Annie is 4 Months Old!
I know.. I did a double take too.
The girl is growing and changing so much!! I feel like she will be in kindergarten before I know it. As much as it pains me to watch her grow, I am so glad that she is indeed growing! She has become such a joy (not that she wasnt before) - and is so much fun! Annie is becoming quite social and loves to interact with us. She likes to goo and coo and talk up a storm! She is a wiggly little girl and will kick and kick and squirm and worm on her play mat! The girl loves to read and will sit on my lap through as many books as I want to read to her. She gets so excited at her "Spot" book! In fact, she loves to just look at it while she's laying on the floor. We have caught her smiling at Spot and even making conversation with him. She can sit up in her bumbo without us having to support her head and is starting to figure out how to use her Jumperoo. She has a new friend that we refer to as "the baby in the mirror." She enjoys this baby and will talk and talk to her! She has becomed obsessed with putting her hands in her mouth and most of the time is a slobbery mess!
She now enjoys laying on the floor on her tummy - whereas before she would only do it if she were on her boppy. It doesnt seem to bother her as much anymore. She holds her head up so high and has mastered the art of rolling from her tummy to her back. Sometimes she even gets annoyed at herself because she can't seem to keep herself on her tummy.
Bath time is still the greatest thing ever. There is a little hump in her baby tub that holds her bottom to help keep her upright. She has figured out how to move her legs and scoot to get her bottom over that hump. I keep telling her that one day she's going to throw her body hard enough and jump that hump... and her head will go under! I dont think she believes me. She used to watch us throughout her entire bath time, but now she has become aware of the water - and of her feet! In fact, she likes to watch her feet and legs move as she tries to jump the hump. She likes to squeal in the tub too!
My favorite part of her development so far, has to be that she knows who mama and daddy are! If she hears us she will look for us. She doesnt have stranger anxiety per say, but she definitely knows when someone else has her. It's the greatest thing when she just wants her mama. Perhaps this will become annoying later on, but for now... I'm soaking it up! But I tell you what - if her daddy enters a room, she knows. I believe she is more aware of his presence than she is of mine. Maybe because she spends all day with me and only gets a small amount of time with him. He can say one word to her and her little spirit just lights up! If he walks away from her, she turns her head and eyes from side to side in search of him. Once she finds him, she's all smiles! The other day i was holding her and he came up and gave her a kiss, then walked away - and she started whining until he came back to get her. Melt. My. Heart.
I am now exclusively pumping for her. About three weeks ago she decided that she simply did not want to nurse. Not so much that, but she would scream as though she was in writhing pain if she even got near my breast. After trying and trying we decided that it wasn't worth the fight. I consulted with a lactation nurse at our pediatrician's office - and she said that it was so weird for her to do that being so old... and that she may not ever latch. I talked to a dear friend of mine about it too and she gave me some pointers too, but again... we weren't sure. After trying a few things, but never going extreme... we decided that we were ok with our decision. We're only three weeks (maybe even more) into it, but I'm starting to question our decision! I tell you what, breastfeeding is demanding in and of itself... but exclusively pumping takes it to a whole other level. For those of you who knock people who do this... don't knock it until you've had to do it. I spend 2.5 - 3 hours of my day pumping milk. Do you have any idea what I could do with an extra 3 hours a day?? Ultimately though, the goal was for her to receive breast milk.. and she does, happily and without a fight. So, if this is what it takes for my sweet baby to receive the best nutrition possible, I am happy to do it for her!! Not to mention now that I'm pumping, my supply has increased dramatically and I have so much surplus that I'm able to provide a local mother milk for her adopted baby. How cool is that?!
As for me, life is good! I'm still tired, but not nearly as exhausted as I was before. Supplying milk takes up a great deal of my time, but i utilize it by reading, catching up on blog posts ;) and other things. She has a routine and as long as she stays on it, she's an amazing baby! She sleeps when she's supposed to and wakes when she's supposed to. We're still troubleshooting a night-waking issue, but I'm on the brink of having it resolved. Because she goes to bed at 7:30-8, we've had to cease going to our small group, which really stinks. We tried a few times and she falls completely apart and she doesnt sleep well there because of all of the chaos. So, we stay home so that our sweet can get the rest she needs. We also don't get out much because of her nap times. She can't sleep when she's out, so we try as hard as we can to be home when she needs to nap. Keep in mind she can only stay awake for an hour... hour and a half max, so after she eats & gets a diaper change, that doesnt leave us much time. This means I spend basically all day at home, except on weekdays when we go pick up two little boys from school that i watch. However, she's a happy baby because she's well rested, so it is my joy to stay home with her!
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| Sitting in her bumbo! |
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| Deep conversations with Puppy |
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| Having a blast with that baby in the mirror! |
She now enjoys laying on the floor on her tummy - whereas before she would only do it if she were on her boppy. It doesnt seem to bother her as much anymore. She holds her head up so high and has mastered the art of rolling from her tummy to her back. Sometimes she even gets annoyed at herself because she can't seem to keep herself on her tummy.
Bath time is still the greatest thing ever. There is a little hump in her baby tub that holds her bottom to help keep her upright. She has figured out how to move her legs and scoot to get her bottom over that hump. I keep telling her that one day she's going to throw her body hard enough and jump that hump... and her head will go under! I dont think she believes me. She used to watch us throughout her entire bath time, but now she has become aware of the water - and of her feet! In fact, she likes to watch her feet and legs move as she tries to jump the hump. She likes to squeal in the tub too!
My favorite part of her development so far, has to be that she knows who mama and daddy are! If she hears us she will look for us. She doesnt have stranger anxiety per say, but she definitely knows when someone else has her. It's the greatest thing when she just wants her mama. Perhaps this will become annoying later on, but for now... I'm soaking it up! But I tell you what - if her daddy enters a room, she knows. I believe she is more aware of his presence than she is of mine. Maybe because she spends all day with me and only gets a small amount of time with him. He can say one word to her and her little spirit just lights up! If he walks away from her, she turns her head and eyes from side to side in search of him. Once she finds him, she's all smiles! The other day i was holding her and he came up and gave her a kiss, then walked away - and she started whining until he came back to get her. Melt. My. Heart.
I am now exclusively pumping for her. About three weeks ago she decided that she simply did not want to nurse. Not so much that, but she would scream as though she was in writhing pain if she even got near my breast. After trying and trying we decided that it wasn't worth the fight. I consulted with a lactation nurse at our pediatrician's office - and she said that it was so weird for her to do that being so old... and that she may not ever latch. I talked to a dear friend of mine about it too and she gave me some pointers too, but again... we weren't sure. After trying a few things, but never going extreme... we decided that we were ok with our decision. We're only three weeks (maybe even more) into it, but I'm starting to question our decision! I tell you what, breastfeeding is demanding in and of itself... but exclusively pumping takes it to a whole other level. For those of you who knock people who do this... don't knock it until you've had to do it. I spend 2.5 - 3 hours of my day pumping milk. Do you have any idea what I could do with an extra 3 hours a day?? Ultimately though, the goal was for her to receive breast milk.. and she does, happily and without a fight. So, if this is what it takes for my sweet baby to receive the best nutrition possible, I am happy to do it for her!! Not to mention now that I'm pumping, my supply has increased dramatically and I have so much surplus that I'm able to provide a local mother milk for her adopted baby. How cool is that?!
As for me, life is good! I'm still tired, but not nearly as exhausted as I was before. Supplying milk takes up a great deal of my time, but i utilize it by reading, catching up on blog posts ;) and other things. She has a routine and as long as she stays on it, she's an amazing baby! She sleeps when she's supposed to and wakes when she's supposed to. We're still troubleshooting a night-waking issue, but I'm on the brink of having it resolved. Because she goes to bed at 7:30-8, we've had to cease going to our small group, which really stinks. We tried a few times and she falls completely apart and she doesnt sleep well there because of all of the chaos. So, we stay home so that our sweet can get the rest she needs. We also don't get out much because of her nap times. She can't sleep when she's out, so we try as hard as we can to be home when she needs to nap. Keep in mind she can only stay awake for an hour... hour and a half max, so after she eats & gets a diaper change, that doesnt leave us much time. This means I spend basically all day at home, except on weekdays when we go pick up two little boys from school that i watch. However, she's a happy baby because she's well rested, so it is my joy to stay home with her!
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