Aelah Grace: 4 Months

Hi there everybody!

So little Miss Aelah actually turned 4 months one week ago.  But I wanted to wait for her check up to get her weight and height! I know I say this every single time but she is growing way too fast.  Thankfully, now that we have adjusted *somewhat* to having a baby and the holidays are behind us, things have seemed to slow down just a little.  The first 3 months literally flew by like a whirlwind.  But the last month has been a little slower.  It has been nice.

And I looooooove looking at the world upside down!

How am I Growing?

Well, our height seems to have slowed down for the time being.  She is 26ish inches long which puts her in the 98th percentile, which is still crazy!  But we were literally off the chart last time!  Her weight, on the other hand is climbing the charts, she is in the 78th percentile for weight at 15 lbs and 9oz and we used to be pretty average running between the 50th and 56th percentile.  I think all that is weight is in her chubby little thighs.  :P

And just a few days before she turned 4 months we moved into her 6-9 month clothes!!  She is just too long.  ;)

First day in her new wardrobe.

What's New?

She has become extremely aware of her surroundings.  She reaches for everything and plays with all of her toys (her favorite of which, is this awesome crinkle paper).  She discovered if she kicks the pole on her play mat that the toys move.  It is so neat to watch her process and try to do things.  She concentrates SO hard.  We can't help but giggle when she gets a little frustrated and her face gets red with effort. 

Laughing still isn't a regular thing but she laughs for real every once in awhile.  It melts my heart every single time.

She rolled from her belly to her back a couple of times.  Though I know its a fluke because she hates being stuck on her belly and can't figure out how to roll to her back.  She tries though!

And she is so much more jumpy now.  And if she is really scared her lip sticks waaaaaay out and then she starts to cry.  It is so cute and so sad.

How are we sleeping?

She sleeps just like her daddy - hands behind her head and elbows straight out.  Hopefully she breaks this habit before she has to share a bed with anyone.  :P

She sleeps better than I do.  But then, I've never really slept super well.  She has "regressed" a little bit...which is typical around 4 months.  But really it isn't regressing, she is developing.  She just now started having actual sleep cycles and her bone development is taking off right now which means she is much hungrier than she used to be.  I could start giving her cereal or rice at this point, and the doctor even recommended it today, but we decided before she was born that we would exclusively breastfeed until 6 months.  

There is some research that seems to indicate that early foods can lead to stomach issues later on in life because babies have what is called an "open gut" until 6 months.  Essentially, from what I understand, this means that the stomach and digestive system is more permeable than what ours is so that nutrients from breastmilk can get to the blood stream more quickly.  I'm not 100% convinced that early food could have a negative effect later in life.  BUT, I struggled with some severe stomach issues during my college years and ended up being diagnosed with gastroparesis.  Most cases are caused by an auto-immune disorder or diabetes.  But I fell into the small percentage of cases in which they aren't sure why or how it started.  Because of what I went through, I don't want to risk anything that might lead to her having tummy troubles.  Especially if she is already prone to them genetically which could be the case since they don't know where my stomach problems started.  

Since I know she is getting everything she needs in breast milk, I can deal with getting up a couple of times a night to feed her until we are ready to give her solids...especially since I don't sleep well anyways.  I feel like it's a small sacrifice in the grand scheme of things and the right choice for us.

So if you see me walking around like a zombie, just pat me on the back and remind me that 6 months isn't all that far away.

However...teeth will certainly become a factor soon and who knows what that will do to her sleep patterns.  :P

And one more cute picture just for the fun of it:

Because who doesn't love a baby ninja??  ;)