four months

dearest Elizabeth,

somehow, in the span of a month, you have grown by leaps and bounds -- not only physically, but also developmentally! when your sisters play their crazy games around the house, you watch intently, waving your arms and squawking with excitement. you are practically a celebrity at school pickup, bestowing huge smiles on your sisters' friends. you confidently join right into the conversation with your babbles and occasional shrieks. you clearly think you're one of the crew, and i know as soon as you're more mobile, you'll be tagging right along with them! 

at the playground -- you need your own sunnies!

speaking of mobility, you began rolling from your tummy to back this month, but i have yet to capture it on video because you do it so rarely. you do often roll from your back to your side, and then just hang out there for a while. when you're playing on your playmat, after a while you often end up turning yourself 180 or 270 degrees, with combination of kicking, rolling and scooting. 

first time at the library! "Mom, what took you so long to bring me here?!"

this month, your appetite has also grown (and grown)! you started drinking 5 ounce bottles of expressed milk when i was at work, and since i pumped only about half of what you went through in a day, i started mixing formula into your bottles. you were still satisfied with nursing the rest of the time. then, about two weeks ago, you wanted to clusterfeed all weekend and even then, you weren't satisfied, so i'd top you up with formula after nursing. but that wasn't sustainable for long either, with needing to get the girls to and from school and other activities. so we gradually replaced one nursing session a day with formula, and just a few days ago, you weaned completely. i had mixed feelings about it initially (of course, the hormonal shifts with weaning don't help!), but honestly, it's less stressful to just know that you're getting enough to eat! you take a bottle from me without any problem, and i'm so grateful for that. your older sisters were completely weaned by 9 months (Greta) and 6 months (Cecilia), so i wasn't too surprised by this timing for you. i'm happy i was able to nurse you as long as i did, especially for you to get the antibodies from my Covid booster in December. 

one of your last nursing sessions

Greta's first time feeding you a bottle - last night!

your four-month well visit is scheduled for next week, but by my scale, you weigh about 14 pounds. you can still wear some of the larger 3-to-6 month outfits and onesies, but you wear all 6 month sleepers. since you started rolling, you're not swaddled for sleep anymore. and you have found your thumb!

you hit the four-month sleep regression a week early, and have been waking up once or twice a night ready to talk and play. you're still taking solid naps during the day, so at least there's that -- and i know most babies are waking at night at this age anyway, but mama is getting old and tired! on the flip side, you are now giggling the cutest little laughs, especially when we play pat-a-cake, when your sisters play with you, and when i sing your own special song: "Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth Rose // Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth Rose // you are beautiful and smart // your cheeks are a work of art // Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth Rose // Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth Rose!"

this month you finally got some much-needed snuggle time with Nana and Dorothy, and you also met Daddy's cousin Alex and his fiancee Renae when they came over to discuss music for their upcoming wedding. you got to dress up for St. Patrick's Day in the same outfit your sisters wore, and you also received your very first dirndl! Daddy brought them back for all of you girls after a trip to Graz, Austria, to play an organ concert. what a talented and thoughtful daddy you have! 

we love you so much, jellybean!