Sprout is Four Months Old!

Today Sprout is four months old!

Look at this sunshine baby!

-Sprout continues to be an overall happy and easy going baby.  I think we're getting pretty good at reading her tired cues, and we try to be respectful of them, putting her down when she asks.  Really, we're all happier this way.

-She will still fall asleep in the Ergo when we're out and about if the hood is up, but she is getting to the point where she doesn't want to miss anything.  This is also starting to cause some difficulty nursing when we're out.  She gets very distracted wanting to look around rather than eat until her tummy is nice and full.

-Her schedule hasn't changed much over the past month.  She usually wakes up around 6:30/7:00am and naps for about 45 minutes every 1.5-2 hours.  We put her to be around 7:30/8:00pm, but she wakes up every 2 or 3 hours overnight and nurses.  It's tiring and I totally get jealous when people talk about their similarly-aged-children sleeping 4 or 5 hours or even through the night (inconceivable!) but at least I know what to expect.

-We've tried to give her a pacifier (two different kinds) to see if that would help her cycle for longer sleep times, but she won't take them.  She ends up chewing on them or just pushing them out of her mouth with her tongue.


-She also won't take a bottle, but we're trying to give one to her more often (well, Jen is) in the hopes that she'll get the hang of it.  I've started pumping some evenings to build up a stored milk supply.

-She is very obviously thriving.  She weighed in at 16.3lbs and is 25.4in.  Top percentiles again.

-She is now in 3-6m tops and 6m pants (cloth diaper bum!).  There are some exceptions since baby clothing sizing is terribly inconsistent  but overall these sizes seem to be working.  Disposable diapers are size 3.

-Her looks haven't changed much.  Her hair is growing in more, so the hawk is not always as noticeable.  Her hair colour is a dark auburny-brown.  Her eyes are still light and look bluish but may go green.  It's hard to tell.  Her skin is pale, but she has nice rosy cheeks.

-And oh those cheeks!  They are so lovely and round.  Especially when she smiles.  And she is full of smiles for people talking to her and being silly with her.  She loves it when we "run" her legs, give her kisses on her neck, sing to her (The Grand Old Duke of York is a new favourite), or hold her up and shake her.

-Her dislikes are pretty limited, but loud noises and her brother falling on top of her seem to top the list.

-We've been going to a city run music class on Monday afternoons which she seems to be enjoying.  I think she likes the songs and she seems pretty intrigued by the other babies.  There's no class in May though, so we're going to start a different program and see how it goes.

-Most days that the weather has been nice I've been taking her for a walk in the morning.  I usually strap her into the Ergo and off we go for a half hour or an hour.  Sometimes we see if my sister and her son want to come along.  Sometimes we pop by my aunt's and visit with her and my Nana.  But a most of the time the two of us just walk around the neighbourhood chatting about the things we see.

-I try to get us out at least one other day a week.  Often we just run errands, but it's nice when we see friends.  I know it's really more for me that Sprout at this point, but that's okay.  I need some stimulation too.

-She likes to look at herself in the mirror on her playmat and grabs for the toys that hang from it.  She also holds the O-ball and tries to get it into her mouth.  She's not terribly interested in many toys.

- She still can't quite roll over, but gets onto her side pretty consistently.  She is increasingly tolerant of tummy time, perhaps even enjoying it on occasion.  Her head control is getting better and better.

-We're okay to start trying her on food at any point now, but are holding off because she doesn't seem to have the tongue control down yet.

In other words she's doing all the usual four month old stuff.  Even though we've been through it before, it is still such a joy and a wonder to see her grow, interact, and learn new things everyday!