Letter to Lizzy- Four Months

Dear Lizzy,

Today you are officially 4 months old, and what a fun time it is! You are starting to get really expressive and fun--you also like to talk, and are constantly babbling away, especially in the car. You also enjoy screaming (happily) at the top of your lungs, and when you do, you sound a lot like a squeak toy. Sometimes, when you're playing with Sophie the giraffe, I can't tell if it's her or you who is making noise.

You have mastered rolling from your back to your belly, but you haven't been rolling from belly to back very much. I'm not sure if you have forgotten (because you used to do it constantly) or if you just prefer to be on your belly. Either way, you spend a lot of time on your belly taking in the world. Just in the last few days you've also started to pull your knees up to your chest and stick your bottom up in the air. I'm sure one of these days I'm going to catch you sleeping like that.

Speaking of sleeping, you aren't really sleeping through the night anymore, and that has been a bit of an adjustment for me. I'm just not used to getting up every hour anymore! And apparently you've decided that naps are for babies and you aren't a baby anymore--because I'm not getting many of those either. I will lay you down in your crib, but I can usually just hear you playing around. I'm hoping that you're just about to hit a developmental milestone of some sort, and that's what's causing the little to no sleep.

Your coordination has really been improving--you reach for toys that you're interested in, and are great at grabbing them and bringing them to your mouth! Everything goes in your mouth right now, and you're doing lots and lots of chewing. I haven't seen a tooth pop in so far, but I think I can feel one popping through on the top. We'll have to ask the doctor when we go in for your 4 month shots tomorrow.

Over the weekend, you had your first formula bottle--I was photographing a wedding with Kaitlin's dad and hadn't pumped enough to feed you all day. Your dad said that you took it very well (and he did an awesome job staying with you all day), and when I got home, you still latched right on with me. We still plan to stick to breastfeeding as your primary source of food, but it's nice to know that you will take a formula bottle too. I think you just like food in general--you often try to steal food off my plate. Maybe it's about time to start introducing a few solids into the mix!

Overall, you're just a lot of fun baby girl. Sometimes I may be cranky from being tired, but I'm trying hard to still put on a fun face for you, because I know you're not keeping me up all night just for kicks. But I'm not perfect, so there may be times when I have a short fuse and don't have the patience to let you wiggle and squirm during diaper changes. Or to play the "pick up" game with your pacifier over and over again. I hope you know that even during those times when my patience is thin, I love you more than anything. And there is nothing in this world that you could do to make me love you any less.

Forever and for always,
Mom