4 months old

It seems like it was just yesterday that I was uncomfortably pregnant, waiting with anxiety to see when I’d actually go into labor –it felt like it was never going to happen- and dying to meet our baby girl.

And now, I have no idea how I lived without her.

Lots of fun new developments this month:

-Rolling like crazy. She’s been able to roll from back to front for about a month, but can now can flip both ways with ease. She always wants to be held facing out so she can see everything.

-She’ll still sit on my lap while I eat at home, or out at a restaurant, but last week she reached out, grabbed my plate and it clanked down. I can tell those days are numbered….

-Speaking of grabbing things, she found her feet a couple of weeks ago, but just last week decided she wanted to put them into her mouth. My little yogini likes chewing on her toes

-She still hates the paci –which is totally ok with us- and sucks her thumb for comfort. She finally figured out that she can curl the rest of her fingers down while she sucks her thumb, instead of palming her entire face.

-Her 3-6 month clothes fit her perfectly, but it’s crazy to see that they’ll be too small very soon. One of my friends gave me the advice not to save the “cute outfits,” because before you know it, they won’t fit. So she’s pretty much always dressed to the 9s, unless it’s bed or nap time.

-She wants to crawl really badly. She’ll get up on her knees and inchworm around her crib, or on her playmat during playtime, she’ll lift legs and arms off the mat and pump them both as if she’s crawling in the air. Babyproofing is not too far away, which intimidates me. I look around and see cords, plugs and hazards everywhere. With the two of us, I’m sure we’ll be able to get it done fairly quickly- I know Tom will be a babyproofing wizard.

-No solid food yet, but I’m so excited about it. We’ll ask our pediatrician at today’s appointment to see when she suggests incorporating solid food –the recommendation is generally 6 months, but sometimes babies are ready earlier- and will most likely go the baby-led weaning route. In baby-led weaning, the baby is given tiny bites of soft food (like avocado, banana, spaghetti) that the parents are eating and everyone sits together as a family. The baby learns how to pinch up and grab little bites (which often end up all over the floor and in their hair, too) and are given a bottle after the meal. The purpose of the little bites isn’t to make up their entire food supply at first, but to teach them how to eat, and then get any nutrients they’re missing from the bottle. I really like that idea because then the mom and dad don’t spend the entire mealtime spoon-feeding the baby (which I’m sure we’ll do, too) and the baby learns how to sit in their high chair and eat with the family. Having meals together is something we’d enjoy, so we’ll see how it works out. Like anything else, we’ll change and adapt as we go along, but I’m looking forward to it.

Source

-Speaking of high chairs, it’s almost time to order one. Our original plan was to get the Stokke, but have also heard great things about the Keekaroo. If you have either of these high chairs and have reviews to share, please let me know!

-Breastfeeding/pumping/bottling is still going as well as it could be with only one working side, and I’m happy to be able to give her as much breastmilk as I can, considering the obstacles we’ve been through. Pumping at work has been surprising easy and I’m thankful that I have a pumping friend. The girls laugh because we look like bookends sitting on the floor across from each other, chatting and pumping.

-I have no words for the cuteness that is baby giggles. The only person who can make her really belly laugh and scream is her daddy, and it melts my heart into a pile of sappy mush on the floor.

-It’s funny because a year ago today, I had just found out I was pregnant. It was the day before my first kinda Mother’s day. I had just started teaching at the resort, the Pilot was back in Valdosta, we had no idea where we’d be living, and all I knew was that this tiny, fragile thing was growing inside of me. I was filled with excitement and worry… and a little green from morning sickness, but I could care less about that, we were so happy.

During the stretch classes I teach, we’ll end with a 5-10 minute meditation. I always play this song during the quiet time:

it’s been a year, and I’ll never be sick of it.

I’ve played that song and sat in the back while class meditates, hoping I wouldn’t get sick or fall asleep, and thought about how unreal it was that our baby was growing in my belly.

I’ve spent the entire song praying for her to be healthy.

I’ve played that song, sitting in the back of the class, feeling her kick, roll and hiccup.

I’ve played that song and wondered how she would come into the world… so nervous and excited to meet her that it would give me butterflies.

And now, I’ve played that song in class, knowing that the only person I’ve shared it with is here at home, ready for me to get back and cover her with kisses.

Here’s to another fun and exciting month <3

-3 month update

-2 month update