Four Months

This girl…



…is four months old today.

She’s definitely not the same baby she was four months ago. I know I sound like an idiot, because of course she’s not the same baby. Babies grow and change and stop being newborn lumps at some point. I just don’t think I realized how quickly it happens. Every day leads to a new discovery for her, some new milestone crossed off of the list. She’s found her feet, and every time she kicks her legs in the air, she seems delighted that her toes are still there. This fascination has made playtime more entertaining, but diaper time more difficult. Anything she can get her hands on goes directly into her mouth, including other people’s fingers. You’d think it would be easy to stop that from happening, but you’d be wrong. She’s deceptively strong, so it seems like she’s being all cute by holding your hand, then your fingers are gone before you even realize what happened. The whole ‘things in her mouth’ stage makes me even more concerned for when she gets mobile. I just know she’s going to bypass her own toys and food for the dogs’ toys and food, and honestly, I’m sure the dogs will be willing to make the trade. I foresee a lot of yelling ‘STOP’ and ‘PUT THAT DOWN’ in my future, at baby and dogs alike. I already feel like her first words are going to be ‘Riley, NO’. Peace and Tranquility? Who needs ‘em!

She’s starting this whole new self-sufficiency thing that I kind of love, as long as she doesn’t get there too fast. Yes, she still relies on us for the food and the diapers and the moving from place to place. But yesterday? Yesterday, she took her pacifier out of her mouth, seemed surprised to find it missing, then stuck it right back in. What happened to taking it out of her mouth, dropping it, then expecting me to find it for her, and crying until I did? She obviously doesn’t need me anymore. Also, she’s put herself to sleep in her crib the last three nights. I know she’s supposed to do this. I know I’m supposed to put her down when she’s sleepy, but not asleep so she learns to do it on her own. I know this is a good thing, but it does make me a little sad that she can fall asleep somewhere other than in my arms. Don’t get me wrong…I like not spending 30 to 45 minutes pacing back in forth in the nursery, trying to get her to sleep, only to have her wake up again the minute I try to put her down for the night, just so I can repeat the process. But I have to say, there’s nothing much better than holding a sleeping baby. Of course, now that she’s closing in on the 15 pound mark, holding a sleeping baby will start to make your arms go numb after awhile, but I’d say it’s still worth it.

Other changes? She’s been two-timing her glow-worm with a stuffed seahorse that also lights up and plays music. She plays with my hair when I hold her. She loves to stand up on your lap. She loves when daddy sings ‘All the Single Ladies’. She’s starting to understand that the beeping of the bottle warmer means she’s got food coming her way, and if it doesn’t get there quick enough, all hell breaks loose. Her open mouthed grin (accompanied by a full body wiggle) might just be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Even at 6am. On a Saturday. She looks more and more like Steve the older she gets. In general, she’s just a lot of fun to have around. And I love her more than just about anything.

Happy 4-month birthday, Brigid!