4 - 20

i have been doing a really terrible job of keeping up with everything going on with baby.  i looked in her journal today and the last time i wrote something in there was almost a month ago.  whoops.  so following through with my goals from earlier this week, these will be my notes before i formally write in her journal.

and since i'm posting it, maybe it will kind of count as one of those "four month" posts that all of the cool moms do every month for their kids.  but my kid turned four months a few weeks ago and i'm sure i'd lose my motivation by month five, so here it is: this is my kid at 4 months and 20 days.

this is old news but FABULOUS none the less.  baby takes a bottle now.  she could never figure out how to latch on to that adiri bottle so i finally just went to the store and got the cheapest bottle on the shelf and she took it just great... the first two times.  then she would just push it out with her tongue like it was the best game in the world.  i gave it to her before every feeding for a week straight and finally... she took it again!  so anyways, that was mid october and she still takes a bottle just great.  it really comes in handy sometimes when we're on the go, on a plane, or when i ditch my baby with someone else.

and adapted from a previous post...  a few weeks ago, baby found her feet.  we're not in the feet in mouth stage but we are in the feet in hands and hands in mouth stage.  she doesn't suck on her fingers really, she just licks them and chews on them and lets them hang out with her tongue.  all. the. time.  the day she turned four months, baby started occasionally sucking on her bottom lip.  she does it when she's going to sleep mostly but sometimes before she eats.  i really hope she's not teething.  google didn't have much to say on the subject but what it did say kind of related to teething.  and i did not like that.

i have been in denial about this for probably two months now but i'm going to go ahead and say it.  my baby is teething.  ugh.  the fussiness has continued to increase.  the real giveaway was a few times when she really seemed in pain but was fine once she went to town on someone's finger.  so despite the millions of strangers that asked me if my child was teething (to which i always replied "no, she just enjoys drooling and biting on her fingers like that.  it's normal.") it was my mom and knowledgeable non-blogging sister that finally convinced me.  so, in case you didn't get the memo... drooling, runny nose, flushed red rash on cheeks, sleep disruptions, constant biting on everything in sight, increased fussiness, and crying in pain = teething four month old.  glad we've got that straight.  mom got her sophie which is AMAZING.  i'm sure i'll write more on that later especially seeing as how sophie is making her way into every picture i take of baby.  now, when baby gets uncomfortable and fussy, i just pass her sophie and she's happy and occupied for a long, long time.

best picture i could find of semi flushed cheeks

baby has a precious laugh.  it is difficult to come by though.  she likes for her neck to be tickled, simulateously with your hands and face while you make loud, strange kissing noises.  this also has to be done in spurts because for some reason she likes when you make eye contact with her and then come in for the kill.  and if we're lucky enough to have this work, it normally only works the first two or three times.  occasionally she'll just be really laughative (can we make that a word?  like talkative?) and it'll go on for five minutes or so... but that's rare.

she is insanely observant.  she looks at the same thing an adult would.  a computer screen and tv are a given for any baby (i think), but she always looks at whoever is talking and she can pick up on what's going on in a room.  it's hard to describe, but if you witnessed it, you would understand and agree.  and as i've said before, somehow, she just knows to look at the camera, and although she's not as good at doing this for group photos, she is VERY good at doing this during her photo shoots.  especially with our big camera.

she still sleeps a lot.  i'm constantly working on extending her wake time and some days are easier than others.  she now can go, pretty consistently, 1.5 to 2 hours before needing to go to sleep.  not sure when babies are supposed to drop their third nap, but i'm hoping that when that time comes, it might allow us to get out more.  i'm ashamed to say it, but most days are spent in my pajamas in the confines of my home.  baby girl and i live in isolation.

also, baby started watching me eat.  but i will NOT be starting her on solids before she turns six months.  i am NOT looking forward to anything other than nursing.  i am in love with nursing my baby.  IN. LOVE.

baby girl still takes a pacifier great.  i use it as much as i want at church and while we are traveling (day of travel... not the whole trip) and otherwise it stays tucked in the bottom of my purse.  it's easier that way.

i'm not sure when it happened because i guess it was just that gradual, but baby doesn't scowl constantly like she used to.  she smiles sooo much now.  not at anything though.  it's gotta be at something worth smiling at.  she looks for your cues first.  i like it better that way because it means something.  and it makes me feel good about myself.  of course.

and still the biggest milestone since baby turned four months, baby started playing with the toys on her jumper instead of just jumping.  in fact, she hasn't actually jumped in her jumper since she started playing with the toys.  but she does spin some of the toys around and put a few in her mouth and maybe that just really hits the spot for her. 

as for specifics... baby is still comfortably rocking a size one diaper although i just ordered a huge box of size 2's so we'll have those on hand when we get back from cancun.  i will not assume my baby is immune to holiday weight gain.  another reason to move up a size is because she excretes bodily fluids at a volume very disproportionate to her size.  which brings me to my next point -- mother, you can tune out now -- why can't my baby just poop like a normal baby?  why is it that every time she poops we have a four point blowout on our hands (lap, carseat, crib, etc.) instead of a diaper confining a lot of poop?  a four point blowout: out both legs and up the front and back.  almost covers as many bases as the harness on her carseat.  i'll spare you more graphic pictures but check this one out.  i know you see the yellow, but do you also see that her sleeper is wet from her armpits to her ankles?  this happened when she was sleeping.  poor baby girl.  what a rude awakening.

who's hungry?

this was over a month ago.  we've tried even more diapers since then.

baby girl still fits her 0-3 onesies perfectly although a few of her 0-3 sleepers are too short now.  pants are difficult.  newborn pants fit the best but they're getting a bit short.  her 3 month pants are way too big but i put them on her anyways... mostly because her outfits come as a set.  that will have to change soon.  i'm moving her up to 3-6 sleepers now and some are better than others.  there is just so much extra material in the width but at least she can stretch her legs out all the way.

also, we are back to the double swaddle at night.  baby girl has been busting out of her miracle blanket.  she's fine for naps because it's only a few hours but at night it's too long.  she kicks her legs so much that it just keeps loosening the blanket until she can get free.  at least that's my best guess.  so now we do the miracle blanket and then use a velcro swaddle me on top of that and it's been working just fine. 

wow, this got really long.  not like i have anything better to do, but it was kind of a lot of work...  so this may be a one hit wonder. 

and it took me all day to do.  so keep your constructive criticism to yourself and give me "great mom!" compliments instead.  k, thanks.