Marigold, Four Months

Marigold is 4 months old!

 

WEIGHT

15 lb 15 oz, woop woop! I mean, look at those thunder thighs!

HEIGHT

Will report back after her 4-month appointment.

SLEEP
Naps are so much better! Typically she'll take at least one 1-2 hour nap a day, many days two! And then her other naps (usually for a total of 4 naps a day) are quick 30-minute cat naps. She's still not on a strict schedule; it all just depends on when she's up for the morning. But I'll take the longer naps, because this means happier baby overall! Oh, and her wake time has gotten longer! She can usually stay up 1.5 to 2 hours between naps, which means lots more play time with us.

Nighttime sleep has definitely regressed, which is sooooo normal for a 4-month-old, but also poorly timed because my husband has just started working overnight shifts in the hospital. Whew. Thankfully it's only about 6 overnight shifts a month, but man is it tough when I'm on my own with two toddlers and a sleep-regressing baby. We had one night where she woke 3 times, but currently we're back to about 1 wake-up in the middle of the night, which honestly is manageable. Hoping to get back to those 8-hour stretches again real soon though.

And just so I have record of it, I'd like to note that she is always nursed and/or rocked to sleep, for bedtime and all naps. We tried the drowsy-but-awake thing, where you put the baby down before they're fully out, but it always failed, so we get her fully asleep before we put her down and that has worked like a charm. Sure, it takes a lot of time and snuggles, but it makes for a happier household (me included), so I'm totally down for it. The hardest sleep of the day is bedtime, where she usually has to be rocked and nursed for 1.5 hours straight before she'll let me put her down. She's typically finally out by 10pm, but sometimes as late as 11pm. We're hoping to slowwwwly inch that back closer to 8pm over time.
 

FIRSTS THIS MONTH
-Rolled from belly to back three times! But that was a few weeks ago and she hasn't done it since.
-Lifting her chest off the floor during tummy time.
-Clasping her hands together.
-Grabbing toys that are hanging above her.
-Holding on to her rattle and shaking it by herself. 
-Rubbing her eyes when she's tired. (One of our favorite cues that she's ready for a nap.)
-Screaming cutely.
-Giggling so easily! Especially when you kiss her cheeks or neck, or when you bounce your head from side to side and smile at her.
-A few new consonant sounds like gggg and others that I can't remember now. #thirdchild
-Making this weird but adorable Chewbacca sound.
-Splashing in the bath.

NICKNAMES
Margo and Margs are the big ones this past month, but also Mare Bear every once in a while, because how can I not? 

OTHER THINGS TO NOTE
-The things Margo loves, in no particular order: staring at us while we eat, smiling at her brothers, bath time, facing out in the ergo carrier, the sound of her own voice, standing up while you're holding her on your lap, being distracted while nursing.

-The things Margo does not love, in no particular order: when mommy leaves the room (this only upsets her on occasion right now, but I think it's going to become a real thing over the next few months), being held by not-mommy when she's fussy/overtired, the carseat, the pacifier. 

-In case you were wondering how mom gets things done with two toddlers and a young baby in tow, see above photo. Thank goodness she doesn't mind being put down under her playgym for a little while. This is how I'm able to cook/clean/do laundry most days. It helps that the boys LOVE when she's on the floor and will flock over to her and chat with her, sing to her, tickle her, or hold toys above her to keep her happy.

-Little Margo had her first trip to the water park! Look how cute she was in her totally unnecessary bathing suit!

-HOLY BUCKETS OF DROOL! Pretty sure the teething process has begun. Drool, funky diapers, and she loves to gnaw on our knuckles. Sounds about right for teething. No other signs of any popping through yet though.

-Y'all. Postpartum anxiety. Again. Super lame. I'm working with a NaPro doctor to find the right dose of progesterone to treat the anxiety but not dry up my milk supply. So far, the dose I'm on is helping big time, but isn't enough to take the anxiety away completely, so we're still tweaking it. Man, anxiety stinks! Simple things like trying to cook in the kitchen, or taking a kid out to the grocery store, or listening to whiny children are near impossible when anxiety kicks in. I'm thanking God that progesterone works so instantly for me! Now here's hoping we can get the right dose in place over the next month.

-Our friends Amanda and Jonathan and their three girls came to visit this past month! You might remember them from the True, Good, and Beautiful blog, or from their company Wallet Win. They spent the night and the kids got along great! It was really neat to make the realization that just 5 years ago, we had zero children and were both in the throes of infertility. Now we have 6 children between us! Amazing! Look at four of our cute goofy children . . .

 -John and I celebrated our 8-year wedding anniversary this past month! 8 magical years with the best guy I know. :) We brought Margo with us on our date because she's still so little. And she was so very well behaved. Yes, we were THAT couple with a baby at the bar. I think that makes us cool. ;)