4 months old

Baby Sister is now 4 months old. I will try not to be all cheesy here and talk about how I can't believe it and I feel like she was born last week...even though that is exactly the way I feel!

Fun Facts:

Weight: 12 lbs 5 oz.

Length: 23 3/4 inches

She is cooing up a storm and loves to sing/talk to you. She imitates the sounds you make and it is so darn cute!! Two days ago she laughed for the first time. It was so funny. She did it and then her eyes got really big like "Whoa, what was that?" She did it several more times each time realizing that it was actually her making the sound. She has now rolled over from tummy to back, so she is able to roll both ways and does so pretty often during the day. I am having to really strap her in to the bouncy seat these days and may have to stop using them all together soon. She keeps contracting her abs and semi sitting up. She can't do it when flat on the floor, but the bucket seat shape of bouncy seats make it a little easier for her. She has been grasping at objects for a couple of weeks now. She loves her play mat with balls and links dangling from it. She can sit and reach for them and tug on them for up to a half hour sometimes.

Her disposition is still just super laid back and easy going. She is very much like her brother was at this age. She does tend to fight naps a bit, but that is generally the only time she fusses. Usually I have to put her in the swing for naps. She cries and then I just sit in front of her and talk to her or try to make her smile. Eventually she gets so mesmerized by what I am doing that she gets quiet and eventually is rocked to sleep by the swing. I worry about her using the swing as a sleeping "crutch" but we are just doing what works for now. When she is about 6 months then I will start putting her down for naps in her bed. She will be old enough for a little bit of crying it out by then.

She is still pretty much exclusively nursing except for the occasional bottle once or twice a week. I am really shocked that I have been able to do it this long. It is so much easier though than my experience with Anderson. She is a little on the petite side though...well actually she is quite tiny. Her weight and height are both in the 20th to 25th percentile. My pediatrician isn't too concerned, but is keeping an eye on it. She suggested adding an extra feeding. Up until now, Lydia typically ate 4 times a day with a possible bonus feeding on some days. She said just to make that bonus feeding more of a staple than a bonus and we should see improvement in the next weigh-in 2 months from now. I am also a little concerned about my milk supply, so I'll probably be calling the lactation specialist at the hospital soon.

Her schedule is always evolving. To be quite honest I am really struggling to make it all work. Anderson has to be taken to and from school and be supervised and feed lunch and dinner all the while Lydia needs five feedings and two naps. Trying to schedule it all to be timed just right literally required me putting pen to paper to map it all out. I had to make sure Lydia's naps are timed in such a way that I can go get Anderson from school. So our schedule is getting to be somewhat like this...

7:00 am- Jeff is up with Anderson and I am up with Lydia. We both feed them breakfast respectively. Jeff jumps in shower and gets ready for work while I get Anderson dressed and groomed.

8:00 am- Jeff is leaving for work and taking Anderson to preschool. I am entertaining Lydia while I get dressed and ready for the day.

9:00 am- Lydia goes down for morning nap and sleeps for two hours..we hope!

11:30 am- Nurse Lydia

12:00 pm- Leave to go get Anderson from preschool

12:40 pm- Arrive home and put Anderson down for nap.

1:15 pm- Nurse Lydia and she goes down for her afternoon nap.

3:00- Anderson up from nap; snack time; some sort of activity.

5:00- Lydia up from her nap and nursed.

5:30- Daddy is home. Eat dinner.

7:30- Begin bedtime routine for Anderson (bath, storytimes, etc..)

8:15- Anderson goes to bed. Lydia is nursed and put to bed.

*****and during all of that there is laundry, dishes, grocery shopping, etc...

I do not see how people with more than two kids do it!!!