4 Months ~Amelia~

 

The transition back to work this month has been a little rocky and emotional at times.  If you missed that post you can read about it here.  Now, 3 full weeks into it and I finally feel like we are developing a routine and it is getting easier.   

Growth: Amelia's official stats from her 4 month check up today are as follows:
Weight:  15 lbs 0 oz (80th percentile)
Height:  25" (75th percentile)
Head Circumference:  42 cm (80th percentile)
She is wearing some 3-6 month clothing but mainly 6, 6-9, and even some 9 month clothing already.  She is still in size 2 diapers but as soon as this box is gone we will bump her up to size 3's.

The doctor also noted that Amelia's labial adhesion is nearly non-existent now (it was minute to begin with).  I am glad we held off an applying any cream or ointment.  If you didn't have the chance you can read about that dilemma here. 

 

Mobility/Coordination:  Amelia is now also rolling from back to tummy  occasionally but prefers to roll from her back to her left side and hang out there sucking her thumb.  Yes, she has become a thumb sucker and at this age and point it is adorable.  I am sure if she is still doing it at 4 or something I probably won't think it is nearly as cute.  She has also been caught sucking her left big toe on occasion too!  She reaches for everything that is in her line of sight and loves touching and playing with my face when she is nursing.   

 

 

Language/Communication:  Amelia is using more gaa and grr sounds.  She is still a pretty quiet little girl but will occasionally let out a loud squeal or grunt now (usually when she is tired and wants to lay down).  She has also begun to laugh which sounds more like a throaty grunt (just like Grant's laugh at that age and until he was almost a year old).  Matt and I had a conversation last week when I accidentally bumped Amelia's head with my chin when we were changing sides nursing.  She cried loud and hard for about 30 seconds and it is amazing to us that at almost 4 months that was the longest and hardest we had ever heard her cry.  Very lucky!   
 

Personality/Amelia-isms:  I know I keep saying it, but nothing has changed as far as how laid back and happy Amelia is.  They have been absolutely amazed at daycare especially those teachers who are new and never had Grant as a baby (he was exactly the same). 

Sleep: Amelia has made the transition to her crib during the week but I bring her back in our bedroom on the weekends.  That way when she wakes in the morning I can put her in bed with us to nurse instead of having to go get her.  Lazy, I know but I enjoy the weekend cuddle nursing time in bed and having her close by still.  The transition went seamlessly as we suspected it would and she is still sleeping 10+ hours at night.  

Her nap schedule hasn't changed much and she still likes to sneak in 3-5 naps with her early afternoon nap being the longest at 2-3 hours (sometimes even 4 hours!).   
 

Feeding:  Amelia eats 5 times per day and is stretching feedings to 4+ hours.  Amelia can still be somewhat finicky about taking a bottle but we are trying to work the kinks out with that.  She normally takes 4-5 oz.  I was beginning to suspect she prefers fresh over frozen milk because of the flavor of my milk and some excess lipase I likely have.  Very normal and you can read about it here for any mommies who may be struggling with the same thing.  Our theory of fresh vs frozen went out the window after a few trial runs though.  She just has her own agenda when it comes to eating but as you can see from her growth she is obviously getting enough!     

I have also had such an over abundance of milk still that I wanted to thin out my freezer stash and donated over 100 oz of my milk to human milk for human babies (hm4hb.net) Wisconsin chapter!   

My freezer stash of milk... top shelf jam packed as well as two drawers

We have also decided that we are going to hold off a bit longer with solids than we did with Grant.  Of course, at her appointment the doctor gave us the go ahead.  However in hindsight Grant wasn't ready at 4 months and I feel like it really hurt my milk supply.  We are also toying with the idea of a baby led weaning approach in which you basically skip purees and go straight to finger foods when baby is ready.  You can read about that here if you are interested in that method.

Brother/Sister Moment:  We were recently at my grandma's birthday party and my dad jokingly took Amelia in her car seat and said he was going to take her home with him.  Grant started crying almost hysterically and said "No! That's my sister!"  So sweet and such a good big brother. 

 

Likes: laying on her left side, sucking her thumb, sucking her big toe, daycare, exersaucer, her car seat toys,  Grant and other kids, and of course mommy and daddy

Dislikes: Nose suctioning (She's had a bit of a stuffy nose last week), being tired and not being able to suck her thumb when she feels like it
 

I think there are some similarities there...

 

Happy 4 months Amelia!

Mommy Confession

As parents, you all know that we face various hiccups and struggles depending on the developmental stages of our children.  It just so happens that we have been struggling with Grant’s independent, defiant 2 ½ year old phase at the same time as we have been adjusting to a new baby and me going back to work.  I am sure this is a common struggle all over the world as it seems like a normal age gap between many siblings.

With Grant, I struggle on a daily basis on how to lovingly parent but at the same time set boundaries and rules.  Matt has the same struggles but handles them differently and I would say better than I do.  In the moments of his utter meltdowns and screaming, I try to stay composed and calm but let’s be honest… That isn’t always the case.  There are times when I falter and think to myself it would be so much easier if we just gave in.  I will be the first to admit that there are times when I lose my cool because I am at my wits end with a little boy who absolutely refuses to listen and no method of parenting or discipline is getting through to him.  Quite simply, I become unglued and exhausted.

That is why I found it so fitting when a friend on Facebook shared a Bible study she had done called “No more unglued Momma mornings” and I knew it was exactly what I needed… to feel like I am not the only one dealing with this struggle and feeling the guilt of not always knowing the right thing to do, say, or having those moments when I lose my cool.  The quote that caught my eye was “The rhythm of motherhood will always be set to a slightly chaotic beat.  I can be rattled to the core by the unpredictability of it all.  Or I can choose to laugh, dance, and remember I’m managing blessings.”  I am working on having fewer unglued moments or moments when I am rattled to the core because I have lost control of a situation.  I am trying to make “imperfect progress” as the Bible study talked about and over all just slow down.

I want to conscientiously choose moments to be a “counselor parent” as the study points out and express my love for our children no matter what they say or do, yet be strong enough to deliver appropriate consequence.  I want to learn to allow them to struggle so that real learning takes place.  I don’t want to be a “rescuing parent” who leans heavily on love, but shies from truth or a “dictating parent” who leans heavily on truth, but mixes little love.  As the study pointed out, “It is difficult to balance, and our anxiety or anger often reveals where we fall on the continuum between rescuer and dictator” and I know where I want to strive to be. 

As I mentioned, another struggle in this all has been my return to work.  Before my return, I was ready and had mixed feelings about it all.  After my return, I have struggled in the last week to find a balance and feel like my children truly get quality time with me.  I think I have pinpointed why it’s been so much harder to go back to work than it was last time with Grant.  It isn’t because I love Amelia more than I love Grant.  In fact there was a time in my pregnancy with Amelia where I wondered to myself how I could possible love two children as much as the overwhelming, make you want to cry kind of love I feel/felt for Grant.  Did I really have enough love to share and give another child?  The answer is an unequivocal yes.  Anyway, I think the answer for me for why it has been so much harder is because I have now witnessed firsthand with Grant how fast it really does go.  The saying is cliché and we hear it all the time but the fact that our baby boy is now 2 ½ in what seems like the blink of an eye blows my mind.  And I know Amelia is just behind him and those precious moments go too fast and I don’t want to miss a moment.

So I will remind myself on a daily basis or in those moments when Grant isn’t listening and Amelia is crying and feel spread thin to make imperfect progress and most importantly we are not alone!    

Philippians 4:6

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.