Four Months Old

A third of a year gone by already...woosh! Unbelievable. But oh boy is my baby a cutie. I have said for a while that four months is the greatest age for a baby. The newborn baby is gone (sad, but true) but is replaced suddenly by this alert and active little person. The head is up and looking around, the naps start to fall into place, the personality starts to emerge. It is a great time.

Phoebe couldn't be doing better. When she was first born and I was oh-so-worried about her because she slept ALL time time (and hardly pooped!), Jeff remarked that I would feel better when she was a robust four month old...he was right. She is the picture of health and happiness. Her face lights up with smiles and she giggles all the time. Random people constantly tell me how cute she is, and usually they make a comment about her beautiful blue eyes or her plentiful blond hair. I always say that I also find her exceptionally cute and, no, I am not biased at all :)

Developmentally, she is doing great. She is rolling over like a champ. The only problem is that she is not entirely happy when she's rolled onto her belly and gets too tired to hold her head up. I think this will improve as her neck strength gets better and also as she is able to pull herself forward with her arms, thus making her tummy a fun place to be. It is a bit frustrating for now, though, because she won't stop turning over when I put her down on her back.

Let's see, what else in the development department? She continues to babble a lot with her little "bird calls." It often seems like she is conversing with us! She chews on her hand/thumb a lot and has started to make loud raspberries. She will hold a toy in her hands and bring it to her mouth to chew on. Weight-wise, she is a superstar. I weighed her this morning and she came in at 13.5 pounds. She does look a bit chunky to me, but I think that is normal for a 4-month-old. All eating and almost no exercise! Lucy was the same way, but she thinned out quickly once she started moving (and moving, and moving, and moving!).

As for sleep, well, we've gone backwards on that front a bit. She does nap well -- on a good day, she takes a shorter nap in the morning and a longer one in the afternoon at the same time as Lucy (from approx. 2-4:30). At night, she goes down at 8 but now gets up pretty consistently at 2 to eat, then again at 5, then awakes for her day at around 7. I may nurse her a bit in between 5 and 7. I am sure that I am feeding in (no pun intended) to her habits because I tend to nurse her whenever she makes a peep (she's still sleeping in the bassinet next to me). But still, I am not thrilled about the 2am feeding. That will be eliminated, whether she likes it or not, when she starts on solid food in a few months.

The great news about her bedtime routine is that she now accepts a bottle before bedtime! Bottles were a huge stuggle with Lucy and started to be with Phoebe as well. But Jeff started giving her one every night before bed and within a few nights she accepted it and now loves it. So I pump and we give it to her right away, still warm and fresh. This is such a relief because it means I can go out from time to time without worrying about whether she is going to be miserable and starving without me.

Great progress this month and great things in store...we love you Miss Phoebe-a-licious! Happy four months!