Four months old...fabulous four months!
I used to joke {actually I was pretty serious} that I would really like to just give birth to a four month old. Skip that whole newborn thing. Well, Lucy certainly changed my mind about that one. Her newborn months, minus the sleep deprivation, were heavenly.
But truly, I feel like four months is the start of something...well, special. It's when babies are "ready to be born" according to Dr Karr, anyway, author of Happiest Baby On The Block. And in my experience that seems pretty accurate.
Lucy is much more a part of this family than ever. She is getting personality {which is a catch 22...more on that later} and she gets the whole sleeping thing.
Yes, I love four months. And I am the happiest Mommy on the block to finally be here.
Eat
This past month has proven to be an interesting one in the way of eating {among other things}. Lucy is still on a 3 hour schedule during the day eating five times a day. She still makes it a full 12-13 hours at night, but something else has happened.
I wish I could pin point it exactly. So hard to do when you are nursing. But, I think she may have had a growth spurt somewhere in there. She ate like a mad woman {or more accurately like Jack as a newborn} for nearly a week. I could hardly keep the little one satisfied. In addition to that, her naps were rough. Then a few days later, she was sleeping...sleeping...sleeping. Must have been a growth spurt. I certainly can see it clearer now in retrospect.
On top of that, at about 3 1/2 months I started having some issues with my milk supply. This has never happened so early to me and actually never even happened with Jack. I blame it on the bussiness of being a mother of three and the holiday season. After a lot of internet research, I realized I hadn't been drinking enough water, eating enough, or resting properly...again it's that whole mother of three thing. Feed the kids and keep them alive, but totally forget about yourself in the meantime. Not a good route to take.
So, I started chugging water, munching all day,
trying to rest more often and take the herb, Fenugreek. Within two days, I felt that all was back to normal. Lucy was happy and I felt relieved that I could provide for my baby again.
I have, however, started supplementing my little piggie with a 2 oz formula bottle before bed. I just can't seem to satisfy her appetite at that feeding.
This next month will hopefully be spent making the adjustment to the four hour schedule. I seriously can not wait. I think I may hear angels sing when we make the change. It will be a gradual one. I'm pretty confident Lucy isn't quite ready. But I'm holding out hope that she will be soon.
Activity
Here is my Catch 22. Let me preface with...I love Lucy.
Okay, so my sweet content one has become a bit more demanding this past month {it's all relative though...Lucy's demanding is actually rather pleasant}.
On one end she is a chatter box and I adore it! She will literally talk your ear off. I can hardly get a word in sometimes. Her favorite place to do this is on the changing table. She rambles on and on while staring contently at my face. It is the absolute sweetest sound. Mmmm...love baby babble {especially when it's my baby}.
The other side is if I even turn away for a second, she is yelling at me. And yelling is not an exaggeration. It's literally a commanding voice with more babble. As if to say, "hey, give me your attention...and all of it".
I have also found that Lucy is no longer quite as content with a quiet playtime. She wants it all. The noise, the big kids running around and in her face, the dog barking, people everywhere. She definitely prefers action and her precious giggle box is on when it's all going on.
If there isn't any action, Lucy usually lets me know. We find Jack and Maggie {and the noise that come with them} and little Lu is content again...soaking it all in. So different from my other kids at this age.
So to sum it up, her favorite activity is being with the family. Even if that means being in Daddy's arms while he chases the big kids around the house. So much more fun than sitting in a bouncy seat.
However, Lucy still loves some of her old staples like her playmat and walks. Tummy time has taken a back seat, she prefers to be sitting up {I have to be careful about that one}. Happily, she has found some new interests, as well. One being books. I love that she loves books. She stares wide eyed while grabbing pages and babbling. She's also trying to master her grabbing skills. She's reaching out and trying her hardest to grasp toys, burp cloths, my hair...my skin {ouch} and anything else she can get her sweet paws on. Lucy is having some success but it's not 100% yet.
Once she does get a hold of something it goes straight to her mouth {such a Jack move}. I have been here before, so it's safe for me to say, I'm not so thrilled about that part. And if she doesn't have an object in her mouth, she's got her hands. It's either her thumb {yep, another thumb sucker}, two fingers, or her whole fist.
The one thing I can say that hasn't changed too much is her over all demeanor. Lucy is still an absolute lovely child. She gets compliments from everyone, "is she always like this, so calm?" The answer is mostly "yes", but sometimes "no". And when a "no" does happen, I usually can resolve the problem pretty quickly and she's back to sweet Lu.
I feel extremely blessed in this department. And at the same time, can't wait to see what her personality brings at four months.
As for her optimal wake time, it has slightly increased. She's at about 60 minutes for her first two wake times and from there on out closer to 45-50 minutes. This is one of those reasons that I'm holding off on that four hour schedule. I plan to add about 5 minutes of wake time to each activity period as we make the gradual shift to the four schedule. Wish me luck.
Sleep
I am happy to say, not much has changed in the area of sleep. Lucy is still a great napper {minus that little hiccup week we had} and she is even better at night. She literally never looked back after that first night of 12 hours and I love her for it.
Yes, God blessed me with great sleepers and great baby expert authors to help me get them there.
Lucy still takes three full naps a day {around 2 hours} and one short 40 min catnap at the end of the day. She then sleeps at night from 7:30 pm to 8:00 am. And believe it or not, I generally have to wake her at 8:00 am.
The only real change has been her sleep prep. Instead of the 4 S's {swaddle, set the stage, sit, & shush/pat}, we are down to 2 S's. As of 10 weeks Lucy found her hands, therefore I started with a one arm swaddle, from there we went to a two arm out swaddle, and then got rid of it all together by 3 months. I have since exchanged it for a sleep sack. Lucy also out grew the "sit" part of the 4 S's. In some ways that broke my heart, in other ways I found it nice to be able to lay her down for a nap quicker {especially with two other little ones waiting in the wings}. And as for the shush/pat, we only used that as needed, and we are surely done with that one.
In the way of sleep, she is showing a few signs of needing a four schedule, but like I mentioned previously, I'm not sure that we are quite there. My goal is to get through the holidays and then make the gradual shift. I'm hoping we will be there by five months and can cut one of these naps out. Hallelujah for that day!
Stats
Height 13lbs 7oz 60%
Weight 25" 75%
Although Lucy's weight percentile has decreased a bit, her doctor was not concerned. I, however, panicked after having that milk supply issue. But the doctor chalked it up to Lucy getting on her "normal" growth curve. Translation...she wasn't expecting her to be a big girl her entire life {per genetics}. I have to admit, part of me was relieved, I don't want my baby girl to be as "sturdy" as Jack. But, on the flip side, I was certainly concerned. I'm thinking once we start rice cereal next month, she will plump back up.
Even with her new measurements, I still consider her a big baby. With yummy rolls from head to toe...delish!
Lucy is regulary wearing size 6 months. If it's a combo size, she can fit into a few 3-6 m items {like cardigans etc.) But, mostly we go up a size, especially in anything one piece or pants. She is totally ready for a size 2 diaper. I am just waiting to finish up this last box of size 1. I am having to change her diaper before and after nap now {which totally defeats the purpose of trying to not waste diapers}.
Lucy still favors Maggie, but is definitely becoming her own. Clay calls her our "dark baby". Ha!, I didn't think that was possible. But, I am starting to question if Lucy is going to be a blondie. Maggie had dark hair too until she was nearly seven months old so I'm not ready to make the call on that one. Not to mention, Lucy has the most hair out of any of the kids at this age, so it's a hard comparison. Clay also thinks she has the darkest eyes of any of them. Not so sure about that either.
Maybe it's this motherly infatuation...but, I don't seem to care what she has. I think Lucy is absolutely stunning just the way she is. Add her undying affection, contagious giggle, and her sweet demeanor and well, she's just perfect in my book.
Clearly, I'm not the only one who thinks she is perfect. Lucy's two biggest fans {following a close second behind me}...
We love you Little Lu! You are our "super baby" {she's earned this nickname due to her incredible strength...her DR was even amazed}!
