4 Months Old

Dear Elana,

I've been thinking about this post for awhile now.  I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to write it, but I thought I'd better finish it before you turn 5 months old.  Well, as it turns out this post has been on hold for awhile and in you are turning 5 months old in a few days.  That's how life is a the moment.  You are such a different person now than you were the last time I wrote.  You have grown so much.  At your 4 month check-up you weighed 12 lbs 13.oz 19th percentile, were 23.5 inches long 11th percentile and had a head circumference of 42 cm  which is about 16.5 inches which puts you in the 90th percentile.  Wow big head!   Knowing what I know about brain development and autism, this had me a little worried.  Dr. Lau said it was nothing to worry about because you are still on the growth curve.  So, I sure hope it's filled will all good brain cells.  I guess we'll just wait and see how things look at your 6th month check-up.

 

Cooper used to enjoy holding you, but that has all changed.  He still likes you deep down and doesn't want to send you back (like I did with my brother), but he doesn't like it when daddy holds you and he says that your crying hurts his ears.  He doesn't pay much attention to you, but right now he's trying to adjust to you being here and having to share daddy with you.  He does however really like it when you smile at him.  But who wouldn't like a cute adorable baby smiling at them.  

You smile a lot now and have started to squeal sometimes when you smile.  It is supper cute and I love it!  But not so much at 3 a.m. 

Lately, you seem to want mommy to hold you the most.  As much as I love a "momma's girl",  you need to understand that after being with you for 8 hours a day, I need a little break from holding you.  And Daddy has not seen you most of the day so what a great time for him to hold you.  And the good thing is, you usually don't mind.

You still aren't quite sure what to think of baths.  Sometimes you smile, and coo, but most of the time you have a serious look on your face and kick your legs and squirm all over.  Usually after the bath you pout and cry because you are cold and hungry.  And girl, can you pout!  When you are not happy, that lower lip sticks out and then the fussing begins.  I hate the fussing, but the pouty lip is pretty cute.

 

For Halloween you were going to be a reindeer.  Cooper wore this costume, but it was way too big on him.  It barely fits you.  And you didn't like to wear it either.  This was the most non-fussy looking picture I could get.  

 

I wasn't sure how trick-or-treating would work out this year.  I wanted to go and take you along, but you were already fussy before we left the house. Luckily I was able to see Cooper go to a few houses before you and I headed home.

Sometimes when you lie on the ground Cooper likes to lay down next to you and try and make you smile.

This picture was taken the day you turned 4 months old.  Posed pictures don't work out so well because you have that "deer in the headlights" look.  Still cute non the less.

You are letting daddy hold you more and not fuss hardly at all.  He's getting pretty good at making you laugh.  He is also known for startling you with his burps or loud noised.  Luckily you don't usually cry, only a few times.

Daddy giving you a bottle.   Ever since Grammy Rachel left in October Daddy has been trying to give you a bottle every day to get ready for my return to work.  It was really difficulty at first.  You screamed and cried almost the entire bottle.  But after a few days you calmed down and took a morning bottle calmly.  I'm so glad because I was getting a little worried.

You have started to like looking at books.  Mostly simple ones with big pictures and few words.  It's so cute how you look at the pages as I read them to you.

A few weeks ago when we had our first snowfall I took you to the park down the street from our house to try sledding for the first time.  You really didn't have an opinion about it either way, no smiles or frowns going down the hill.  You, however didn't like being cold so we didn't stay very long.  Just long enough to get a few cute pictures. 

Since your last doctor appointment, we were told to start giving you some rice cereal every day.  It's not the best tasting, but you tolerate ok.  You usually only let me get a few spoonfuls in and then you start fussing.

I don't have a picture of you sleeping lately but your sleep schedule has started to work out ok.  During the day you are now taking a 1-2 hour nap in the morning and afternoon.  Sometimes the naps will go 3 hours.  This is nice because I can have some time to relax, do a chore or two, or play with Cooper.  You have stopped taking evening naps.  You usually wake up from your last nap at 3,4 or 5.  After this you are awake until usually 7.  Then you usually sleep until 1 or 2 and then wake up again at 5 or 6.  The week before I had to go back to work you started to wake up at 11 or 12.  That was not fun because I had just gone to bed at 10.  Luckily now you have decided to sleep longer and wake up at 1,2 or 3 and then at 4 or 5.  I don't mind 5 so much because then I'm up for the day and have a little more time to get ready before work.   When I get home from work you are almost always awake and if I'm lucky I get to feed you.  In the evenings is when you are most fussiest because you are awake for 3 hours or longer.  It makes me a little sad that I come home to a fussy girl.  I can get a few smiles here and there but that only lasts a few minutes.  But fussing or not I love coming home to you every day!

Well, as I sit and finish up this blog post I think about how I've already had to go back to work.  The first week went well.  I didn't cry once when I left the house.  This next week will be my second week back at work and over the weekend I have been a blubbery mess!  Every time I held you, which was most of the day, I started to cry, thinking about how much I am going to miss you.  You, your smile, your squeals, your laughter, and even your cries and fusses have become such an important part of my daily activity that I am truly going to miss it all.  Sometimes I think it would be great to be a stay at home mom, but then I remember I really do like my job, despite all the paperwork, and poor salary.  I do my job because I like it and as much as I love being with you I would miss my job very much.  I just wish I could stay home a little longer.  Hopefully I can hold myself together as I go to work tomorrow and enjoy my day without becoming too upset or sad.  

Thank you Elana for being part of our fun loving, crazy family!