4 Months

We celebrated with fireworks.

Weight: 17 lbs.  98%ile

Height: 27 inches  100%ile

If I had to describe Belén using just one word, I would use the word happy. The girl is just so happy.  She is extremely calm and easy going, and she will give you the biggest, most joyful, squinty eyed grin if you look at her with your own big glowing smile (it's best though right after she has waken up and eaten. I mean, non-stop good). 

Bursting with joy. 

We just can't get enough of those smiles. And giggles! She has started giggling and cooing and ooooing.

She was a bit wary of the bathtub the first few months of life, but she seems to really enjoy it now. She likes to splash and kick and doesn't seem to mind too much when her brother jumps in with her and does the same.

The Schedule

This has hands down been her worst month of sleep. The past few nights have been much better, only waking 2-3 times a night, about every 3 hours. For a good two weeks she was waking up just about every hour and a half. Darin and I took turns taking care of her, I would feed her one waking, then Darin would rock her back to sleep the next. We didn't feel comfortable letting her cry herself back to sleep yet because she seemed so helpless on her belly, rubbing her face into the mattress.

Lately, instead of flipping right onto her belly when we lay her down, she just rolls slightly onto her side. She seems to sleep much better this way. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she is innately a great sleeper and has just had a rough month. 

She is now going to bed earlier, usually between 7:30 and 8:30. She still doesn't wake up for good most days until 8 a.m. I feed her before I go to bed around 10:30, again at about 2:30, and again at 5:30, then when she wakes up. Sometimes she wakes up between those times, sometimes she does not.

She usually takes three naps a day. Days when we go out and her naps get a little messed up she tends to take a few extra shorter naps in the car (Just like Shae, as soon as the car stops, she wakes up. So frustrating!) She usually goes down for naps sometime around 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4/5 p.m. Give or take a little.  She naps for about an hour and a half to two hours for the first two naps and 45 minutes to an hour for the last nap.

She went to the pool and the beach for the first time this month.

 

The red hair debate continues. When she is out in the sun, there is a definite red tint to her hair. In the house it looks more brown. She still has some bad cradle cap that is kind of white/orangey, I think it makes her hair look more red.

The girl has got some chunky legs. It's a fact. 

She really does love this crazy brother of hers. He is up in her face talking "goo-goo" to her most of the day, but she just eats it up. When Shae and I go up to get her out of her crib, he sticks his face in the rails and says, "Belén awake! Hi Belén. Oh Belén." She stops crying, looks at him with the biggest sisterly grin, and my heart melts.

Happy Four Months Baby Bae!