Pemberley - Four months

Hi little one,
Last week one of my students asked how you were doing and I said, "She's four months old already!" And he looked at me like I was crazy and said, "What? She's four months old already?! No way, Mrs. G!" That pretty much sums up how quickly time has flown by for me and your daddy.

At four months, you...

-weigh 13 pounds, 12.5 ounces (40th percentile)

-are 24.5 inches long (51st percentile)

-have a head circumference of 16.5 inches (84th percentile)

-wear size 2 and size 3 diapers, depending on the brand

-are wearing a few 3-6 month clothes, but mostly 6 month 

-had your first laugh! It was in our bedroom, right before you went to bed. The sound melted our hearts!

-are battling the dreaded four month sleep regression. You get up at 11:30pm, 2:30am, and 4:30am

-handled your vaccinations like a boss, with minimal crying and fussing

-LOVE to suck on your fingers. You suck on your first two fingers, and use your opposite hand to hold them in your mouth

-have gotten sooooo much better at tummy time!

-enjoy holding your head up to look around, and sitting up assisted

-hate it when we put you on your back now

-are "pre-teething", so you're constantly drooling. Everywhere. All the time.

-love to dance around the house with me

-sleep swaddled with your arms out still,  but always in the weirdest positions

Leveling out:: As you can see, the percentiles for your weight and length dropped off quite a bit. I'm not ashamed to say that it scared me at first! I thought for sure that you weren't getting enough to eat, or that something was wrong. But Dr. Gaffney isn't concerned with it, so I'm telling myself that I shouldn't be either. Since you started daycare, you're drinking three 4-5 ounce bottles during the day, which definitely means that you're not starving, you're just leveling out. I only worry because I care, little one! (But I am going to ask for a five month weight check, just so I can sleep at night.)

Happy Valentine's Day:: We celebrated your first Valentine's Day a few days ago! You got all dolled up, as you can see, and just loved on my camera for awhile. We played with different bows, and you wore your first baby barrette. Daddy loves the picture with your barrette, because he thinks the bows I put on you are getting a little out of hand. (Little does he know what I have in store for your five month picture!!!) I love this last picture, because it pretty much sums up your sassy attitude when you've decided that I've taken enough pictures. 

Miss Jennifer took your sweet little footprints and made us this adorable valentine. Being the sentimental bawl bag that I am, I almost cried. Your little piggies are just too precious for words!

It's the weirdest thing:: I've been feeling these phantom baby kicks quite often the past month. They'll mostly happen when I'm really still, like in bed or stretched out on the couch reading. Sometimes they happen so quickly and with such force that I have to stop and catch my breath! Then I look over at you and smile because you're HERE and not in my tummy anymore, and as much as I miss being pregnant (there, okay, I said it. I actually miss it!), I'd much rather be able to cuddle and kiss you any time I want.

That's all for now, big girl! I can't tell you enough how much we love you.

Snow Days and Sicky Faces

Hi little one,
Where do I begin? Last week you got to experience your first ever snow day! It was really scary because on Wednesday the roads were slick by 2:30pm, which is when I left to get you from day care. It took me an hour to drive from Grain Valley to Lee's Summit, and we passed five car wrecks! Needless to say, I didn't feel comfortable driving all the way home so we detoured and stayed with Grannie. She was so excited to be snowed in with you!! Once I dropped you off, I drove across the street to HyVee for diapers and wipes (lesson learned. I now have an emergency stash in my car.) And my decision not to drive home was reaffirmed when I slid onto the sidewalk while trying to pull into Grannie's driveway.

We had a lot of fun doing girl things all night, like playing with your beautiful hair. This is a picture with your first hair roller. Can you say twinning?

We made it home Thursday afternoon with no problems because by then it had warmed up to 60 degrees. Midwest weather sucks. You were tired of being held all night and day, I think, so you wanted to be Little Miss Independent and practice sitting up like a big girl. You can't quite do it on your own just yet, but you're pretty darn close! Your hair, however, has no issues with staying upright...

Thanks to the craptastic weather, you and your Daddy were a little sick over the weekend. Actually, Daddy was pretty bad. He was in bed by 6:45pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night. (And you know he's sick if he chooses sleeping over Clash of Clans battles!) You developed a little chest cough by Sunday afternoon.  You never ran a fever, but it broke my heart to hear you cough! I must say, though, that you're the BEST baby. You even smile when you're sick and not feeling 100%! (And those cheeks...ahhh!)

You slept okay from Sunday to Monday, though. Miss Jennifer said that you did just fine at daycare on Monday, so I must have just been paranoid. What's that saying about never waking a sleeping baby, even if her mama needs to obsessively check to make sure she's okay? I mean, let's be real. Is this a sicky faced baby? I don't think so.

Between me and you, I think my adventures in the kitchen are finally paying off. I'm 99% positive that my chicken noodle soup is singlehandedly responsible for bringing Daddy back from the brink of death. Finally, a culinary win for mommy!

I'm working on your four month chalkboard this weekend (four.months.oh.my.GOD!). I can't wait to show off how big you've gotten!! I love you so much, sweet baby!

Little Miss Big Girl

Hi little one,
Last weekend was so much fun! I got you all dolled up and your Daddy and I took you to Oak Grove for your very first visit to my school district. I had so much fun getting you decked out in panther black and orange! I actually made your first tutu from a pin on Pinterest, and I'm so happy with how it came out!! (You, on the other hand, were just a little confused as to what it was).

And before you remark about your headband, I want remind you of a truth I read somewhere online while I was pregnant...the bigger the bow, the better the mommy.

Here I am at the fundraiser, with a few of my former students who are now State Football Champions! It gets harder every year because they get bigger and older, and I still remember them as squirrelly 8th graders who passed notes and fell asleep in class. Now they look like grown ass men and I'm just their short, old middle school English teacher!

After we left Oak Grove, we stopped at my friend Rachelle's house so she could meet you. No surprise, she loved and cuddled on you the whole time we were there! Our last detour was at Grannie's so we could show off your adorable little outfit (and headband). Aunt Chrissy, Uncle Erick, and cousin Ericka were there and I snapped this adorable picture of you and your auntie. She is just smitten with you!

It was a long day for us, so when we finally made it home, I undressed you and Daddy and I played "mostly naked baby" for a while. This is one of my favorite games!! We strip you down to your diaper and take turns cuddling, kissing, and hugging you. Of course I had to take some pictures, and I just adore this one! That expression on your face is priceless!! "Seriously, mom? I'm way too old for almost naked baby."

I will also admit to having a few crying spells this week. It started when I thought about Poppie. I just miss him so much sometimes, and I really, really wish he could have spent some more time with you. He would have been so proud to see you being such a big girl! Then that got me to thinking about the fact that you are getting bigger (your newborn clothes are still hanging up in your nursery. That pretty much sums up the depth of my denial.), so then I cried some more. But honestly, look at how big you look in this picture, sitting up almost on your own! Ahhh! And those chunky baby thighs! I just want to eat them!!

After  got over the fact that you're not my little girl anymore, I made myself a delicious, very healthy snack. Monster cookies. They're full of all kinds of healthy foods like mini chocolate chips (antioxidants), peanut butter chips (protein), oatmeal (iron), and mini M&Ms (magnesium?). One of my New Year's Resolutions was to be more adventurous in the kitchen, so...yep. All. I. Do. Is. Win.

That's all for now, little baby sweetheart. We have a list a mile long of projects to do around the house this weekend, so I'll be sure to update again soon.
Love you sooooo much,