Stats

Brees Elizabeth is four months old!!!

Here are her stats:

14 pounds 4 ounces, 25 1/2 inches long

1. We are still exclusively breast feeding. Brees nurses every 3-4 1/2 hours during the day. This month, she has occasionally started waking up in the middle of the night around 2 for an extra feeding. The whole sleeping through the night thing was nice while it lasted! The night time feedings aren't too bad because I sleep lightly while she nurses, though. I pump every three hours at work as recommended by my lactation consultant. As daunting as this first seemed when I went back to work, it is actually super easy and has become part of my routine. My coworkers are so supportive and that helps, too!

2. She takes 3-4 naps a day and goes to bed for the night around 6:30 pm. She wakes up, eats, plays for about an hour and a half to two hours, and then goes back to sleep. She repeats this cycle all day until bed time. She can now fall asleep on her own, which breaks my heart. I still rock her to sleep at least twice a day because we both love the cuddle time so much. But it's also nice that she can drift off on her own, especially when Isabelle needs me or I have to go to work. When she wakes up, she plays quietly in her bed for a while before beckoning us to come and rescue her. She loves her glo-worm and aquarium musical crib toy.

3. She can now roll from her tummy to her back and vice versa. She is a rolling machine and travels all over the living room floor! We have put her bouncy chair away for good as she somehow always manages to scoot completely out of it, even with the seatbelt on. She has found her feet and likes to give them kisses. She almost always has at least one sock off and even managed to take her diaper off last week. We are quickly realizing that she is the quiet, sneaky type:)

4. She is very, very vocal. She talks and sings and coos constantly. She squeals and giggles loudly while we are all talking, actively participating in our family conversations. She doesn't cry much and is very easily pacified. She is a very happy, content baby and is so adaptable. She can nap anywhere, doesn't mind running 20 errands, and will let anyone hold her. She smiles all the time now and will let out a deep belly laugh is you tickle her neck.

5. She has not been sick at all this month. She is cutting a tooth and is drooling a lot. She puts everything in her mouth and loves to suck her thumb. Her reflux seems to have hit its peak this month and she spit up A LOT. Our pediatrician said this is totally normal: most babies with reflux tend to spit up the most around 4 months. As long as they are still gaining weight and are not experiencing any other symptoms (such as coughing, crying when spitting up, or losing weight), then we are on the right track. She is still taking Prevacid every night and it is so effective in preventing any of the acid reflux symptoms she was having. Her weight is right on track and she eats like a champ. We've just had to do more laundry!

It's amazing to see her sweet little personality forming. She and Isabelle have a lot of similarities, but we can already see so many differences in them as well. The dynamics of a family are so amazing to me. God placed us all together for a reason, for that I am sure. Our personalties compliment one another, our strengths and weaknesses come together and we are able to use them to make our family better. I am so, so thankful for all that is ours.