The Helean's: 4th Month Findings

My baby is growing fast. Sometimes too fast for my liking, she is indeed no longer a newborn. But I love how she is becoming so smart, and reaching developmental milestones. It really amazes me actually, how quickly she learns new things and discovers her world.

Here's the latest on our little lady...

Ava's 4 month well check found her weighing in at 11 lbs 3 oz and measuring 23 inches long. I thought for sure she was bigger than that, but I'm okay that she's not :) I want to keep her little forever, and her pediatrician told us that we should actually get used to it. She will probably always be petite.
She is still in 3 month clothes but has graduated from size 1 diapers, to size 2!

He also told us to hold off on starting her on any rice cereals or solids. She's doing so well with the formula, eating 5-6 oz every 3-4 hours, and sleeping 9-10 hours at night. We've got a good thing going and he said not to mess with it. He recommended solids for her at 6 months and we are fine with that! One less thing to have to do :)

Her pediatrician also confirmed something that we've known for awhile now. Our sensitive, tender hearted little miss has Stranger Anxiety. It's really early for that to have already started, typically it's not until 7 or 8 months, but she's got it. And bad. And there's nothing we can do about it. She will hopefully grow out of it soon. It really is the saddest thing. If someone, anyone really, that's not either Jace or myself, gets near her, or looks at her wrong, we're in meltdown city. It's hard to be told, "Oh, you're spoiling her too much." Or, "She's such a Momma's girl, you need to fix that." Trust me, I want more than anyone for her to be comfortable with people other than myself. But at the same time, I don't believe you can EVER spoil an infant, and I will look back at these days with NO regrets that she and I got to spend all day, everyday playing and cuddling together. A lot of mothers don't get to stay at home with their babies all day like me. I feel blessed to have that opportunity and to have a sweet baby that loves me in return :)

On a less serious note! Like I said, she's still sleeping amazingly through the night, and her naps during the day are really quite consistent as well. She now naps in her crib (hallelujah) and probably takes 3 good solid naps a day. Bedtime has now become a little earlier, between 8-8:30. That changed as we started to notice her getting really ornery between 7 and 8 o clock. Nothing was calming her down. One night, as she was inconsolable, I said screw it, and started the bedtime routine at about 7:30 (typically we didn't start it until 8:30-9). I was afraid to put her down so early in fear that she wouldn't sleep through the night and I'd be getting up with her at 4 or 5 am. But, she surprised us all and still slept her normal 10 or so hours! And she's been pretty consistent with that time frame ever since. Hello, all those nights she was so fussy, she was trying to tell us to stop keeping her up so late and put her to bed! Why it took me so long to realize that? Heaven only knows... new mother errors I guess :)

Our little miss is getting so smart! She finally started reaching and grabbing for her toys this last month, and now that she has accomplished that, playtime has a whole new meaning! She cannot get enough of her toys and all of them of course go straight to her mouth.

She has even been enjoying tummy time a little more than usual and will roll over from her belly to her back. And I'm thinking that the harder task of back to belly isn't too far off... she gets herself turned so far onto her side sometimes while playing, that I'm certain one of these days I'll find her on her belly, without me having put her that way :)

She thinks she's pretty big these days. Rolling over is one thing, but lately she feels like she can hold her bottle all on her own too.

And don't even get me started on the Bumbo... :) She looks so big!

She absolutely LOVES the sound of her voice and will talk and squeal and coo and sing all day long. In the mornings, before I go in to get her, she will just lay there talking and singing to herself. Best wake up call in my book :)

She also loves to look in the mirror. We will put her in front of the mirror and she will light up, smiling and talking to the other "baby" that looks back at her. Melts me.

My bald baby isn't so bald anymore! I swear, it happened over night. One day she didn't have hair, the next day she did. It is as blonde as can be and so fine and fluffy, but we'll take it!

Along with every toy going in her mouth, so do her fingers. Which makes us think that the dreaded teething process could be right around the corner :(

We had our first experience with a sickie baby last week. The night of her 4 month drs apt, she developed a fever of 101.1. It was due to the shots she received earlier in the day, but still, it was not fun. She was miserable, you could just tell that she did not feel good. She didn't want to eat, didn't want to sleep. All she wanted was to be held. So I held her. For most of the day and night until the baby tylenol finally helped her to sleep. Heart breaking :( She was much better the next day.

All in all, this last month has been wonderful. So many new things happened for this little one, she's constantly learning and growing right before our eyes. Some nights I will rock her to sleep and just stare at her, amazed at her perfectness. And still amazed that she's mine. My heart has never been so full of love. She is one special little lady :)

Here are few more pictures of my silly girl... seriously, her little personality kills me!