Olivia - 4 Months

Stats?
Weight: 12 lbs 2 oz (10%)
Height/Length: 24 in (25%)
Head: 15.5 in (5%)
Clothing Size: 3 months
Diaper Size: Size 1 (for now)

How is she sleeping?
Put simply, it seems like she is sleeping randomly.  We still frequently get one 4-5 hour stretch at night, resulting in only having to get up once.  But, sometimes, it's every 3-4 hours as the result of gas or growth spurts (we figure).  Ugh - do not like those nights.  We did eliminate what I dub "the top off feeding" where I would wake her up just before we went to bed for a last feeding, so that is some of our adjustment.  The bedtime routine has gotten better and she goes down a little easier now.  Naps are definitely the big improvement this month.  I can usually get a good one hour nap in the crib in the morning and a couple hours in the afternoon in the crib.  How hard I have to work for that varies, but I'll take it.  She probably needs a little more sleep than that, but she'll grow out of it, so oh well. 

How is she eating?
No change.  She still nurses regularly, roughly every 3 hours like most babies her age.  She takes a bottle periodically and does okay with it, but my previous impression that she prefers breast milk is spot-on as she has refused a bottle from a caregiver at least once and will only take a couple of ounces warmed up from Brian.  That is so very different from Naomi, who would happily take a bottle anytime, from almost anyone, and at any temp.  I would say we need to work on the bottle thing, but at this point, I figure I'll just wait a few months and work on the sippy cup thing instead. 

Doctor Visit
It went well.  She checked out great - right on her growth curves and even a slight uptick in height (I'm sure that's a fluke).  She did great with her shots, crying only briefly until I picked her up and soothed her.  Naomi also did much better this time.  She started to stress, so I lifted her up to watch the doctor examine Olivia more closely and explained that the doctor was using a "Mouseketool" to listen to baby sister's heartbeat, thump thump.  She was satisfied and resumed exploring the exam room and all of it's unlocked cabinets and drawers.  Which brings me to a question.  This is my second pediatrician and it was the same with both - why, oh why, are none of the lower cabinets and drawers childproofed?  This would make visits so much less stressful for me, especially now that I have two in tow. 

What new tricks does she do?
More smiling.  More giggling.  And, now a broad range of noises that have formed into her own unique baby babble.  She does good solid push-ups.  She rolls over tummy to back, but sometimes refuses to do so now.  She has been working on going the other way, but still gets stuck on that arm.  We'll see if she figures it out anytime soon. 

General Observations?
She's still a cutie and has developed an adorable little peach fuzz on her head.  You may notice that we had a hard time getting a picture where she didn't have her hand in her mouth.  She may be teething or she may just really like her hands, but it's kinda cute.  She is getting so much more interactive and her little personality is starting to come out.  In fact, she loves being talked to, tickled, etc.  It just lights her up.  She seems to hate riding in the car, but I recall Naomi being the same way at this age.  She's also in that phase where she doesn't want to be in her infant carrier at restaurants but she can't sit up in a high chair yet, so she complains a bit.  Lots more changes are coming... it's an exciting world. 

Until next time... Enjoy!