Four months old and technically out of the newborn stage! Charlotte is really starting to settle into her infant features. She’s learning new tricks every day now as well. I can’t believe how fast she’s growing! Today I am sharing a monthly update on CC, including a growth progress photo collage. I also talk about what’s going on in my new Mama lifestyle.
Just in case you missed my delivery post, here are CC’s birth stats: Born December 28, 2015 // 6 lb 6 oz // 20″
CC’s Current Stats:
❊ Age – Four Months (18 weeks and 2 days to be exact)
❊ Weight & Height – 14 lb 6 oz and 25.9″ (95th percentile for height!) – CC is currently in between sizes with clothing. She’s long waisted and grows out of one piece clothing quickly. She’s in size 6-9 months for sleepers and rompers and just barely hanging onto size 3-6 months for bodysuits. I’ve found that out of all the brands we’ve tried, Carter’s runs the smallest and she tends to grow out of those clothes first. For instance, even though she’s grown out of size 3-6 month bodysuits from Carter’s she can still wear that same size from BabyGap and by Circo (Target). She fits in size 3-6 month pants perfectly. I suspect she’ll be in 6 month clothing across the board by the end of the month. I’ve even purchased some 9 month sleepers to have on hand just to be prepared. It’s surprising how fast little ones can grow, sometimes literally overnight!
❊ Eat – CC nurses like a champ. Breastfeeding is a whole different story now that we’re thrush-free. She’s still a slow eater and prefers to take her time at the breast. It’s our time and I relish those sweet moments together. She’s taken to “chatting” with me after her daytime feeds. Her little coos and squeals are too cute! She’ll typically nurse for 20 minutes on average seven times a day.
❊ Sleep – CC’s nighttime rest continues to be consistent and complete. Once she started sleeping for an 8 hour stretch each night (at about 14 weeks old) I moved her bedtime up bit by bit. It’s settled at 7:30 PM for the time being. We have a solid bedtime routine in place, as well. I take CC upstairs at 6:30 PM for her bath, followed by lotions and jammies, then her last feed of the day which she typically lingers on until drowsy (about half an hour). I read her two short stories, sing two songs in the glider (Wishes and When You Wish Upon A Star), place her in her crib and then sing her last song (A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes) while I swaddle her and stroke her hair and gently rub her tummy. She’s usually in bed between 7:20 and 7:30 and it takes her anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes to fall asleep. She’s taken to babbling a bit before she falls asleep, which I’m guessing is how she unwinds from the day. So far, this routine is really working for her regardless of the quality of her daytime rest. She sleeps about 8-9 hours, wakes up to feed sometime between 4 and 5 AM, then goes back to sleep for anywhere from 2-3 hours, usually waking up for the day between 7 and 8 AM.
The naps are starting to improve! CC is still taking a cat nap of 30-40 minutes most mornings and late afternoons, but over the past week or so she started extending her midday nap to 1-2 hours. She now takes three naps a day. The last nap of the day is the hardest to get her down for consistently, but I always try! Our nap time routine is very simple and short: I change her diaper, we close the blinds together and turn on her sound machine, and then I lay her down in her crib and swaddle her while I sing (A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes). She usually falls asleep within 5 minutes but it can take up to 20 from time to time. She’s has only just started to extend her waking time from 1 1/2 hours. I think by the end of the month she’ll be up to 2 hours awake between naps.
❊ Recent Milestones – Every day feels like a milestone to this new mama! I swear she wakes up with new tricks every day. She is progressing at lightening speed compared to the first two months. She’s extremely observant about her surroundings and quite sensitive to new sights and sounds. That lower lip pout to warn me when she’s about to start crying is too precious! I can usually save her from tears using soothing tones, words of reassurance, and lots of smiles. She smiles so big whenever she sees me after a nap or even just a few minutes spent looking at something else. That smile lights up my soul!
CC plays happily in her activity center and is so much better at spending time on the floor now that her reflux is mostly resolved (I weaned her off the homeopathic remedy I shared about last month a couple of weeks ago and have been slowly lowering her crib mattress incline as she no longer seems to need it). She’s slowly getting more tolerant of tummy time although she still only lasts in it for a few minutes at a time at best. She’s pushing up with her arms a lot more. Her neck strength and head control are awesome! We started physical therapy this past month to address her torticollis. Even though our sessions so far have been hit or miss depending on how tired she is (it’s hard to schedule things with a baby) I’m learning new ways to play with and encourage CC to use her full range of motion, which we implement every day. We’re seeing lots of progress already only three weeks in! She’s finally able to bring her legs up and touch her toes, which I find absolutely adorable.
CC is now able to reach for and grasp objects with intention and bring them to her mouth. She especially enjoys touching and gumming on fabrics. I love how she strokes my shirt when she’s nursing and clutches it whenever I’m carrying or baby wearing her. I introduced a lovey, or “transitional object,” this past month after noting her love of soft cuddly things. Some may argue it’s too early to introduce a lovey, but I trust my mama instinct and I think CC is the kind of baby that will benefit greatly from a familiar loved object even at this early stage. She has developed a very strong mama bond and struggles with separation, even when we’re going for short rides in the car. A transitional object can really help encourage independence in some children. I introduced the lovey (which we call Bunsy) a few weeks ago and she took to it right away. CC and Bunsy spend all of their waking time together (she’s still too young to sleep with it). It’s made a huge difference in car trips and stroller rides. She loves stroking, clutching, and gumming on Bunsy. It’s too soon to say for sure, but I think we may have a winner with Bunsy!
Showing off some of her new tricks and sense of humor
❊ Special Moments – All of them! I mean it, every single moment I share with this little girl feels like an amazingly precious gift. She has really come into her personality this past month. She is sensitive, caring, sweet, and curious. I love the way her eyes sparkle when she smiles. I love how she squeals with delight when something tickles her fancy. I love how she opens her mouth in a wide toothless grin and crinkles her eyes when I nibble on her cheeks or fly her “up, up, up!” I love how she chats with me in the morning after breakfast and sings along when I’m putting on her post-bath lotion at night. I love how she enjoys exploring the world with me on our daily walks with Winnie and short trips to exotic new places like Target and Trader Joe’s. There’s nothing quite like reliving the wonder of life through your child’s eyes. I can’t wait for many more adventures experienced together.
❊ Mama’s Experience – If you couldn’t already tell, I am completely smitten with this girl. She is the absolute light of my life. I have never felt so full of love before and I’ve been fortunate to have had a pretty full cup up to now. CC is my sweet angel. The challenges we faced in the first two months only made our bond stronger and I am so thankful I persevered with breastfeeding and learning to trust my mama instinct. It’s true when people say that you really do know what’s best for your child (even if sometimes you feel as if you know nothing at all!). It can be hard to do at times, especially when you’re worried and overwhelmed and you’re getting different advice, input, and feedback from all directions. Go with your gut; you know your child and their needs better than anyone else. Advice, tips, and tricks from other mamas is wonderful and helpful at times, but ultimately I have found the best path for me and my family is to trust my instincts. Happy baby = happy mama = happy family ❤︎
Check out this video if you’d like to hear more:
I hope you enjoyed CC’s four month update. Let me know if there are any other points you’d like me to cover in these posts. As always, I’d love to hear about your experiences if you care to share.
Thank you so much for all of your support and well wishes! ❤️
* This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are genuinely my own. *
