Lucy is FOUR Months

  I am FOUR months old!

 

I like: when mom makes the loud breathing fast sounds (and follow it up with "HI"), grabbing toys to chew on, when we pretend tickle her, being held up right to look around, mirrors

So happy to see mom after she came back
From a weekend away

So very tired!

I dislike: being hungry, being tired, laying down for too long, loud noises, when the older girls get in her face

I am now: At her dr appointment she was 24.9 inches long, 12 lbs. 7 oz. She's in 3-6 month clothes and size 1 diapers still.

 

Her weight has gone from 30th percentile to 15th, so they are a bit concerned that she's spitting up too much. We're adding in a formula that has rice mixed in and giving her her binky after feedings to help keep things down. We're going to do a weight check in another month to see if that's helping. I was worried at first, but I think because she's meeting milestones and not super cranky (like she was starving) or looking really frail I think she's okay, but I would like to stop all the spitting up still! 

A Typical Day looks like: 

She wakes up around 7:30 AM

 

7:45 - I start warming up some breast milk and while that's heating up I change her diaper, give her her probiotic, then make the bottle, change her outfit, and feed her a 6 oz bottle (she still spits up quite a bit some days)

8-9  she plays on the swing, play mat, or whatever will make her happiest.

9-10:45/11  nap time. She's still got pretty overactive arms so we start her out swaddled, but it's not super tight so she breaks out quickly. But she get put in the pack n play, binky in, lights are already out and fan gets turned on, then swaddled up. 

11:00 - next 6 oz bottle and diaper change

11:00 - 12:15 play time (swing, tummy time, play mat, whatever works).

12:15/12:30-2 nap time. Same routine as before, sometimes I'll change her diaper before this one just to get a good, long nap.

2 - next 6 oz bottle and diaper change

2-3:30 play time

3:30 - 4:30 nap time. Same routine as before.

4:30 - 5  play time w/mom while daddy and girls go downstairs to work out and play. Sometimes I'll take this time to take her on a walk to the mailboxes.

5:00 - next bottle, but I make it about 5.5 oz (most of which are breast milk)

5 - 5:30/6 play time

6 - 6:30 small nap time (just to get her to be chill till bed time).

6:30 - 7:15 play time

7:15 she gets a 5 oz bottle (all formula)

7:45 get ready for bed. This includes a bath on Sundays and Thursdays to start (at 7:20 ish). Then we change her diaper, put on the owlet, put on pajamas, put on the sleep sac, swaddle her, lay her down and give her the binky.

This Month: So I went back to our room on the 20th, since Larry went back work. At first it was EXHAUSTING because she'd wake up around 12/1 AM and she'd need the binky about every hour from then on (I might get a 1.5 hour stretch where she'd sleep, but I didn't always sleep since Larry snores). I told Larry he needed to be in binky duty on Tuesdays and Thursdays somehow, so we agreed we'd sleep across the bed, with me along the bottom and his head more towards the bassinet and that was REALLY helpful. I thought for sure we were getting to the 4 month regression (which we've never dealt with before, both other girls didn't seem to have a huge change), but then on the 24th it seemed she wanted to eat more. So we upped the bottles from 4.5/5 to 5.5 oz. and then Thursday night she slept quite a bit better, but still fussy. I was doing great with just being patient and knowing this won't last forever and as long as I had those few nights a week to really recharge I would survive. Then on the 26th I upped her bottle to 6 oz. I also did good with keeping her upright and she didn't have many spit ups and she was happy most of the day and she slept until 4:30 straight, without needing the binky (other than to go down). Then we kept up the same ounces on Sunday, the 27th, only she spit up quite a bit and wasn't as happy, but she slept until 5 without a peep! She didn't need the binky until 5:15! She still needs it a bit after that, but the fact that we're making longer stretches makes it SO much easier on us, as parents, and sure makes her cuter throughout the day haha.

 

Speaking of cuter, this girlie LOVES to smile and giggle. Sometimes it takes work because she doesn't smile at the same thing every day, so we have to find what sound or face will make her smile, but man, when we get them I'm just in heaven. I'm not sure if it's because Larry is back at work so now we're in our actual routine or what, but I'm really feeling like we're in this 3 kids life now. I feel like we got used to 3 kids much quicker than I was expecting. I mean in the beginning it seemed like it was always changing around and I wasn't sure I'd ever feel used to having 3 kids, but now I'm so used to it and I absolutely love it and I feel so lucky to have the kids I have!

 

We made a BIG improvement on napping, I'm SO relieved that the little girl took to bottles really well and has taken the binky for napping. She fought napping for the first couple days we tried it (which we had to go to Marie's for lunch the first day so it makes sense that would be harder for her), but once she realized the routine she looks forward to it and only fusses because she wants to be asleep right then. I think it also helped her realize the bedtime routine was for sleep (since it was similar to the napping routine), she stopped screaming and crying when we took her to the bedroom and only fusses when she's really ready to go to sleep. 

Once we switched to bottles, after a few days, she went from waking up at 4 AM to 5 or 6 AM. I was giving her the binky to help stretch her sleep as long as possible, but usually in the 6 AM hour she would get fussy and just wanted to eat. She then started breaking out of the swaddle and the binky only helped so much so she went back to needing feedings around 4 AM (which worked because I'd fill her up and then she'd be able to sleep until 7:30/8 better). Then once I went back to work she actually went back to sleeping through the night for daddy. She still needs to binky replaced quite a bit, but doesn't actually need a feeding AND would be broken out of her swaddle. We still swaddle her to put her to bed, but I'm thinking that's going to change soon.

I did forget how exhausting getting up in the night to pump can be so I ended up giving that up after a few days. It was too hard when her night wakings were happening at random moments and I wasn't sure when I could get away to pump. I can't lie, I have no issues if I don't pump a lot this time. I pump every 3 hours during the day and then right before bed and then start up again in the morning. I am only pumping so I don't get my period back at this point (haha) I'm okay if she's just on formula.

It has been so much nicer to sleep in the guest room as well and knowing daddy can take over all night feedings for that day. Luckily, I'm still getting decent sleep when I am in our room.

This month I was having a hard time with missing having our Saturday night movie date nights and I've been fighting having more "me" time, but I had to remind myself it's selfish to think that way and to appreciate having my babies and the family I've been able to grow. Luckily as she's gotten better with her sleep it got a bit easier; I know we'll get those movie nights again, I just need to be patient. The motto I've had this time around is "the quicker you rush, the longer it takes". 

Going back to work was pretty emotional. I swear I don't remember being so emotional before, but this time my last day on leave I teared up a little bit. I'm not sure where that came from haha.

She is starting to laugh a little bit too. It's very little of a laugh, but it's SO cute and she's so silly with what makes her laugh (one day it was me bopping her on her forehead, cheeks, and chin and then laughing. Sometimes it's the sit and stand motion we do with her. It's random, but one of my favorite daily games is figuring out what will make her laugh). Oh and she's getting interested in food now. She loves watching us eat and I usually end up holding her while we eat dinner (if it's something I can eat one handed) and she loves staring at our food. I'm thinking she's going to be excited to start having foods of her own next month.

And finally, I'd like to say as we approach the end of the 2nd month, beginning of the 3rd month it's crazy to think how much has changed in just one month. The night she turned 2 months (so the 11th to the 12th of August) I was so desperate to get her to sleep better and not need to be on me that I gave her a new binky that she took right away and I was SO happy I could've cried. I was at my wits end with nights going so bad and feeling like she wouldn't ever leave my boob (they said at her checkup I was bordering having PPD...it was that stressful). I was also still doing the nurse/napping thing during the day and feeling like I'd never get a chance to workout or get things done around the house. I loved Lucy and watching her sleep, but I needed her to not need me so much. And now, here we are: she's napping independently, she's sleeping SO great throughout the night, she's such a happier baby during the day, I'm getting things done, and everything is going SO much smoother. I also started working out now and so my endorphins are back and I'm just so much happier (and she's suddenly so much cuter haha).

Update on last month's goals:

• More binky/hands acceptance: she LOVES the binky for sleeping now and I'm so happy. She can bring her hands to her mouth like a pro! However, she can't figure out what finger(s) she wants.
  
  
• Independent napping: She has this down! We started on the 22nd and while it was rough for a couple days, she had it down by Wednesday. I cannot express how happy that made me
  
  
• Be (and stay) down by 8 PM: Done! So SO happy about this one.
  
  
• Switch to bottles and add in formula: this was also started on the 22nd. It's been a huge game changer (like to a point where I'm NEVER breastfeeding ever again!) and it's been nice switching over. It almost immediately helped her night sleeping.
  
  
• Tummy Time: she hated this still at the beginning of the month, but by the end of August she was doing better with it. Only for a couple minutes, but a bigger improvement (she wouldn't stand it for a second at first, but then worked up to a couple minutes).

Goals for next month:

• Get her sleeping until 7:30/8 without a feeding and ALSO not grunting as much (hopefully we can accomplish this).
  
  
• More tummy time during the day - I'm really bad at doing this since she's hated it so much.
  
  
• Sleeping without a swaddle - I'm SO nervous for this!! It won't be until she finds her fingers better, I'm sure.
  
  
• Give her more time in the bumbo chair to get used to sitting up
  
  
• Hopefully get her starting to roll over and laugh (more).
  
  
• Work on some sensory stuff - mostly feeling new things.
  
  
• Celebrate Halloween! And all things holiday related :)