Clara at 4 months!

My favorite moments: Clara, the last couple of weeks you have started to learn how to make new sounds. My favorite is what we call your monster growl. It makes me laugh no matter how many times you do it. I think you have also started to realize that we are laughing at you. The last few times you did the sound you would do it, then look at us and get this huge grin on your face. I'm pretty sure you were thinking, "yes, I know I've got you rapped around my little finger". I LOVE that you smile so easily and so often!! I love when I pick you up from Kristi's house and you "talk" to me all the way home. I think your trying to tell me all about your day. I know its only a matter of time before those precious little noises are words so I cherish every one. Yesterday on your 4 month birthday you laughed for the first time! It was the most beautiful sound I've ever heard, except for maybe that first cry on the day you were born. You laughed at Abby barking. I'm not sure what is so funny about that but you thought it was hilarious. I think its so awesome that the dogs barking has never bothered you since the day we brought you home from the hospital. I guess its because you heard it for 9 months before that!

Clara quirks: Clara, you are now a rollover champ and will roll from your back onto your stomach every time I lay you down somewhere. Now that you have more control over getting onto your stomach you are willing to have tummy time a lot longer than before. You love looking at books while your on your tummy. We still haven't mastered rolling from stomach to back yet but I'm sure it won't be long. We have to hold on tight during diaper changes now because you want to roll over then too. You are starting to get a bit of a temper when you are ready to eat and mom is taking too long to get things situated. I must say, I love seeing some of your personality coming out. Most of the time you are an amazing baby. Super content to be where ever we put you; on your play mat, on a blanket, in your swing, in the exhersaucer or in the bumbo. If you start fussing its probably because you are either hungry or tired, otherwise we usually only hear happy noises from you. You have started liking your bumbo a lot more the past week and sit in it on the counter while I cook dinner. You usually end up sitting in it naked because you have spit up all over your clothes. Naked baby in the bumbo is ADORABLE!

Nap/Sleep: Naps are still a work in progress but you have improved as far as taking longer naps. I can usually get you to take a 1 hour nap at least twice a day in your bed. There are usually several cat naps in between that either in your swing or while we are in the car. You do great in the car and will sleep about 75% of the time (I'm so thankful for that!). At night you do great although you still don't sleep all night A couple of weeks ago we had a rough patch where you were wanting to eat 3 times a night but I think it was just a growth spurt. You also had a harder time sleeping when we were at the beach on vacation but probably because it wasn't your usual surroundings. Once we got back home you were right back to your usual schedule. You go down at 7:30PM. We have our little routine where we put on your sleeper, change your diaper, wrap you in your swaddle, give you your paci and then sway you while we sing Jesus loves me. Then I lay you down and usually I don't hear another peep out of you. I wake you up whenever we go to bed to feed you again which you usually do without ever opening your eyes. Then you wake up around 3PM to eat and go right back to sleep until we wake you up a few minutes before 7PM so dad can take you to Kristi's for the day. During the weekend you usually wake up about the same time but if I pick you up and put you in the bed with me and give you your paci I can usually get another 30 minutes of sleep. I'm sure that is breaking all kinds of rules but whoever wrote those rules was probably getting more than 6 hours of sleep a night. We have had a few problems when I haven't been home at night to put you to sleep. Twice now dad has called me at the grocery store with a screaming baby in the background because you won't go to sleep for him. You also wouldn't go to sleep for grandma at the beach. This may be the start of some attachment issues. We shall see.

Eating: You are still eating every 3 hours and rarely stretch it out longer than that. I think you haven't stretched it out more because you still spit up a ton!Thats also probably why you don't sleep all night. I figure if that's the worst thing we have to deal with right now, I can handle it without any complaints. We recently went to a birthday party and you managed to spit up on every single person that held you. Maybe its your way of saying, give me back to mama! But you spit up on me too, so maybe not. You are still nursing exclusively and do great at taking a bottle while I'm at work.

Mobility: Since you can only roll over in one direction you aren't too mobile yet.

Baby girl, we love you more and more every day and can't imagine life without you. It seems like 4 months has gone so fast and yet I can hardly remember life without you. I tried to take some 4 month bunny pictures with you, but wasn't super successful. You mostly wanted to eat the bunny, then you just wanted to roll over. I'll have to try again when Dad is home to help me!