Emma Joy: 4 Months Old

Hello! I'm a wee bit behind posting this but Emma Joy turned 4-months-old last week! Our household has been hit by some major sickness this past week so I've been a little preoccupied but I wanted to make sure I popped in to share Emma's 4 month update.

Emma Joy,

Happy 4 months! Highlights of this month included celebrating your first Thanksgiving and taking you to meet and get our photo taken with Santa! Last Thanksgiving, we'd just found out you were growing in my belly and this Thanksgiving we were taking family photos and daddy and I took turns holding you while we ate Thanksgiving dinner with his side of the family. Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday and I was feeling extremely grateful to have you in my arms this year. You were ready for a nap by the time we got to meet Santa, but you hung on long enough for us to get a picture with him before you got too fussy. You'll never remember meeting Santa at 4-months-old but I can promise you that being able to take you to meet him is something daddy and I will never forget.

My favorite thing about this month is that you started to play with your hair when you're getting sleepy. Sometimes you do this to mommy, but it's usually to yourself and you just run your fingers through the hair above your ear just as you start to get sleepy. It's my cue to get you ready for nap time or bed time and let me tell you it is the sweetest thing in the world to me.

We are on a pretty consistent routine most days and while some naps are shorter than others, you're still a great sleeper for us. For naps and bed time, you still like to be swaddled and you still love going to sleep with your Wubbanub. A few weeks ago, we moved you to your crib at night and it surprised me how sad I was as we put you to bed that night. You would have been fine if we'd moved you weeks before, but I just wasn't ready to let you out of my sight yet. I knew it was time when we put you to bed that night, but it hit me how fast these few months have gone by and I couldn't help but cry. You are doing great in your crib at night only waking up 2-3 times wanting your Wubbanub. We give it back and you're right back to sleep. It's definitely time for us to try and get you to sleep without it, but we attempted this the first night and you cried like there was no tomorrow. Daddy hasn't been brave enough to try again yet, but we'll get there soon enough.

Since switching you to formula completely at the beginning of November, you've been gaining weight steadily again. At your 4 month appointment, you were almost 12 pounds and while you're still a skinny girl (in the 10th percentile for weight!), your doctor is happy with the rate you're gaining weight now so we're really happy, too. You're still fitting into pretty much all your 3 month clothes and wearing size 1 diapers. Your arms and legs are long and skinny and your cheeks are still adorably chubby.

We didn't read to you a lot this month but we sing a lot. Mommy makes up songs about pretty much everything but you're favorite song to hear is You Are My Sunshine. You smile and squeal the biggest when mommy sings this to you! I'll do just about anything to make you smile but the simplest joy for me has been when I turn to you and you're already smiling at me. That is just pure happiness for me.

You still love bath time and you've started to become more interested in the water. I'm sure it won't be long before you're splashing around and playing! You love being outside. If you're fussy, I know I can bring you to the back patio and you'll immediately calm down. There's so much to look at outside and we love to watch you take it all in. You're paying more and more attention to Abby and to be honest, she doesn't give you much of a choice. She is our shadow during the days and you definitely like to check her out. Sometimes she barks really loud out of nowhere, though and you do not like that at all.

You're still not a fan of tummy time but we spent a lot more time doing that this month. You got a jumper as an early Christmas gift from your Aunt Jessica and Uncle Rusty and the first time we put you in it, you weren't too interested. Only a few days later, we put you in and you were playing with all the gadgets and squealing with joy. It amazes us how quickly you evolve and grow and we just love watching you change day by day.

Our life is certainly sweeter with you in it and we're so thankful for you, Emma Joy. Happy 4 months, baby girl! We love you!