4 Months!

Dear Meerkat:



Well, you're four months old now! Actually, you turned four months old a few days ago, but as has been tradition since the day you were born, mommy was VERY sick on your four month birthday. I had a fever of 102, chills, nausea, aches, headache... the whole shebang. The doctor said it was related to the infection. It still hasn't cleared up. But - I'm feeling much better today. Anyway, let's stop talking about Mommy and start talking about you.

You're amazing! Every day, you just get smarter and smarter. I truly think we're in the "golden age" of babydom right now. You're so happy, all the time. Even after you have slept 10-12 straight hours without eating. That's right - 12 hours!!!! You are such a good little sleeper. You go to bed around 8-10 every evening, and you'll sleep until 8am or later. Then, when you wake up, you just lay there looking around until someone picks you up. That's when the smiles begin. You act like you've missed us so much all night, and you just smile and coo. Then, you have your bottle and play for a couple hours. Then you nap. And, the cycle continues.

Something we love is when you stretch so hard that your little legs stiffen out and your back arches. You usually do this most after being unswaddled in the mornings. We still swaddle you at night, because you like it, and it helps you sleep better, as you still don't quite have complete control over your arm's muscle movements.

But, we won't be swaddling you much longer. Why? Because, you can ROLL OVER! You rolled over for the first time at Grandma K's house. Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, and Uncle Joey got to see you do it! Then, you stopped for awhile. But the other day, you started doing it again, more frequently. You only roll one direction right now: Back to Front to the right side. And, since you hate tummy time, once you get rolled over, you get upset because you're on your tummy. I don't want you rolling over in your sleep while you're swaddled, so the swaddle weaning begins now.

(This is just you rolling from your side to your tummy, but I don't have any other "roll-over" pictures just yet. I hope to have a video to post soon!)

You are much more vocal now. You squeal in delight, and make this little "OOOoooOOOoooOOOooo" noise. The only consonant sound you can make right now is "g." And, you just started gurgling a bit when you coo. Your laughs are bigger and heartier. You LOVE to play, especially with Daddy. It's already very evident that you're a Daddy's girl. You are so happy when he comes around, and you're always looking over at him when Mommy is holding you.



You still don't grab for toys, but we've noticed you are taking more interest in them, and you will bat at them. You can hold a toy if we give it to you, but you won't take it on your own.

Oh my, baby girl. I still can't believe how quick time is flying by. I wish I could slow time down for this year and keep you my tightly swaddled little baby for a while longer. But you're not having any of it. Your growing all over! Your little feet are getting longer.



Your hair is growing in thicker and curlier. I can't wait to see you with little curls all over. s:) You don't fit in 0-3 month clothing anymore (though we can still squeeze you in a couple sleepers that were made "big" for their size). You can even wear a lot of 6-9 month clothing. I can't wait to see what you weigh at your doctor's appointment next week. Like I said earlier, you're getting smarter and smarter. It's obvious that you're learning things rapidly. And, while I do want things to go slowly, I'm also very excited to watch you reach your next milestones: rolling from tummy to back, crawling, grabbing, playing, teething, pulling up, walking... my my my! I'm getting ahead of myself. It just seems like things are going so quickly, I know those moments will be here soon.

You make every one of my days worth living, Meerkat. You have made our lives so much better. I can't wait to see what you do with your life, little girl. I can't wait to sit in the bleachers, chairs, sidelines, wings, audience and root you on! I'm so excited to watch you grow and develop your talents and likes month by month for the rest of your life. Thank you for being our daughter, Meerkat.



I love you more than anything.