As I see my little tit-sucker napping in the baby monitor, I’m in awe. How is it that she’s already 4 months old? How is it possible that a third of a year has passed us by since she joined us? Where is the time going? I have days where I think 6pm (when hubby gets home) will never get here….and then I have weeks that fly by in the blink of an eye. It’s overwhelming if I think too much about it…I hate the thought of Fin growing up too fast!
We have had a very eventful last month or so. A few things:
- We took a trip to Eastern TX/Dallas for over a week (with the baby, of course). Traveling with a baby is tough! First of all, we drive any long distances (more than 3 hours) at night so that Finley will sleep. This works well, except that we are tired and end up unpacking into hotels in the middle of the night. Fun. Secondly, having a baby in a hotel room for any amount of time really isn’t that fun. You have to be quiet after bedtime…you rush to quiet her any time she fusses….you know there are nasty germs everywhere…I could go on and on. Luckily, Finley did great and slept well and behaved herself while we were there. She was a little needy…and gassy (probably from me having to eat out every meal)..but she did better than we expected for sure. When we got home, though, she was awful! It took a full 3 days to get her back on track with her sleeping/napping/etc….it was rough. Makes me want to keep her home!
- I had my first Mother’s Day! Chris totally surprised me and bought me a beautiful garnet (Fin’s birthstone) necklace for Mother’s Day. He’s really not much into buying jewelry (at all), so it was a big surprise. I love it!
- We put our house up on the market…and we have had a bazillion showings so far (but no offers…boooo). I’m so happy to have it listed, but MAN it’s tough working from home with a baby and two dogs and having to clean up and clear out any time a showing gets scheduled (which lately is every day). It’s exhausting. Hopefully this baby will sell fast!
That’s the main stuff. In fact, it’s all I can think of right now. I need to start writing down post-its when I think of stuff I want to blog, because by the time I actually have any time to do it I’m rushed and just trying to remember whatever I can!
Before I get to the monthly update on Fin, just wanted to put it out there for you all to please send me your good vibes/prayers/energy/whatever. I’m completely overwhelmed with at the moment and don’t really see a light at the end of the tunnel. Working from home with a baby is really hard, and the help I thought I’d have just hasn’t been around. And that’s ok, but I need to move on to Plan B because between work, Finley, keeping the house up for showings and having to come and go every day I don’t have anything left to give. I’m exhausted and trying to hold on here, people! I think one answer is to find someone who can come over a couple of days a week and watch Finely for me while I work. I’ve registered on Care.Com to try to find someone, but if you know of anyone (or are someone) who may be interested, please let me know! I’d even take her to someone else’s house if needed, I just don’t want her in a daycare at this time (not that there is anything wrong with that, I’m just not ready for that yet). So….let me know if you know anyone. And pray this house sells quickly, that would help too.
And now..without further adui….the 4 month update:
What are your stats and what does the doctor say?
At your 4 month appointment you weighed 13lbs and 14 oz (56th percentile) and were 25 3/4 inches long (94th percentile). I’m still in shock that you are lean and mean and not a fat baby! I mean come on, you started off over 9 lbs, so I just assumed you would continue to fatten up! I was wrong, though, and it appears for now that you take after your daddy (a good thing when it comes to body type for sure). Doctor said you are perfect.
What are you eating?
You are still a breastfed baby, and you have gotten to be quite the efficient feeder. You use to feed for 15-20 minutes, and now you are done in 7-14 on average. You get in and out quickly most of the time, although at night you prefer to be lazy and take your time (which I don’t mind). You recently tried some cereal for the first time, but you weren’t too impressed. That’s ok with me- we’re not in a rush to get you on solids (makes it way easier on momma since I have your food on tap AND don’t have to wash real-food diapers yet).
When do you eat and sleep?
During the day you eat every 3ish hours (I generally sit in the recliner, although I’ve had to nurse in the car, in a restroom, in a food court, etc), and at night you usually wake up once (between 3am and 6am) to eat as well. You nap (if we are home) in your crib..usually 3-4 times a day.
What do your routines look like?
Eat, Play, Sleep (per BabyWise) is still what we are trying to follow. A typical day looks like this:
-
Wake up around 6am and eat and go right back to sleep
- Wake up around 9am and eat. Play on the floor/in the bouncy seat til around 10:30 or 11 and then take a 1-1.5 hour nap
- Wake up at noon and eat. Run errands/take a walk/back in the bouncer til around 2, then a nap for an hour
- Wake up at 3 and eat…then more play time and another 30-45 minute nap
- Wake up at 6 and eat. Then we hang with daddy…take a bath…maybe a walk if we didn’t earlier (mommy is trying to get some exercise, obviously)…read some books, etc. Little catnap after this until you wake up
- Last feeding of the day is around 9pm…then straight back to bed. Finley sometimes wakes up around 12 or 1 (if she didn’t eat well or has gas or something) to eat again, then straight back to sleep
This schedule isn’t terrible for her age AT ALL, but if you have her 24/7 and are also trying to work it’s exhausting.
What size clothes and diapers are you wearing?
Onesies and shirts and dresses are all 3 months or 3-6 months, but pants (because of her cloth diaper ghetto-booty) and one piece outfits with legs on them (because of her height) have to be 6 months. I actually REALLY need to go through her closet this weekend and pack up all of the ‘too small’ stuff that is still in there (kinda makes me sad). As for diapers, all of the cloth diapers we have are one size (fit from now until she’s out of diapers since they adjust). If she needs a disposable on, she’s in a 2.
What are some things you love?
You love to stand up ALL.THE.TIME. You love to bounce in your little bouncy chair/jumper thing (video on instagram if you are interested). You love to grab stuff and put it directly into your mouth as far as you can. You love to be man-handled and scared so that you laugh. You love to roll from your belly to your back. You love screens (phones/tvs/etc). You love being outside (as long as you are not hot). You love our dogs. You love your lovies. You love attention.
What are some things you don’t love?
You HATE diaper changes in the middle of the night. You hate waiting on mommy to feed you once you decide you are hungry. You don’t enjoy being held like a baby/cuddled unless you are really tired and ready to sleep. You don’t like getting to your belly and not being able to flip over right away (sometimes you forget how to flip back over). You hate getting out of the bathtub. And you hate getting hot (like your parents). TEETHING. OMG we are in the midst of it….you are drooling non-stop….chewing on anything/everything…crabby…and restless. Can’t wait for those teethers to pop through!
What can you do?
You have really progressed a lot this month. You started rolling from belly to back at 8 weeks, and at 15 you started rolling from your back to your belly. You are so proud of yourself! As soon as you are put down on your back you flip over…it’s so funny. You are so strong it’s ridiculous! You are already trying to crawl and get your butt up in the air like you are going somewhere. It’s comical. You are really good at grabbing things now (and putting them right into your mouth), although sometimes I wish you were not (like when you get my hair or daddy’s beard). You can converse if you are in the mood for it…we’ve talked back and forth for several minutes several different times…it’s so fun!
Who has visited and watched you?
We don’t really get many visitors, but we’ve done some visiting (you did meet your great Aunt/cousins in TX)….and only mom and dad have been watching you.
What are we looking forward to in the next month?
June looks to be a pretty busy month. Besides the normal craziness of the week that we currently have, we also have an open house coming up….our 8 year anniversary…a weekend with some friends…Father’s Day…a trip to Russellville to see Gran and Pops….it’ll be a good one!
hottingerhouse 