4 Months Old

It is so hard to believe that you have been with us for 4 months already.  At the same time, it seems like you've been part of our family forever.  The past month has flown by, and you are really starting to grow up.  You look a lot older than you are because of your size.  Your 26.5 inches puts you in the 95th percentile for length, even though you are only in the 50th percentile for weight at just over 15 pounds.   The look of your face is also starting to change.  You look less and less like your sister and more like your own little person. I can't put my finger on exactly what has changed, but you are changing.  Teachers from other rooms at school that visit your room from time to time have not recognized you at times over the past few weeks.  Great-grandma York also didn't recognize you; in her defense, one of my friends was holding you, so it was an unusual context.  But, the point is still made...you are growing up!

I think we can officially say that you are done with pacifiers.  You have discovered your thumb, and now prefer that or your fingers to the man-made pacifier.  I guess you just want to be like your big sis.  I just hope it is as easy to get you to stop using it as your sister (thanks to the dentist)!

You've not only discovered that your hands can go in your mouth, but you are also learning to use them to reach for things.  You love reaching for the animals that hang from your bouncy chair, or the frog that we've put on your car seat.  You have even reached out, and successfully grabbed, your sister's hair.  I think you liked that a lot more than she did.  You follow everything with your eyes, and have started turning your head to follow certain sounds. 

The biggest change lately is probably the one to your diet.  You are eating rice cereal in the evenings!  It has only been a few days, and we still aren't sleeping consistently through the night, so I hope that will change in the coming month.  Mommy could definitely use some consistently good sleep.  We are also working to let you fall asleep by yourself (without rocking or cuddling).  The next few weeks might be a little painful, but we know it will pay off in the long run. 

I know you are going to change by leaps and bounds over the next couple of months.  You are so close to rolling over, and once you master that, crawling will come all too quickly. I am excited to celebrate all of the milestones that we have coming up, but I am also going to enjoy each day with  you just like you are now.