Jayson, Karissa, A Little Guy, Jane & Ruby: Dear Jane Month # 4

Somehow I always get behind on blogging in the Summer. Anyway, I actually wrote this just a week or so after she turned 4 months, but I never got around to loading pictures. So, here we are.

My baby is 4 months old now.

A baby getting older is so bittersweet. I was looking at newborn pictures of her tonight and my heart longed for that tiny little baby. But then I think about her right now and I wouldn't trade this stage either! I guess I'm just discovering that each stage has its own magic and you have to cling to it while it's here because it goes by so fast!

My very favorite thing about this stage is her laugh. She is hard to get to laugh, but oh my. When she does it is just the best thing ever. The first day she laughed is a funny story. It was super early in the morning and she just would not go back to sleep. I almost had her asleep and then she went and did # 2. So then I had to change her, which of course, woke her up. and while I was changing her she peed all over everything. I was so tired and frustrated, but I gave her a little tickle under her neck and she seemed like she was trying to get out a laugh, so I tried to be funny and tickled her more and to my great joy a fairy was born! Her first laugh. I am not exaggerating when I say that there are few times in life that I have felt so much joy. I was bursting with it. It was one of my favorite moments with her. It was just the sweetest thing. Her laugh is even a little raspy, which I think is the cutest thing ever.

Jane is turning out to be such a pleasant baby. She's still rather persnickety and has to have things particular ways (especially the way she is bounced/rocked to sleep), and she is still sure to let you know when she's hungry, tired, or just plain doesn't like something, but she's honestly really pleasant the great majority of the time. She's so smiley and talkative these days. She's been experimenting with her voice and it cracks us up. She's always making different noises. Although, we think she may be shy. I don't know if you can really tell at this age, but she saves most of her talking, smiling, and laughing for when she's at home. She smiles a fair amount when we're with other people, but doesn't talk a ton and I think there are only 3 people who have ever heard her laugh (Me, Jayson, and my Mom).She also continues to be a determined little thing. Most of the time I imagine her saying, "I just want to do stuff!" Most recently she is trying so hard to sit up from a laying down position. Anytime she tries to do something she can't she gets so frustrated. Don't worry Baby Jane, you'll grow up in good time. Let's not hurry up the proccess!

It is so fun to watch her development, both physically and mentally. Jane is such a curious baby. She loves to be able to see everything. She especially likes to look out the window. She's started grabbing things on purpose and she's started learning how to make her toys do things. She can roll from her back to her belly, but hardly ever does. She does it more when she's asleep for whatever reason. I guess she's just not super motivated to be on her belly? She rolled from her belly to her back once, but we think it was a fluke because she hasn't done it since. She loves to stand. She loves to look around at things. She loves to grab things and she loves to put everything in her mouth. Just before she turned 4 months she started staring at everything I ate and sometimes grabbing it! I wasn't really planning on started solids right at 4 months, but since she's been so interested I tried mashing up some banana to give to her, but she had a hard time and got really frustrated, so we still might be holding out on the whole solid food business for a little bit. She's starting to get a little drooly, but not so much so that she soaks through her clothes all of the time. She continues to conquer her reflux and hardly ever spits up anymore, which we are so excited about. We're trying to wean her off of her medicine, so here's to hoping that goes well! She was getting on a more regular nap and bedtime schedule and she was sleeping through the night, but then she got this really nasty cough and there went that whole thing. But she seems to be getting over it now, so here's to hoping we can at least get back on that sleeping through the night thing. Poor girly. And oh my how this girl had grown! At her 4 month check up she was 60th for head, 30th for weight and....90th for length! You guys, she was like below 10th for length at 2 months. I had noticed was getting long really quickly, but man. She'll probably be tall and skinny just like Angela.

We just love her to pieces and we know she's the answer to our long awaited prayers. I love that she holds my finger almost every time she eats. I love that she also holds my shirt all of the time. I don't even mind that the shoulder of my shirt is constantly wet from her sucking on it all day long. I even think her cry is cute. I love that her and Jayson have such a sweet daddy/daughter relationship already.

First time meeting Grandma Sher!

The prettiest baby on the prettiest crib quilt. Vienna is a quilting genius.

I love few things in life as much as I love baby hands. And these baby hands in particular.

Those cheeks! I will never get over them.

Those eyes and lashes just kill me. They are too pretty.

The best mullet.

It's so fun watching my dad be a Grandpa.

This is the first time she really held her bottle by herself. She can't do it for a long period of time and when she does it she doesn't always get food out very well, but it's so cute!

I love when she wants to sleep on Mama. And shirt grabbing. It's just the sweetest.

And here she is on her 4 month birthday.

In the past I've tried to keep the blanket nicely on the couch since it's the back drop, but this time I just left it because it captures the stage that she was in at the time. She's such a curious girl.