Our girl is now over 4 months old and it's incredible how much she has changed since her arrival. I enjoy my days with her so much, I truly couldn't have known that motherhood would be so totally amazing!
Elliotte's Size:
My girl is still pretty little. At her appointment this week she weighed 12 pounds 6 ounces which puts her in the 15th percentile, such a little girl. The pediatrician has been watching her weight gain because it has been so slow but as of this week she said she has no concerns about her. She's happy, and growing (although not quickly), ACTIVE, and demanding. The doc mentioned that since she is so active she is most likely just not able to keep weight on, I wish I had the same problem...
Everything was put into perspective this week when we visited 2 brand new babies, fresh out of the NICU (both premies), they are SO LITTLE, which makes Elliotte look HUGE!
Developments:
Well this girl just does not stay still! On Friday November 23rd, Elliotte rolled from belly to back. I thought it was strange how long it took her considering she rolled the other way at 2 months. Now tummy time is basically a joke since she INSTANTLY rolls over the second I place her on her stomach.
We got Elliotte a Jolly Jumper and she LOVES it. She loves to just hop around and usually lasts about 15 minutes before she loses interest. It has allowed me to be able to actually get some things done around the house.
This girl is always wanting to know what's going on in the world. Ever since she was about a month old she has wanted to be held facing outward. She is always looking around staring at everyone and everything. Ben gets frustrated because she really won't snuggle anymore. The only time she lets you hold her close it to nurse and even then she's flailing her arms and legs about. I'm downright petrified for how she's going to be once she starts walking.....
Ellie is almost sitting. She will sit for about 10-15 seconds before she wavers and topples over. I don't think it will be too many months before she is a good little sitter.
Well, I have now kissed any good night rest goodbye...Ellie seems to have regressed. She wakes up every 1.5 hours and will just cry, sometimes I'll feed her to sleep and then the second I place her in the bassinet she starts to wail. Last night I ended up just sleeping in the bed in her room with her next to me since I could not get her to sleep on her own. I'm very perplexed as to whats going on. She went from 9 hour stretches to this. Does anyone have any advice or ideas as to what I can do? I'm starting to feel like a zombie, not to mention a bad mother....
In more fun news...Elliotte has now discovered Rose the Pug. She will look at her and just laugh as Rose runs circles around her. Now that she's reaching for things if Rose is within reaching distance Elliotte just grabs for whatever she can grasp. Luckily, Rose the Pug is easy going and doesn't get angry when she has her eyeballs fondled.
Interesting Tidbits:
- We went to 'Movies for Mommy' at the theatre last week, which is nice in the sense that we got out, but once there I realized that it isn't for us. First of all the movie that was showing was pretty violent which doesn't make sense to me seeing as there are kids there... and secondly, Elliotte wanted to stand, squirm, laugh, squeal and bounce all over the place for the entirety of the movie... yes, I was 'that mom', you know, the one that can't control her baby.
- Now that Ellie isn't sleeping so much at night she seems to be having better naps and I'm loving having a little more time to get things done. I've noticed that she doesn't nap if we are out and about so I have been trying to stay home more during the days and it is LOVELY. (I also like the idea of staying out of the Christmas hustle and bustle, it is a well known fact that I don't like Christmas, maybe I'll go into why in a later post)
- We are hosting 2 parties this weekend and my house is a DISASTER, hopefully Ellie will sleep for me today so that I can get ready.
- Ellie is at an awkward stage where she is too long for a lot of her 0-3 month clothes but is wayyy to skinny to fit into her 3-6 month stuff. Her clothes either look nice and fitted with her limbs just too long, or they fit in length and she is swallowed by the width of them.
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| She has found her feet and it's impossible to keep them out of her mouth. |
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| Chillin' out in her Jolly Jumper |
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| Found a rare moment of her happy on her tummy |
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| Carseat smiles! |
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| This is her 'I'm ready for a nap' face. |
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| Of course we need a picture of Rose the Pug! |
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| And we can't forget the people who are usually behind the camera. My parents took Ellie while Ben and I made a quick dash to Costco the other night, it's funny how even just grocery shopping can feel like a date now. |
Aw, she sounds so much like my baby! I would recommend not worrying about the weight thing too. Jane was 12 lbs 4 oz at 4 months - and born weighing 9 pounds. My older daughter was like 11 lbs at 6 weeks so it's been an adjustment for me to not worry about this baby being so little. I did worry at first. But I think now that we can trust that as long as they're alert, active, and happy, which it sounds like Ellie is, and not LOSING weight, that they're growing at the rate they're supposed to grow at.
ReplyDeleteAs for the sleep ... I am sorry to say that I don't think 9-hour stretches are very common for breastfed babies at this age, so unfortunately that may have just been a stage. :S Hard to say though. Maybe this new waking thing is just a stage (teething? new milestones like sitting/rolling?). But my (5-month-old) baby is just like that - waking every 1.5 to 2 hours at night. This is why I co-sleep. Or maybe it's because I co-sleep. ;) But either way, it works for us. You could consider co-sleeping if you aren't getting enough sleep with the current plan. And goodness, you're not a bad mother! You are in tune with her and gave her what she needed, which was to be close to you that night for whatever reason. So good job!
Baby sleep is like a world in itself ... it's a mystery. But to be honest, the one thing I have found that helps them sleep, in our case, is to be close to Mommy. And once I got used to that, I got a lot more sleep, too. But hopefully others will chip in different ideas too, because that is just my $0.02.
Love the pics!!