Back to work mommy...

So last week was my first week back to work. After being off w/you for 4 months I dreaded leaving you with a stranger. Daddy was able to take a week off and stay with you and you guys had a lot of fun, but now you are adjusting to your nanny. The very first day was really tough for me, but then it started to get better and I am sure w/each passing week it will be easier on all of us. You seem to like being with the nanny so far, although each day has been different, one day you nap for a long time, another day you barely nap at all. The first day back you even woke up in the middle of the night and did not want to go back to sleep w/a pacifier, so I had to nurse you around 2:30 am. I haven't done that in a few months since you spoiled us with sleeping so well before. That only happened one time, but you still do wake yourself up around 1:30am every night but you usually go back to sleep once I put the pacifier back in your mouth. Most of the time I find you busting out of your swaddle. I wonder when I should stop swaddling you? You seem to sleep so much better swaddled, but it is getting hotter now and I feel like you'll be too hot in a swaddle. I often find you w/your hands out of the swaddle and in your mouth sucking on a few fingers, it's really cute.

You are so happy in the mornings, daddy gets to spend over an hour with you before the nanny gets to our house. You chat, play and giggle. When I get home you're usually in a good mood too... that is after you're fed of course. You've been very chatty lately, almost carrying on conversations. Last night while we were having dinner and you were in your bouncer you started making noises, and you'd make one and wait, then daddy responded w/a similar one and then you'd make another, and you both went back and forth for at least a minute or two, it was really funny, also after your bath last night you started to coo, and then you got really loud, and some of the noises were super high pitched. I think you're discovering your voice more and more. It's amazing how just a few weeks make such a big different in how you interact and the new things that we discover you doing. I am still waiting for you to actively roll over from tummy to back and vise versa, and it really doesn't happen too much, although you seem very strong on your feet and you like sitting up with help of course. Also sometimes you do little baby crunches, you try to pull up while holding on w/both hands to our fingers and you almost launch your body forward. You don't have very good control of it, but I would defintely give you an A for effort. We got you a new toy mirror that sits on the floor w/color tabs and music and you now tolerate being on your tummy for longer period of times, you smile and stare at yourself, so hopefully it will help you meet your milestone of rolling over soon.

I took a bunch of pictures of you over the weekend, here is one where I tried to make you sit up in the purple chair but you started falling to the side and giggling. So adorable, we love you so much!

4 Months

Little munchkin, you're 4 months old! It seems like you're getting bigger and bigger, although you are still so much smaller than other 4 month old babies I've seen. You eat about 6 times a day, around 4 or 5 oz a feeding, and you seem pretty content with that. The nights are still going well, you've been sleeping about 9 to 10 hour stretches, although you've been waking up in the middle a few times and fussing, I usually hear it on the monitor right away and I get up to put the pacifier into your mouth and you pretty much dose off right back for another hour or two. I did return to work this week, and that's been pretty hectic. You get to enjoy a whole week with daddy and then we'll have a nanny come watch you. I really wish I didn't have to go back, or at least go back part time, but I am not sure if that's going to be possible. I am lucky though that I have a somewhat flexible schedule and I am able to work from home for a few hours especially during these next few weeks where you're going to be adjusting to a new person looking after you. 

Last Friday was a bit alarming to me. I left you with grandma for the evening, and you started getting pretty upset, I managed to calm you down and you seemed to be ok when I left, but I guess just a little while later you were screaming again, and not your normal cry... it was a bad scream like something really hurt. The only other time that I've heard you scream like that was when you got your first shots at the doctors office, and once again when we put you in the car seat and you had too many layers of clothes on and I think you were really uncomfortable. So I had to return back home quickly, by then you have sort of calmed down and were making weeping sounds while sleeping. Grandma said you'd even start crying while sleeping. You didn't sleep very long... and after you woke up I fed you and you seemed to be doing better, you didn't have a fever... so I really have no idea why you got so upset, unless you really didn't want me to leave. After that it was even harder to think about leaving you at home and going back to work. 

You are cooing and giggling all the time now, and when you are sitting up (not on your own yet) and holding onto to us w/both hands you try to pull yourself forward, your grab is pretty strong too. What you're not so fond of is tummy time lately, you get really impatient and start fussing almost immediately. Also you don't roll over too much anymore. When we're changing you on the table you roll over to your side and just stay there.

Your stats this month are:

length: 24 inches - 37th %

weight: 11 lbs 12 oz - 11%

head: 15.25 - 3%

I guess you have a tiny little head :) only 3rd percentile