I was doing okay with Kate turning 4 months old. I really was. I received her 4 month onesie in the mail–my favorite so far!–and was actually starting to look forward to the day I got to put it on her. But then it came and G was all, “Four months is a third of a year.”
NOOOO!! STOP GROWING UP SO FAST!!!
But before we get too far into her fourth month, here’s a look back at all she learned and did at three months old:
I’ve been taking monthly pictures of her next to her teddy bear to track her growth, and here she is on her 3 month birthday:
One of the things I love about this picture is her hands. She continues to be in love with them and spends most of her awake time with them clasped together. I love that this picture captures that so well.
Kate started daycare earlier this month (age month, not calendar month) which just makes everything fly by so much faster. I swear she grows by leaps and bounds between 7:30am when I kiss her goodbye and 5:00pm when I race in the door and scoop her back up in my arms. Kate has adjusted incredibly well to daycare. (Her mom? Not so much. But this is about Kate so I’ll save my story for another day.) She seems to really love her daycare provider (“Miss Debb”), and is already taking an interest in the other little kids which is fun to see. She currently goes there four days per week and Grandma Pam (G’s mom) comes to our house on the 5th day for some Kate & Grandma time which is so nice.
Over this past month Kate has been a rockstar with her “tummy time.” We put her down on her tummy and she kicks and wiggles and lifts and grunts–she works so hard! She has this inchworm move where she pulls both knees in, sticks her little tush in the air, and then pushes off. She’s not covering much ground yet, but I’m guessing it won’t be long. When she was 14 weeks old she accidentally rolled over during some pretty rowdy tummy time action. It happened so fast that I couldn’t believe it! One second she was on her belly and next she was on her back looking up at me like, “How the hell did THAT happen??”
And then she burst into tears.
Since then she’s been a little more cautious with her tummy time, but is getting a bit more courageous when she’s playing on her back. She’s starting to use her legs to turn to her side, but that’s all the farther she’s willing to go at this point. She probably needs a few good hours of trauma therapy before attempting a full-blow roll over again.
Kate is taking more of an interest in her toys and is beginning to reach out and grab for things if they are closely within reach. Right now she loves these little barnyard animal clip toys she got from my coworker Robin (the “funky chicken” is her favorite) and her little puppy toy/blanket which was a gift from our friends Kadi & Jeff. I have a feeling the puppy might turn into her must-have toy, but we’ll see!
One of our favorite developments over this past month has been hearing Kate laugh. For quite a while she’s been giving us laughs, but they’ve been one little laughing sound at a time. Now she’s starting to string them together for actual laughter. It is the most amazing sound in the world! Kissing and blowing on her little belly is what usually gets the laughs going so we’ve been doing that A LOT.
A sound we’re not quite as crazy about is this high-pitched squeal Kate has recently discovered. This kid has an upper register even Mariah Carey would envy. Of course she just thinks it’s the funniest thing and will make these high-pitched squeals and shrieks over and over again while G searches for the earplugs and I silently plead, “Please don’t let that be her regular voice, please don’t let that be her regular voice…”
Kate’s feedings have been going pretty well and we think, hope, and pray that we have her reflux under control. We introduced her to her highchair earlier this month and plan to have her sit at the table with us during dinnertime, but of course this means we need to have an ACTUAL SEATED DINNER sometime before 9:00pm and right now that’s about as rare as sleeping in and using real swear words.
Speaking of sleep, Kate is sleeping really well at night. She still wakes up for a middle of the night feeding more often than not, but we typically have a couple of nights per week where she sleeps all the way through, so she’s getting there! Of course I’m still at that crazy stage where the middle of the night feedings don’t bother me one bit. I enjoy that quiet time with Kate and sometimes find myself just rocking and staring at her long after she’s finished her bottle and fallen back asleep. I’m sure before long the middle of the night feedings will either start to wear on me or she’ll no longer need them so I’m just trying to savor them as long as I can.
Two more “firsts” finish out Kate’s fourth month of life: She got her first cold, but luckily it was nothing major–just a congested nose. She was one week shy of four months old when it hit and we felt pretty lucky that she’d managed to stay healthy for so long! This month also marked my first Mother’s Day which really meant a lot to me. G and his parents pampered me with such a wonderful day, but my favorite gift was a homemade card Kate made at daycare with Miss Debb. It said “Thank you for being the best mommy in the whole world! Love, Kate” and was stamped with her little footprint. It’s amazing how something so simple can mean so much! It is something I will treasure and keep forever.
I’m guessing this is how hoarding starts?
Who Wants to Talk About Boobs?
Mommy Kisses
Family Pictures
Returning to Work: Part 1
Returning to Work: Part 2
I got a really awful piece of “art” that George “made” at daycare for mother’s day…. it is hideous, but one of my most prized possessions!
Ugh! Look at those little piggies! She is just absolutley beautiful! Love hearing about her Glad all is well!
Kate is so adorable! Isn’t hearing them laugh the best?!
4 months is actually 1/3 of a year…which might freak you out a bit more.
She is SO cute!! Happy 4 months!
I love these updates! My little one just turned a year old and it’s so fun to relive all these fun little firsts with you and your sweet little girl!
I was wondering if you were going back to work or not. I’m glad that you are. I’m sure daycare is good for you and her both… even though she’s growing like a weed!
I agree with you too, that onesie is my fav so far!
Not to make you even MORE anxious about her growing up, but your hubby’s math is a little off – 4 months is not 1/4 of a year (that was last month)…it’s 1/3 of a year. 😉
She’s adorable, by the way.
Ah yes, one-third of a year–that is what I meant (and what G said), lol! I’ll fix my typo now, thanks for the catch!
OMG, she is getting more and more adorable each day (how is that possible?)………..loving her little baby feet. And those eyes!! Gorgeous.
She gets cuter and cuter all the time- love the pictures!
Aw! Happy 4 months Kate! I agree – love that shirt! And Happy First Mother’s Day! Thanks for sharing Kate’s 4th month with us!
Oh she is just too cute for words! And the actual seated dinner part? You will get there- I promise!
Aw, your first Mother’s Day. Love it! And you are a wonderful mommy. So thorough too! Puts me to shame. But I know EXACTLY what you mean about savoring the time. With our first, I was always antsy for the next stage–roll over! crawl! talk! walk! But with our little one (almost 9 months), I am so much more at ease. Don’t grow up fast, baby.
jbhat
she is so darn cute!!!! It’s amazing how much she’s changed already. That’s awesome she’s sleeping thru the night a couple nights a week already! And I’m glad her feedings are getting back to normal. So fun to hear of all her firsts!!
Absolutely adorable – both of you! Happy belated first mothers day!!!
xo
It totally reminds me a little puppy (stay with me…it’s the closest thing I have to relate to a baby…) who stumbles upon the roll over thing. HIlarious. She’s SO beautiful!!
Thank you so much for all your kind words everyone!