Four Months

This sweet girl is four months old today!  Four months.  That's one third of a year!  I'm dying at how fast time is passing.  I'm loving every second of it.  I was so afraid of her growing, and I was hanging on to every bit of bitty baby that I could.  But, I must say that she's so soft and cuddly as she grows.  She's so fun and giggly as she grows.  She's so fun as she grows.  Yes, I miss her itty bitty ways.  I find myself looking back at old pictures all the time.  But, I'm savoring these four month old days too.  I just love it!  I always thought I was made to be a mother.  There were days I wondered if God decided I wasn't.  But, now I know.  I was made to be HER mother.  And I'm honored and thankful!

It seems like a lot has happened since our three month update.  Let's see.  Millie Janalee can still wear a few 0-3 month clothes, but she also wears 3-6 months.  The onesie she has on under this dress is actually 6 month.  All her Christmas clothes are 6 month, so you may  notice my cute girl sporting some saggy bottoms this upcoming month.  Ha!  We have graduated to size 2 diapers!  Oh my!  I just knew we would be wearing size 1 for a long time.  She can still wear size 1, but the weight overlaps on the packaging so I just went ahead and picked up size 2 when I bought diapers last week.  It helps with the little bit of leaking we had going on some nights.  Eleven or twelve hours in the same diaper is a long time.

That brings me to her nighttime schedule.  Millie Janalee has always been a great sleeper...minus a few flukes here and there.  She has been sleeping through the night for a while now, but I was very careful not to brag on her for fear that it would end that very day.  The last few weeks, I started feeding her between 8:00-9:00 at night, and she will sleep through the night.  Yes, she is still in her bassinet.  If she will stop growing, I could keep her in there forever.  But it won't be too long until I'll be forced to make a change for my long baby girl.  She wakes up around 7:00 or so since Daylight Savings Time, and we do our little morning routine of talking, cooing, swinging, and smiling until I feed her around 8:00.  Millie Janalee takes 3-4 naps during the day starting around 9:30 or so.  I try to put her in her crib for at least 2 naps, but she doesn't nap as long in her crib.  Maybe 30-45 minutes.  If I am holding her, she will nap forever.  The other day, she napped for 3 hours (2 1/2 hours in my arms)!  I know I can't do that all the time, but I don't mind at all!  There will be a day too soon that she won't want to sit still in my lap.  I'll take it when I can get it!

The last two weeks have been wild.  Millie Janalee went through a growth spurt.  I started feeding her 7 ounces every four hours, and I put two scoops of rice cereal in all her bottles.  That helped her put on the pounds I know, but she is much happier and spitting up much less.  Yay!  She could probably eat more, because if I don't stick that pacifier in her mouth when she finishes she is very unhappy.  But as long as the pacifier is in, and she burps...she's a-okay for another 4 hours or so.  We have our four month checkup Tuesday, so I'll ask him about what he suggests.  I don't want to make too many unnecessary changes too early.

Since our little growth spurt, Millie Janalee has really come alive.  She is squealing like crazy, laughing, smiling up a storm, and just having a ball!  She's always had "spring loaded legs," as Russ calls them, but I can hold her hands and she will stand up on my lap and talk and squeal away.  She loves a little tummy time here and there, and she has also gotten very good at rolling over to her back.  We still aren't rolling over from back to front.  I'm not in a rush for all that anyway.   She interacts more with her toys, and she has a few favorites already.  She loves to follow us around the room with her little eyes, and she looks for us in the morning.  I've started putting her between Russ and me in bed in the mornings when she wakes up.  She turns her little head to make eye contact with me....then turns her head to make eye contact with Russ.  Just taking a head count and making sure we are all giving our undivided attention.  She also loves her daily photo sessions.  She gets so excited when we stand with the camera and talk to her trying to get her to smile.  She giggles and squeals and stiffens her little body every time.  So funny!

I look at Millie Janalee and I wonder, "When did this happen?"  I like to think I can remember every part of her life, but I can't pinpoint when she went from that one month old bitty babe to this.  It's unreal!  Russ and I have loved every second of these past four months.  We never could have imagined how much JOY this little person could bring us.  We never could have imagined how much we would love her.  We never could have imagined how much our lives have changed for the better.  And we certainly never could have imagined how fast it would fly by!

Happy Four Months, sweet girl!  I love you!