Those darn teeth!

I think your gums are really starting to bother you now. For the past few days, starting at around 2pm you get really fussy and uncomfortable. This lasts until bedtime. You are also chomping away on your hands like no tomorrow! Tonight I gave you a little bit of tylenol which seemed to help and you took a short nap, which threw off your sleeping schedule. You have finally just conked out, it's about 10:30 pm, and you're in bed with me now. After your nap earlier and a bottle, you played in your crib for the longest time. Looking in your mirror and scooting around in circles with your pushing toes. You got really quiet at one point and I thought maybe you had fallen asleep so I peeked in. I noticed your feet moving, and then realized your head was completely covered with a green blanket I had hung on the side of the crib. After rushing over I realized that you were camping out under there, chewing on the blanket. All smiles. Ohhhh, Pella. Mom is very tired today and secretly very glad that you are sleeping with me tonight. I better get to sleep too, because no matter how late you go to bed at night you always wake up by 6am. You're going to make a morning person out of me yet!

Some delicous Ella Art

A new artistic photo done in photoshop by your tired momma!

Two peas in a pod

This is one of my very favorite pictures. I just can't get over your little face. Looking just like Dad. You are almost 4 months old here.

Fourth month milestones

There are so many new developments this month, It’s hard to keep track of them all!

New favorite nicknames are nella bella, panky spanky, pella schmella, and monkey.

We have been listening to music and singing songs that I used to like as a little, like "Down by the Bay" and "I like to eat apples and bananas".

When you were about 2.5 months you stopped breastfeeding, and I mourned the loss of this closeness, but respected that this was what you wanted. Every time I tried to breastfeed you, you would throw a big crying fit. So, we moved on to just bottle feeding the formula and since then you have been thriving.

You are eating between 32 and 40 ounces a day! We are going through the formula like wildfire. We are almost ready to try solid foods, and I’m so excited.

The other day you sat in your booster seat for the first time and played with your toys. We will use this as a high chair, and use the special plates that Grandma Janine brought you from Hawaii.

At your 4 month checkup you weighed 15 1bs and were in the 95^th percentile for height, which means you are very tall. Just like your Dad. You had your vaccinations as well and only cried for a few minutes.

You are already wearing a size 3 diaper and are as tall as most 7 month old babies.

During this month you also started sleeping really well through the night. Going to bed every night around 7pm and only waking up once or twice for the pacifier. After I give you your pacifier you go right back to sleep. You wake up at around 6:30 am or 7 am and are a hungry girl!

Now every time you have a bottle or are going to sleep, even when napping in the swing, you put your hands behind your head like you are floating in the pool getting some sun. This is your relaxing position. Also, when you are trying to get to sleep you like to have a blanket right up next to your face. This always seems to make you feel very sleepy and cozy.

You now recognize your bottle and when you are really hungry you try to grab it and open your mouth really wide and bob your head, trying to get the bottle. Pretty soon you will be able to hold it on your own. You are so smart.

This month you also started to grab for things in front of you. I have some rattle stuffed toys hanging from your car seat handle and you love to play with them.

When you get excited you open your eyes really wide and kick your legs. I can tell when you like a toy this way. You favorite toys are your sassy baby rings, plastic keys, and taggie book. You are now much more interested in them than last month. You handle them very intently, with your delicate expressive hands.

When we visited Grandma Robin in Mariposa they discovered that you can roll over, from front to back! Since then we have been practicing tummy time at home and you roll over several times each day. Getting those muscles toned and strong for crawling.

We got you a new rainforest swing with beautiful sounds and a colorful mobile. You love looking at the mobile and swinging. We also just got the rainforest jumperoo so that you can sit upright and get some exercise. Your toes are so strong and active that this is the perfect activity for you. You bounce up and down and play with all the toys. We thought about a walker, but when we tried it at the store you started scooting yourself backwards and your Dad and I thought you might end up hurting yourself.

You are talking up a storm. Making so many new noises and expressions. After the monkey pigeon owl stage you have expanded your vocabulary and started making baby dinousaur noises. Aaaccchhkkkggghhh, aakkkkgghhhhh, aaaaaaaaaaaaaahkccckkkk. We call you baby pterodactyl. We now have full conversations all day long. You are my little companion.

When I look back at the pictures from your first month I can see how much you have changed. You are getting so big and are almost 5 months old! I can’t wait to see what you will do in the next month.

Monkey Pigeon Owl Aaahh!

When you were 2 months old you started your language development, and started making little noises I can only describe as a mix between a monkey, pigeon, and owl. Throughout the day I would hear coo, hoo, aaaahhhh, ahhhhh, hooo. My favorite was when we were in the car and I would know when you were awake because I would hear a little hooo, hooo. After cooing and hooting like an owl you added an aaahhh sound, and you would open your mouth very wide and make this noise until your voice died out. Aaah, aaaahhhh, ahhhhhhhhhhh. I love all these sounds, they are musical and magical to me. Now that you are nearing 5 months, you still making these noises, especially the aaahh noise. When we put you down for a nap or at night for bedtime, part of the ritual is you talking to yourself for awhile.