Ellie is 4 months old!

Oh sweet Ellie... you are 4 months old!  

Hoppy seems to have shrunken in the wash this month.

At your pediatrician appointment, you were not happy at all!  You screamed almost the entire time, and although you gave us a break while you were soothed by a bottle, your brother's swift kick to your head sent you into hysterics again.  (He was strapped into the stroller while I held you and talked with your doctor, and I think he just wanted to see if he could reach you with his foot!)

You surprised us this month with your growth stats:

Weight: 14 lbs 3 oz, 65th percentile

Height: 25 1/2 inches, 90th percentile!!

Head circumference: 16 1/2, 75th percentile

You are a great eater and I thought you seemed to suddenly outgrow your 0-3 month sleepers this month.  6 month clothes are still a touch big on you, but the length fits you perfectly!

 

You are the happiest baby I have ever known.  When I come to get you out of your crib anytime you have been sleeping, you open your mouth wide in a smile and laugh out loud at the sight of me!  Your joy is amazing and it makes me feel like the luckiest mommy on earth.  Your smile is beautiful and wide, and it makes you squint your eyes (like I do) and at the end of a particularly big grin you shut your eyes completely.  You love to bat your eyes at us, too.  You are so feminine and sweet, it cracks me up.  You are too young to have learned any of this, and so I figure you will prove to be a girly-girl as you grow up.  You never seem to mind the hair bows I put on you!?

Ellie you are precious to us.  You are endearing and even your brother cannot resist your charms.  He has taken to kissing you on the head multiple times each day, without my prompting.  He loves you so much!  He always tries to help me feed you bottles, burp you, and shush you when you cry by saying "Honey, it's OK!".  He gets sad when you cry and laughs when you laugh.  I hope you will grow up with a special affection for one another.

And just to document your level of activity - you easily follow objects or people around you with your eyes and by turning your head.  You reach for toys and grab onto them, often pulling them towards your mouth.  You try to hold your bottles, too!  We have just switched you to a faster-flow bottle nipple (stage 2) and although you are happy to fill your belly quicker, you are still getting used to how quickly the milk is gone (usually crying for a minute or two at the end, thinking I'm depriving you of the last of your bottle!)  You are a thumb sucker and you put yourself to sleep for naps and bedtime by sucking your thumb.  You love to suck on your own tongue and lips during the day too.  You  have been experimenting with your little voice - you like to yell and also make low crackly sounds with it, in addition to the usual cooing.  You can push yourself up when you're lying on your tummy, and you arch your back when you're lying face up in an attempt to begin to roll over.  Your older brother makes it difficult for you to spend a whole lot of time on the floor (I fear for your safety!) and so you are often in my arms or in a bouncy seat.  I'm beginning to take advantage of Robbie's long midday naps by playing on the floor with you then!

Happy 4 month birthday, Ellie!  We love you so much.