On days she goes to daycare, she comes home and naps for 3 hours (her only nap of the day). With the snow and working from home, for the past 6 days she hasn't been to daycare and has fallen into a wonderful routine of 3 - 1.5 hour naps a day at almost the same time. If it weren't for daycare, or if she would nap at daycare, this would be her schedule. Although Olivia has been great at going with the flow, I see how babies do thrive on a routine. She's been so wonderful these past few days at home.

Eating: She eats 4 ounces each time at 430am, 730am, 1030am, 130pm, 5pm, and then 6-8 ounces at 730pm. Still all breastmilk. We won't start any solids until she is 6 months.

Best Moment of the Month: To make her laugh Dan and I would always blow raspberries (with our mouth .. not on her stomach .. not sure how to describe it), and she just started copying us a week ago. It is her first attempt at imitating us - and we caught it all on camera. We joke that it's her first word. And while she's basically just spitting in the air, we keep saying "she's soo smart!" My child can spit, what can yours do?

Parent of the Month Award: This one goes to Dan for his worthlessness helpfulness in the middle of the night. With us both working, I figure Dan can do a few of the night wake-ups now. And he has been helpful for some. But, most of the time, he is absolutely useless when tired. I'll wake him up. Dan will you put the paci back in? Huh? What? Who? We have a child? Something along those lines. Yes, she's crying, get up. M'Hmmm I'm on my way. No you aren't. Yeah I'm walking there now. No you aren't. Putting the paci back in. You can't dream that you did it. She's still crying. I'll get her. Walking there now. Ughhhh. 

Then Dan wakes up the next morning. She didn't wake up at all last night I'm so proud of her! Sure.

Milestones: She has found her feet now and loves to put them in her mouth. She can fold in half better without her diaper on, so diaper changes are more complicated with her foot in her mouth. She's still teething and chomping at everything, but no teeth yet. She is rolling front to back and back to front. She loves to stand in our laps and will "walk" if we hold her. She is so dead set on trying to crawl, yet does not realize that her arms will need to be part of this endeavor. She shimmies (face planted to the ground) a few inches at a time. 

Clothes / Diapers: I just put away all her 0-3 sleepers with feet. They were just barely too short and I think it would be frustrating stretching out in barely too short jammies. She still fits in her 0-3 pants and onesies, but also wears her 3-6 pants, onesies, and sleepers. At this point, sister has a lot of clothes. Still going strong in size 1 diapers. 

Favorites: We might have a personal trainer on our hands. She loves when I lay on my back and push her up and down in the air, doing airplane, and when we throw her up and down. When I wear the carrier, she likes squats and lunges -- the deeper and faster, the better. Let me just say that the baby weight has come off. I didn't think she'd like to be thrown around so much at such a young age, but this girl loves an adventure.

Her take along tunes and Jacques the Peacock are still favorites. This month she is also loving Fifi the Firefly, what we lovingly refer to as 'Fish Balls,' and pretty much any fun textures that she can get into her mouth - soft things, mom's hands, Koda hair, it's all fair game.

I am just loving this age, she is so interactive, laughs all of the time, is rarely fussy. She's easy to feed (not eating solids yet) and not mobile, so she stays where you put her (sort of). I don't like it when she goes to bed at night because I miss her. ..But then she says not to worry, mom, we will party all night! 

First, my favorites:

Blowing raspberries, with her hand in her mouth:

Baby feet:

These eyes:

And then, since I had a hard time choosing, here are thirty million more pictures of the love of our lives.