Avonlea: 4 Months

Avonlea is FOUR Months

February 28, 2019

This little miss is a sweet, smiley girl! She was stingy on her smiles in the photoshoot, but don't let that fool you. 

She loves watching her siblings run around, dance, play and come and talk to her. She gives big grins when she hears them or catches eyes with them. She loves to kick her little feet all around and her arms go up and down too when she really is excited. She has been enjoying the bouncer still, she can see everyone around and be entertained. Sh has learned how to roll over in the last week of being a 3 month old, so time on the ground just laying under her playmate is not as peaceful anymore. She is getting stronger and stronger at pushing her arms up as she is on her tummy. She sure is gettin quite the workout in as her feet are rarely touching the ground when she is on her tummy. She seems to ALWAYS have her hand/fist in her mouth. She has really taken to them and sucks on them very often. She can be very loud at smacking them, but she enjoys them often and they can't get lost, best of all. :) Avonlea still does her silly little cough when she would be laughing, its still so cute. She is our most vocal baby we can remember. Lots of coo's and talking noises that are just sweet to hear and talk back to her with. She has such expressive little eyes and eye brows, always searching for where the noise is coming from and enjoying it when she finds it. She loves to stand when she is being held up and then look at you and smile and coo. She is becoming more trusting and ok with being up in the air. She is starting to really try and get ahold of things around her, toys, burp clothes, pj's. She continues to improve and enjoy the car seat more each week, that has been a huge blessing. She usually spits up when she is buckled in, but smiles all the while. She continues to enjoy baths and getting lotion all over afterwards. She likes looking in the mirror and catching the faces. She can sit in the bumbo for short amounts of time and she seems very interested in her feet, if only she could get them. She continues to enjoy the changing table, although, now that she is rolling it will not be a go to place to set her anymore. She likes starting at her cream bottle that has bright colors on it. She likes getting changed and often giggles when I take her arms out of her pj's to lotion her or to change her. She is very ticklish and just kinda tucks in everywhere when the clothes go over her head. She loves a fresh new diaper almost as must as having it off. She very much likes to just sit with people and will often sit very nice. 

Thankfully, her sleep has improved since last month. It's recent, but it is better and we are thankful and will enjoy it while it lasts. She typically wakes up between 8:30-9:00am and that is my favorite time to get her. She just gives the biggest smile, her whole body is involved. She then has her first nap 2 hours later. She has been putting herself to sleep so well the last week, it has been wonderful. Because she has started rolling, we are starting to transition her out of the swaddle and we tried her left arm first and we had some rough patches, but Chris mentioned that he see's her using her right hand more in her mouth, so I tried leaving that one our and it has been such a big difference. So she is swaddled right arm out, putting herself to sleep, waking up usually after 45 minutes, but going right back down and sleeps for 1 hr and 30 minutes to 2 hours. It has been so different and so nice to have a little bit more of a break during the day AND she is more rested. She wakes up happy and that is key. She then has another nap around 2:30-3:30pm and sleeps for another big chunk. Then I will give her another little nap around 6:30-7 to hold her off till bedtime. She usually goes down between 9-9:30 and usually wakes up an hour later and eats and then is down for a while. She was waking up either once round 4-5am to eat or not at all. But with her new nap schedule, it has been different at night. So it is all over and no real schedule, but usually only wakes up twice once going down to bed at 9-9:30 till she wakes up. So not to shabby. Thankful the Lord has given us the wisdom to try new things.

She is a good eater and likes to eat. She was eating every 2 hours with her prior nap schedule, but now with these longs naps, I am still trying to figure out what to do and what works best for her. In the last week, I have been feeding her before naps and then if she sleeps 2 hours, I will feed her again  once she wakes up and then again before I put her back down again. She takes anywhere from 2.5oz - 5oz depending on the time and the time in between the last feed. She can be a messy eater and it is obvious she she is getting full or sleepy, because she will start spitting it out and making an even bigger mess. Thankful she takes the bottle so well. 

I continue to pump every 3 hours for 30 minutes during the day usually at 8am, 11am,  2pm, 5pm, 8pm and then once more before I go to bed after Avonlea has done to bed. Then I set my alarm for 4am to get up and pump, and that happens earlier sometimes if Avonlea wakes up to eat before that. It has become more normal, but sometimes everything needs to happen at once and that gets wild sometimes when you only have 2 hands and can't hold a baby very good when you have a pump attached to you. Haha! But I continue to be able to freeze quite a bit of milk, so that will be nice to use once I stop pumping. Ver thankful, I have been able to give Avonlea milk even with all the extra work it takes, because I truly think it has protected her from some of the illnesses we have had and she has stayed well. Plus the milk has helped her face clear up when she had those bad break outs. Lots to be thankful for. 

Some things Avonlea does not like are getting her nails trimmed, being in the carseat too long, being on her tummy too long, being scared, going down the stairs in someones arms (she tenses up). 

Avonlea weighs 11lbs 10 oz (or so) and is _ inches long. She wears size 1 diapers and is in size 3 months clothing. She has blue eyes still and one dimple on her right cheek. I discovered what looks like a freckle on her left ankle...but not sure it is is a birthmark and I just never noticed it before. It is very tiny. She has continued to have little bouts of skin rash on her face, chest and arms, but it has been very mild as compared to last month. We are very thankful. She continues to be more content as the months go by and with her new sleeping, it has been such a blessing.

She is such a joy and we love her so much!