Elliott: Four Months Old

I think we can say at 4 months we have a real happy baby! Elliott has never been a big crank for me, but now she is seriously smiley, and not just for me.

Elliott still enjoys being out in public (the store or on walks in town). She is also very into her routine at home. It's more when we are at gatherings/parties when she gets cranky from overstimulation, although I think we might be nearing the end of this phase just from her attitude the past week. In public, there are distractions but no one is up in her business. She also is much happier if she is being held while you're standing (I think it's a control issue, wonder where that comes from?) Elliott still really likes the outdoors, and when the weather has cooperated she sits pretty content in the shade for a while (which means we can get yard work done!).

We've grown pretty accustomed to singing, she and I. I love singing to her and Elliott smiles loads and it is my favorite. Music is a big part of our routine.   She has had a few giggle fits and they are pretty funny! We've also tried to incorporate a little more 'play time.' She holds toys (rattles and Sophie) really well and is getting pretty good with dexterity! She can even take her pacifier in and out of her mouth and pass it from hand to hand. It's adorable to watch her eyes get wide with concentration. Also, she is constantly putting her hands in her mouth if she doesn't have a paci or toy to put in there.  It's really funny to watch her stare and move her hands slowly as if she is inspecting them with intensity. We rolled from front to back just 3 days before her 4 month birthday and can go both directions. Honestly she can almost go from back to front too.

No big changes on the eating front other than she is eating more at a time. It's not uncommon for her to eat both sides. She still spits up about once with each feeding, but pretty much only as she burps. Overall, this is much more manageable now that we've been on meds for a while and she's getting stronger, although we are phasing off of the Zantac. She is still getting happier each day because of it. She hasn't gotten many bottles the past week or two, but I give her about 3 oz when she does take one, though it takes some back and forth for her to get it down.

About the bottle thing... Remember when I said I had to work for two weeks? Yeah. That happened and it didn't go so hot. Basically, Elliott hates everyone that isn't me. I've never known a kid to have separation anxiety so young, but that is 100% what it is. She would scream bloody murder until I walked in the room like it was night and day. She wouldn't eat for anyone. No, I don't think it means I need to 'leave her more.' She will grow out of it, but this is why I stay at home. It is her personality and I don't blame her for not loving strangers.

Bedtime is still about the same, although she has been fighting me this week - head to bed about 7, nurse (if she is hungry), play music. Although a lot of times she doesn't fall asleep on her own, laying with her usually works eventually. She is a real cuddler. She searches for me with her hands, feels my face, to make sure I'm there and also I think to distract herself from sleeping. She's also still into holding my hand when she's tired which is pretty lovely, too. We have kicked the bassinet to the curb. She and I both get more restful sleep when neither of us have to move at all. (The only issue with this is that she doesn't like to be woken up for diaper changes so we have changed our sheets about 5 times in the last two weeks. We are on to the baby dry diapers now). We don't swaddle at night anymore because I thought she was getting too hot. She still sleeps great so no negative change because of it. We do loosely for naps. All naps happen in her crib, and we follow the same routine as above, except I have her in the rocking chair and she doesn't nurse to sleep unless she is overtired and super pissed. Most naps average about an hour or hour and a half :) Elliott stays awake for 1.5-2 hours between naps typically. She is easily the crankiness when she's tired, but most of the time goes to sleep pretty easily as long as she is not over tired. If it takes me 15 minutes to get her down, that's a long time. She knows being in her nursery, with music on and lights off, that it's time to sleep. I've tried putting her in her crib at bedtime but it hasn't lasted long yet. I'm not going to push being full time in the crib. We are set with crib for naps, so it will happen when she's ready.

Most carter's 3 months clothes have been put away and we are on to 6 months. And I've noticed that 3-6 month clothes for gap and old navy are even larger than carter's 6 month! I still have a few 0-3 month dresses out in those brands. I think for the most part she is average baby size, and very proportional. We have been in size 2 diapers for over a month and should be good for a while in them.

I still think she is the cutest little peanut and am loving watching her grow.