4 Months Old

I cannot believe our girl is 4 months old today! We woke up this morning with thoughts of our 4 month check up looming over us. She was a sleepy girl this morning and slept the majority of the morning while we ran some errands. I LOVE our pediatrician! It was fun to take Brynn this morning so I could see Dr Burgess and Nurse Janet. They love our girl well. They were commenting on how sweet she was showing her off to the other nurses. Little bit is climbing the charts in weight and height; 15 lbs 6 oz in the 89th percentile for weight.

This mama's got a confession to make... earlier this month we were having a blowout at least once a day. This went on for about a week. And after scrubbing multiple outfits I thought to check the weight for size 1 diapers. Sure enough the top weight was 14 lbs. DUH! New mama problems. Since then no more blowouts :) I think we may have a volleyball played on our hands. 25 inches... this girl is long. The time I notice it most is when she is swaddled for bed. She looks like a little papoose! She can still fit into some 3 month outfits but because she is so tall, some have become too small and is graduating quickly into 6 month clothes. Her thighs are so pinchable, if that's a word. They are chunky little things, but boy they are strong. Brynn would rather be standing on our laps then held or rocked anymore. One of her favorite things to do is start on her back then we will pull her up by her arms and she will stand up on her own... like I said, those tree trunks are strong. Our girls got a grip! She smiles so big and is SO proud of herself.

This past month I have seen Brynn grow the most and has been my favorite month. (I will probably say that each month, I know..) But seriously-she is so fun and is smiling all the time. From the moment she wakes up this girl is all grins. The morning is by far my favorite time and I secretly love when she wakes up before I leave for work, even though it's a long day for daddy. She has begun to recognize both mommy and daddy and will smile that gummy smile the second we come into view. I wish we could see or know what all she can see, but she is definitely taking it all in. She is mesmerized by the TV and the bright lights. We don't like this too much so we have started turning off the TV in the evenings for family time. She is holding her gaze a lot longer with anything she sees as if she is studying every inch of it. She is going to be one curious girl!

A morning conversation.

We love our playtime. Brynn's favorite toys right now are her Sophie the giraffe, her Lamaze caterpillar, the activity mat and her new exersaucer. Sophie is the perfect size for her to wrap her little fingers around. We put it in her car seat for each ride and Sophie constantly ends up in her mouth while we drive. She is a kicking machine on the activity mat and will hold her own conversations with each of the characters. The dragonfly/ butterfly is her all time favorite because he makes the most noise. Brynn has fallen into a natural routine without much forcing or guiding on our part. She will eat, then we play and about 1 hour to an hour and half later she's done and ready for a nap. She let's us know..

The exersaucer is wonderful because Brynn wants to be standing up and upright most of the time. We can already tell a difference in how strong her core has grown. I am glad she has good head control so this toy could come into our lives. It's perfect for when mama's making dinner in the kitchen and I can keep an eye on her. The double whammy... caterpillar on the exersaucer tray! Mind blowing :)

Drool Monster..

Obviously from our stats you can tell Brynn is a good eater. She is still breastmilk only, feeding when I am home and bottle when I am working. I am boycotting pumping over Spring Break... oh it's been glorious! Pumping deserves an entire blog entry for itself. I started hearing the pumping noises in my sleep, that's when you know you need a break. It's nice that she can easily transition back and forth. She graduated to the big bottles this month. One- because sometimes she would eat more than the small ones could hold and two-because our dog destroyed the "shorties" one unnamed daddy would leave out. Yes, my husband calls them "shorties." The doctor gave us the go ahead for rice cereal! This is on the agenda for tomorrow night. We couldn't wait for daddy to get home from the gym before supper time tonight. We will have the camera ready for sure :)

I am so glad Brynn loves her sleep. She is still napping in her swing for the most part- or our arms :) But bedtime is crib only. After her last feeding around 8 or anytime after that we swaddle her, read a story from her bible and rock her. The majority of the time she's down for the night unless she needs to burp. The past few weeks she started waking up around 3 or 4 to eat which surprised me because she had been sleeping through the night. But it's not a big deal because she goes right back down and sleeps until around 7 or 7:30. Girlfriend loves her nightly stories. I hope she stays this way when she grows up. She is so intrigued by the pictures and I am enjoying the bible stories as well. I will add her bible to her monthly favs :)

OK.. OK sorry this one is a novel. Sorry but I'm not sorry :)

Miss B, 

Oh your mama loves you so much! You are easily the best part of my day. When I see you smile that ear to ear smile everything melts away.  You are so strong! Even your doctor said so. You are enjoying tummy time more. You are constantly reaching for something mostly your feet. Girl you are flexible! Your little voice is so sweet. We have the best conversations.. your face is so serious when you are telling me your story. It's the funniest thing. Then there are your screeches and screams.. girl you are loud! I blame myself because I squeal and sing to you constantly. But we don't mind :) You are trying to imitate everything! When we motorboat our lips or stick out or tongues to blow bubbles you tongue comes out and now you are trying to make the sound.. your are so close! Let's not forget to mention the drool! Drooling machine! We think the teeth are coming soon.

You have such a good nature about you and are such a good baby. You don't cry unless something is wrong, or your are overly tired. Lately you have been playing so hard you don't fight going down for your naps. I cannot wait to see the girl you grow into. I pray you have your daddy's determination and (part) of his hard-headedness :) Baby girl, I love you so much! This Spring Break has been the break I needed to make it until summer. I cannot wait to relax and soak in the sun with you.

Happy 4 Months Baby! 

Love Mommy

 "Hey Mom, look what I can do..."

Kali is SO not impressed.