Showing posts with label 4 month wakeful period. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 4 month wakeful period. Show all posts

Friday, October 10, 2014

20 Weeks Young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, hello there!


Someone had her 20-week-birthday yesterday!


Emily is so active and rolls around so much when we lay her down on her back that it's becoming increasingly difficult to get any good weekly photos of her!  I think I took between 20-30 shots of her yesterday and this was one of the only ones where she is looking at the camera and her body isn't contorted into a half-roll.  ;)  She's such a cutie pie.

I realllllly don't want to jinx myself, but I *think* that she may finally be exiting the 4 month wakeful period.  The past 3 nights, she's slept much better, falling asleep around 8pm and waking up between 1-2am and then again at 6am to eat.  It feels like a vacation compared to the days a couple weeks ago where she was up EVERY. SIXTY. MINUTES.

Starting this week, Emily also has been sleeping in the bassinet of her pack-n-play full-time.  I used to put her down in the Rock n Play for the first part of the night because she slept better in it, but she got very squirmy and kept trying to roll over in it the past week or so.  Then, just in the past few days she figured out how to push herself up on her legs with her feet pressed against the bottom of the seat, so we haven't been using it the past few days.  It is the cutest thing though.... as soon as I lay her down on her back in the bassinet she immediately rolls onto her side, and then half the time immediately rolls onto her tummy.  She initially has a bit of a hard time getting comfy on her tummy, trying to stick her butt up into the air but not quite knowing yet how to tuck her knees underneath her.  With a little help or pat on the back though, she settles in and then has been sleeping pretty well on her side or tummy.  Of course I was a nervous wreck the first few nights she was doing it, checking on her to make sure her face wasn't planted into the mattress every time I heard her move around.  But she's been sleeping a lot better now, which is a relief.  Once we get back into a regular sleep routine, we'll try to tackle sleeping in her crib!

Emily has gotten very introspective this week.  Perhaps it's part of her current "wonder week" mental leap, but it's been adorable to see her awake yet calm, just looking out at the world, either in her stroller or sitting with me at home, with an expression on her face like she's thinking.  She's typically so active and easily excited that it was a little jarring at first to see her just sitting still in the stroller during a walk.  I think her brain is just processing even more information, and she is learning to focus more on objects instead of squirming around non-stop all the time.  I've noticed she also jumps or flinches every time Shep or I sneeze or blow our nose.  I'm not sure why she is more sensitive to this now than she used to be.... perhaps she's just more in tune with her hearing?  She also has been audibly laughing a bit more, which is just the most beautiful sound to my ears.

Another new habit Emily developed this week is tucking her bottom lip into her mouth.  Though her face looks ADORABLE when she does this, I wish she'd stop because the skin above her chin is getting all chapped from being sucked on.  I've been applying a tiny bit of lanolin ointment to it which I think has helped.... hopefully this is just a passing phase though.

Emily has been doing pretty well with teething after an initial rough start, but it seems to be getting a little worse again.  She has been biting down on my finger HARD, poor thing.  For an infant, she's surprisingly adept at grabbing my finger and navigating it directly into her little mouth.  And not in a gentle haphazard way either, no siree.... She does it with purpose and with strength!!!  She's also been a little more fussy than normal because of the teething I think, because I notice her getting fussy or clingy she is trying to shove her hands or any other close object into her mouth passionately.  Her toys don't stand a chance -- they all get covered in drool numerous times a day.  ;)

Exhibit A:

That flower didn't stand a chance.

She has tried biting down on me while feeding a couple times too, which hurt like heck.  When she did this I just unlatched her and said "no" while making eye contact.  Hopefully she learns that it is not funny to bite mommy while eating before the teeth come in!

Thursday, October 2, 2014

19 Weeks Young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Roses are red
Violets are blue
Mommy and Daddy can't imagine
Our lives without you!!!

Happy 19 Weeks, Emily!  We love you!!!

Emily got her 4 month vaccinations on Tuesday.  Thanks to teething and her 4 month sleep regression, she was tired and a tad bit cranky before her shots, so we weren't expecting an easy appointment or evening afterward.  Emily was a bit squirmy and fussy during her physical exam, and the doctor referred to her as both a "princess" {when the doc walked in and asked how Emily was doing} and a "stinker" {when we told her Emily still won't consistently take a bottle} before handing her back to me to hold because she was "hard to examine" due to all her kicking and rolling around.  Emily drank almost all of the rotavirus liquid vaccine {without spitting it out this time, hooray!} and didn't even wince when the first needle went into her chubby left thigh.  The second needle was a bit larger though, since it covers 3 vaccines, so she did cry loudly after her right leg was pricked, but she luckily calmed down pretty quickly once Daddy started doing a very amusing clown tap dance in the room after the nurse stepped out.  And for the record, unlike last time, Mommy didn't shed any tears this time around!  ;)

In terms of her growth, she's doing amazingly well!  She weighs 15 lbs 3.5 oz, is 24.75 inches long, and has a head circumference of 41 cm!  We got a little worried when the nurse gave us some low percentages for her growth statistics, but it turned out the nurse was calculating Emily's measurements as if she were a boy.  Silly nurse!  The doctor gave us the corrected percentiles, and we were glad to hear they are right on track with her prior measurements.  The doctor was pleased to hear that Emily laughs, can sit up with help, and roll over -- she does all of them and has been for a few weeks now!  We are super proud parents, to say the least!!!

E is for EMILY!!!


Unlike last time, Emily thankfully didn't seem to have an increased temperature this time around, but we did give her a dose of Tylenol before bed because she was crying hard and wouldn't calm down to fall asleep.  It was a bit hard to tell if she was uncomfortable due to pain from the shots or her teething, but the Tylenol seemed to help her get to sleep for a few hours at least.  Then she was up again a few times at night for her now-typical 4 month wakeful period shenanigans, but at least she was smiling then!  :)

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

4 Months Young!!!!


All About Emily At 4 Months:

  • Is now a master at rolling from her back onto her tummy, which to date she's been doing exclusively via her right side.  Just in the past day or two though she has started attempting to roll to the left!
  • Is desperate to start crawling -- every time she's placed on her play mat she immediately rolls to her tummy and starts "swimming" while grunting because she isn't getting anywhere.
  • Has laughed aloud 5-6 times now, mostly all as a result of her father's fine comedy!  The first time I ever heard her laugh was when she and I were home alone, but all the other times have been at Daddy's shenanigans!  Each time she laughs, I get weepy -- it's honestly one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard.
  • Shoves her hands in her mouth all. day. long. {thanks to teething!}!  And, as luck would have it, she always absolutely HAS to have the hand you're trying to insert into her arm sleeve while dressing her in her mouth at that very moment.
  • Loves standing and sitting up with help.  We bought her a new chair that she can sit up in but she isn't quite sure how she feels about it yet....


  • Has started holding her little fists in a different position -- Shep and I call them her lobster claws.  It's hard to describe but she sort of turns her clenched hands together so that her inner wrists almost touch one another.  I'm thinking it might be the precursor to her being able to grasp things better.
  • She's always let out little sighs when she yawns, but over the past month those sighs have gotten LOUD!  When I'm trying to put her to sleep and she yawns her super loud yawn I can't help but giggle -- it's so funny to hear such a large moan come out of a little girl!
  • The dimple in her left cheek is getting more pronounced and I think I might have seen the start of a dimple in the right cheek too!
  • Is currently in the middle of the so-called 4 month wakeful period.  She's never been a superstar napper, but even night sleep is not our friend these days.  It's a good thing she's cute, because nothing else would get me up out of bed at 1 am, 3 am, 5 am and 7 am.  :)
  • Approaching 15 pounds!  We'll find out her updated weight, length and head size at her visit next week, but last week she weighed in at over 14.5 lbs so I think 15 lbs isn't too far off!
  • Wearing mostly size 3 months and 6 months clothing, though she's nearly outgrown her 6 month footie pajamas!  Still wearing Size 3 diapers.
  • Her "biscuit" feet measure almost 4 inches long by 1 7/8 inches wide.  I just want to eat them! Speaking of eating her feet, Emily tries to do this daily.  It's adorable to watch as she strains to pull her foot towards her mouth with her hand -- I think her chubby thighs get in the way sometimes!  When I fake-eat her feet while I'm changing her diaper she gets all smiley.  Little cutie pie!  This foot-eating makes changing her diapers and clothes a little but of a struggle though!  Such a little goober.
  • She is incredibly strong.  When she gets a grip on my hair or my shirt it takes all my might to un-clench her little fists!  She also has a tendency to try to dive off my lap when she sees something interesting and it takes both hands for me to hold onto her.  She's strong-willed and physically strong.
Source
I am thankful every single day for the time, love, and cuddles I get to share with Emily.  I am beyond grateful to be her mommy.  Even on days that I'm tired or frustrated about something {I'm talking about you, reflux!}, all it takes is a smile from my sweetheart to make everything seem brighter!




Friday, September 19, 2014

17 Weeks Young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Emily is growing sooooooooooo fast.  I know I keep saying that, but it's true!  See for yourself...


Yes, that is the same nightgown.  And yes, that is the same baby!  Where has the time gone?????  17 weeks, gone in the blink of an eye.  It was hard to snap a good photo of my little cutie pie this week because all she wants to do is eat her hands!  Nom, nom, nom, nom . . . .


She is teething BIG TIME.  She also has decided to go through the so-called "4 month wakeful period" a bit early.  Remember when she would sleep 6, 7 or 8 hours straight at night?  Not anymore!!!  Her sleep stretches started decreasing a week or two ago, and now we're waking up 3, 4 and 5 times a night.  Sometimes to a laughing baby, who thinks it's hysterical to wake up at 3:30 am and refuse to go back to sleep for an hour!  {That only happened one time so far, *knock on wood*!  But her adorable smile is simply too sweet to get mad at, even in the middle of the night!}  Like all things at this age though, it's just a phase and it will pass.  I like to think of it as a developmental progression, not a sleep regression, as the linked blog post explains.

Emily is learning so many new and interesting things -- it's no wonder her brain is too excited to sleep all night!  She is super active, and even more observant than before.  She gets easily distracted from eating or sleeping at even the smallest sound or sight.  She smiles A LOT and is getting more control over her little hands, which she has been holding out like little lobster claws over the past few days.  These days, she spends most of her time on her tummy, with head held way up high, trying to crawl.  Though, she still loves laying on her back and looking up at the adorable baby in the mirror of her play gym, whoever that beautiful baby is that smiles back at her!  ;)
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