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| Posing pretty at 4 months old! |
At Lena's 4 month check-up she weighed 13 pounds and measured 24 1/8 inches long. Dr. McDavitt was impressed with her demeanor, abilities, and development. She gave us the "ok" to introduce rice cereal or oatmeal as soon as we're ready. Unfortunately Lena also had to get another round of shots, but I was so proud of her. She didn't throw up the oral Rotavirus vaccine this time, and she only cried a few minutes after the shots were given. She was sleepy and a little fussy that day, but she was in a good enough mood to dance and play when Aunt Beth and her friend Brittany came to visit that afternoon.
We've decided to hold off on introducing solid foods for a few more weeks, because I've just started supplementing Lena's "breastmilk only diet" with a few feedings of formula each day. With me returning to work soon, I've been working on getting her used to bottle feeding during the day and alternating her feedings with formula and breastmilk. I'm going to attempt to continue giving her breastmilk as long as I can, but I'll supplement a few feedings with formula to give me a little bit of a break. It took a few days for her and her tummy to adjust to the difference, but now she drinks the formula (and gets rid of it) just as well as she does with breastmilk. We have started sitting her in her high chair when we eat though, so she can get used to the idea. She is very observant of what we are doing and enjoys our family mealtimes. She sits up in it pretty well, even though the straps are still a little big for her. Here she is with Mommy's spaghetti and meatballs (prepared specially by Daddy)!
Over that past few months, we've been starting to wean Lena from being swaddled at naps and bedtimes. She has always been a GREAT sleeper, so I hated to mess with it too much. But I knew that eventually she would outgrow it, or she would be strong enough to kick the blanket loose. So we slowly started to leave one arm out of the blanket (alternating the arm being left out each time). After a few weeks of that, we left both arms out and just swaddled her legs. Then when we found out that her daycare's policy is against swaddling babies past 18 weeks (she will be 20 weeks when she goes), we decided it was time to do without the swaddling altogether and put her in bed without a blanket. It took some getting used to, but she seems to have adjusted now. We can't get over how big she looks in her bed. Now I dress her in pajamas with feet so that she doesn't get cold at night. She is such a cutie and looks so comfy in them. She really scoots around in her bed during the night, so I never know where she will be when I go in to check on her or go to get her in the morning. Overall I think she actually sleeps better now, because she sleeps later than she used to and we now skip the early morning (4:00 or 5:00 am) feeding that she was getting before. She is sleeping anywhere from 10-12 hours now! I'm curious to see how this will play out once we start day care and our schedule changes a little, but it's good to know what I can expect from her as far as sleeping and eating. We've also just started letting her "cry it out" during naps and bedtime. We've just been doing it this week, and it has by no means been easy. Some nights she is so tired, she just goes right to sleep and sleeps through the night. Other times she cries anywhere from 10-20 minutes before falling asleep, and other times she wakes throughout the night. We've heard it will help her as she gets older, so we're all for her being able to soothe herself and put herself back to sleep when she's able to. Of course we comfort her and do what we can, and she hasn't held it against us yet. So as you can see, a lot has changed with her sleeping and eating lately!
Speaking of rolling over... During tummy time with Cory and me, Lena rolled over for the first time from her back to her tummy on July 25. Cory and I were both there to see it, so we were pretty excited. Then on August 2, I was able to catch her on video rolling from her tummy to her back again. Like I said before, she isn't doing it consistently and gets pretty frustrated trying. But now that we know she can do it, we need to keep at it!
I wrote previously about how much Lena disliked riding in her car seat. So much that she had thrown up on herself a few times. We ended up buying a Baby Einstein Mirror that plays music and lights up a little to try. Lena enjoys looking at herself in the mirror, the music is soothing and entertaining, and the lights keep her from getting too bored. I'm not sure if it's the mirror or if she's growing out of that phase, but it has improved tremendously. She still cries sometimes, but not to the extent of throwing up (so far, so good).
Before our trip to Florida, Lena discovered her feet! She loves grabbing her toes and pulling them up to her chest. She still enjoys playing in her exersaucer and jumperoo. She is really jumping big in the jumperoo now, and it is so funny to watch. We added the lap bar to her swing, so now she likes moving the rings and playing with the little lamb that's attached to it. She really enjoys her swing after eating. I think it's a nice way for her to relax and let her milk settle. She is really grabbing at the objects and is so pleased with herself when she does something to make music or sounds play. She is better at grasping objects like a rattle, rings, and her taggy ducky. Of course she immediately tries to put everything in her mouth too. She is still drooling and putting her fingers in her mouth like crazy, but no teeth yet. She is loving bright colors and really gets excited and fixated on them. Lena loves music and dancing. We have dance parties every day, and she really has some cute moves!
One of the biggest changes that's ahead will be me returning to work and her starting daycare. Next Wednesday will be her first day. I have a doctor's appointment and will probably go work in my classroom, but I will be available as needed that day. Then the next day I have a half day of staff development, and the following day I have a full day of staff development. Then the next week I start back to school with kids returning the following Monday. The other day Lena and I went to her daycare to drop off her supplies and to get her (and me) used to the idea of her being there. She was all smiles and was very curious about all the new people, sights, and sounds. She even got down on the mat and played and talked with the other babies. She was just a little social butterfly, and I was so happy and proud to see her that way. I know it is going to be so hard when I actually have to leave her, but knowing that she had such a positive initial reaction makes me feel so much better. I know she is going to learn so much by being there, and we've heard wonderful things about the nurturing and loving teachers. So as you can see, this has been a month of much development and changes. I have a feeling it will be this way from now on. I hope now that I'll be returning to work that I'll be able to keep updating my posts. I guess my goal will be to continue my monthly updates along with any special events that are taking place too.
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| Helping Daddy open his presents on his birthday |
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| Singing "Happy Birthday" to Daddy |
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| Bright-eyed in her jumperoo |
