four months

As in a quarter of a year. As in 17 weeks. As in 123 days (I can't believe we used to tell people how many days old she was, and now we are in months). My baby is growing up.

I keep saying that Ryann has turned into a 'real baby' this month. That sounds a little weird, she hasn't really been a 'newborn' per say for a while, but she just seems so much older. She is getting so strong, and definitely has quite the personality. She is growing like crazy. At the doctor's office she weighed in at 13 pounds 15 ounces, and measured 24.75 inches long. She is still jumping up the growth charts. She was in somewhere like the 9th in weight when she was born, and now she has made it all the way to the 55th. She is in the 64th percentile for length. Her head is still on the small side in the 22nd percentile, but she looks normal, so we will go with that :o).

This week I had to put away the 0-3 clothing. My little peanut who was swimming in newborn clothing just a couple months ago, is fitting comfortably into most of her 3-6 month outfits. Some of the dresses still look ridiculous, but the onesies and pants are great. She also just about done with the size one diapers. She needs twos!! And as of yesterday we are offering her five ounces of formula in her bottle roughly every three hours.

Skill wise, this month Ryann has done a lot. She has gained much better control of her hands and arms. She loves trying to sit and stand, even though she isn't the greatest at it just yet. Ry learned to roll from her back to her tummy, and has pretty much perfected it over the last couple of days. Also her feet are a fun new toy.

Sleep still isn't a strong point in this house. We transitioned Ry to the crib for naps... before she was taking three naps a day, lasting anywhere from an hour or two each in the swing. Now we get four to five thirty minute naps in the crib. That is definitely a step up from the ten minutes she would last in the crib only a couple weeks ago, but it is so tempting to let her sleep in the swing. Lets face it, I enjoy the break, and she is just a happier kid when she sleeps.

Night time also has its ups and downs. This week for example? One night she slept from 7:20pm to 6:45am (woohoo party!), another night she woke up at 3am for a bottle and went right back to sleep until 6:30am. Not as good as an all nighter, but alright. Last night? Last night was horrible. She went down at 7:45pm, woke up at 11:15pm but went back to sleep with a paci, woke up at 12:45am for a bottle and went right back to sleep, woke up at 3:30am because she busted out of her swaddle but I soothed her back to sleep, and wanted to be up for good at 5am.

Lately we've been trying to go for walks, and Ry generally seems to enjoy it. I can't wait for it to cool off just a bit, so we can really enjoy them. Usually she looks around, but the other night she stared at the side of the stroller pretty much the whole time. Silly girl :o).

Probably my most favorite thing that Ryann started doing this month? Laughing. I have waited so long to hear a real laugh from my baby girl, and it is an amazing sound. A bit goofy, and very hard to get, but when I can squeeze a laugh out of her it makes my day. Check it out:

Even though some days are tough, and I often count the hours until Chris comes home and I can get a five minute break, I love being a mommy to my little four month old baby. Ry is awesome. I absolutely love her to pieces.