Irelyn {4 Months}

Sweet baby girl,

You are 4 months old!

Stats from your four month check-up:

Height: 24 in. (38th %)

Weight: 13 lb. 5 oz. (41st %)

Head: 40.6 cm. (40th %)
Diapers: Size 2 sposies and mid-snaps in cloth.

You seem to have evened out across the charts!

Although, I think length-wise your torso keeps getting longer but your legs seem to have stayed the same, I'm still rolling up your size 3 month pants!

We switched pediatricians this month due to insurance conflicts, and we couldn't be happier!  You smiled at her the whole time during the appointment, and then the nurses came in to give you your shots.  They had you grinning and then in went the shots and out came the tears!  Poor baby :(

So sad after shots, but so cute with your little Kermit the Frog band-aid and shoe-socks :).

This past month we have really been working on tummy-time and head rotation.  Your head has really improved and the Dr. says no helmet will be needed!  You still tend to turn to the left but not nearly as much as you used to.  Now you have a bald spot on the back of your head :).

Your hair has started growing this month, although most of it is in the back, you finally have some fuzz on top too!

You can roll from tummy to back if we get your arms up under you during tummy time- it's fun to watch your shock when you end up on your back! 

We have started "sleep training"... it is a process.  I lay you down for your naps while you are still drowsy to try to get you to fall asleep on your own without Mommy bouncing you or patting your back.  This has been successful a few times and other times I still have to pat your back while you lay in your bassinet.  The Cloud B Giraffe cousin Easton loaned us is working wonders at helping you get to sleep and stay asleep!  It is so cute to watch you hug Mr. Giraffe in your sleep :).  We have also started a bedtime routine (bath, bottle, story, bed) which I think is really helping you wind down at night, as evidenced in that we can get you to bed between 6:30-7:30pm every night!  Wahoo!
The downside is you are still getting up 3-6 times a night... which means some tough night-time sleep training is in store :(.  We'll see how that goes!

We roll up bibs or blankets behind your head to keep you from turning to the left!

The Kindle Pandora app. is our nap-time friend.

I think the colic has gone BYE-BYE.  You are not as fussy this month as you were the past two months.  It has been a gradual decline, but we are thanking God daily for that- the crying was driving Mommy and Daddy crazy!  We did find out from the Dr. that you are teething... at four months... which explains a lot of your current fussiness during day and some crying in the evening.  We can't see any teeth yet but the bumps are there.  Now we just try to give you things to chew on to keep you happy!

You went to your first birthday party this past month.  We drove down to Oklahoma for Easton's first birthday party.  The drive down was, let's just say, not fun.  We stopped six times (it's a four hour trip) because you kept pootering your pants and I didn't want you to sit in it in the carseat, and then you SCREAM-cried the last hour of the trip.  It was BAD.  Mommy and Daddy had pounding headaches by the time we got there... and Mommy may or may not have had a little breakdown at the end.  Ahh, the joys of parenting!  You did pretty good the whole weekend and you slept almost the ENTIRE trip back home so God heard our prayers for sanity.

Birthday boy!

Grandma getting smiles out of your cheeks :).

Grandpa cuddles!  So nice to have family to help hold you when you're being Miss Fussy Pants (look at that cranky face)!

You have started jabbering to yourself, when you wake up in the morning we hear you "talking".  You like to say "m's" and sometimes say "mamamama" even though I know you're not correlating that with me yet, it's still pretty cute!
You also have been laughing daily now, especially when Daddy is playing with you!
We LOVE hearing you giggle- it is the cutest thing!
Sitting you on our belly's always gets a laugh out of you!

Some other photos from this past month:

Helping Daddy figure out the new washing machine.

Napping with Aster, he loves you! 

Bath-time is happy time!

First Halloween
"Pirouette" the Beanie Baby Ballerina Bear
We didn't actually take you trick-or-treating, but it was still fun to dress you up!
Maybe next year!

Little Beanie Baby cutie :)

It's been amazing watching you grow and change this past month!
Here's to a new month... hopefully with more sleep!

Love you Ladybug!
Love,
Mommy