4 Months

Olivia is now four months old!  I feel like we say it every month, but time just flies by.  Her 4 month doctor's visit went great.  She is growing like a weed and, of course, smiled and charmed all the nurses and ladies working the front desk.  She took her shots like a champ and barely cried (although she did have some "Single Babies" to help her out!).

Here are her stats:
Height - 24.5" (68%)
Weight - 14 lb, 1.5 oz (70%)
Head circumference - 15.75" (29%)


Our pediatrician recommend we stop swaddling her and try to phase out her pacifier.  This sent Matt into a sheer panic!  So, we decided to start slowly - one arm free at a time!  That girl loves a swaddle, so hopefully we can all make it through the transition.  One plus is that with her hands free, she will hopefully suck on her hand or fingers, instead of crying for her pacifier.  I swear Matt and I make 50 laps a night to put it back in her mouth when she cries!

At four months, Olivia is starting to have stronger opinions on her likes and dislikes.

She LOVES:

• music
• mirrors
• food
• outside 
• being entertained and/or held

 She doesn't really like:

• saline in her nose when its stuffy (learned that the hard way since she's currently on the back-end of a cold)
• being put down by herself with no one to talk to or play with her
• people talking while she is trying to eat --- this is kind of a new one.  Olivia is a very social baby, but she also really likes food, so its never really been an issue if we talked while she ate.  In fact, some of my favorite memories of her first few weeks are the middle-of-the-night feedings because Matt and I could talk and laugh without doctors, visitors or anyone else around.  BUT lately she has not appreciated our discussions.  She will stop eating and just stare us down.  It now happens on a nightly basis!  At first we tried whispering, but that didn't fool her.  So, now we sit in silence and let Miss Bossy eat in quiet.

She also has started babbling a lot more - I love it!  She does it most often on the changing table.  

 Four months marks another huge change in the Dean household - I head back to work on Monday!  These four months have been so precious to me and I'm so happy I took the time off work to bond with Olivia.  Matt and I are sure it will be an adjustment, but hopefully we can all handle it without too many tears or anxiety.  Wish us luck!