Hadley: 4 Months!

Happy 4 Months, Hadley Mae!

We often joked & called your big sister "the biggest baby ever" when she was your age b/c she was always "off the charts" with her weight/height & was just legitimately bigger than any other babies we knew. But you, sweet Hadley--you were even bigger than than the "the biggest baby ever," until now that it is! At your 4 month visit, you weighed the exact same amount as your big sister did at that age: 17 pounds & 10 ounces. You are 25.4 inches long, and Shelby was 25.2 inches at this age; so you've still got just a bit of length on her. I think it's funny how many physical similarities the two of you share! But you each definitely have your own personality thus far. You definitely have a more of a go-with-the-flow kind of personality like your Daddy, and Shelby is a little more high-strung, Type A like your Mama. I think birth order has a lot to do with how personalities develop {I am a first child & Derek is a second}.

Here's what Miss Hadley is up to these days....

--You love to talk & roll onto your side. Your favorite toy is a little orange mousey thing & Fisher Price snail thing. If I ever lay you down on the ground, Shelby rushes over to give you those toys. :)
--You are still such a sweet, happy, & laid-back baby...we love that about you!
--We have finally figured out what works for you as far as sleep goes, and we are all happier & more rested because of it! Thank goodness! When we started sleep training you, we quickly learned that you just don't like to be rocked to sleep. I kind of miss being able to hold a sleeping baby in my arms, but it has made our lives so much better being able to just lay you down in your crib when it's time for you to go to sleep. Before the sleep training, I had started dreading your naptimes b/c you would just fight me tooth & nail. And on top of that, Shelby was always a bit sad & lonely playing by herself while I was upstairs with you. Nobody was happy, but now we all are! It only takes about 2 minutes to get you ready for sleep now: we read you Goodnight, Moon & lay you down in your crib awake. Sometimes you go right to sleep, and other times you might talk or fuss for 5-10 minutes, then you're out! Hallelujah! Shelby didn't start getting herself to sleep on her own until she was much older, so this is a huge blessing!

--As far as naps go, you are still waking up anywhere between 45-60 minutes after you've fallen asleep. But thankfully, you almost always get yourself right back to sleep!! HUGE improvement!

--Nighttime sleep is also going great! Daddy does your bedtime routine every night: bath, bottle of pumped milk, Goodnight Moon, and lights out somewhere between 7 & 8pm {depending on how long/short your 3rd nap of the day was}. You usually sleep until about 1 or 2 am; I nurse you, lay you back down awake, and you get yourself back to sleep pretty quickly. Then you are up for the day anywhere between 7 & 8am!
--The flip side of you sleeping better in your crib is that you no longer sleep on the go--just like your big sister did at this age! You might fall asleep for 5 minutes in the car or a couple minutes when I'm wearing you while we're out, but that's it. We have reached the point where you need to be in your crib for naps.  Even though you won't really sleep much in the car, you're still enjoying {or should I say tolerating?} the carseat much better than you used to! Very thankful for that!

--You are starting to grab things more & more! The funniest grabbing incident happened at McDonald's on our way home from Birmingham a couple weeks ago--you were sitting in my lap, and grabbed my lunch off the table! Thankfully, I caught it about a nanosecond before we were both covered in fries & ketchup :)
--We started giving you Zantac this month b/c it seems you have a bit of acid reflux just like your big sister..but thankfully, you have it much easier than she did! And thankfully, you don't really have any spit-up associated with the reflux which I am super thankful for! The Zantac seems to be working great thus far--you are nursing a bit better than you beforehand & your sleep has also improved!
--A few exciting firsts this month: first time in a swing, first trip to Birmingham, & first time in the pool
--You are wearing mostly 6 or 9 month clothes & a size 3 diaper.
--You aren't really a paci kind of girl. We often find ourselves trying to give you the paci b/c we were just so used to that from when Shelby was a baby. But you usually suck on it for a minute {if that!} then spit it right out. But the good thing is you really don't ever need a paci b/c you're always so laid back!
--You are becoming more & more observant with each passing day! When you sit in my lap during meals, your little head turns back & forth watching the fork go from the plate to my mouth & back again..it's too cute!

--You still love bath time! Another favorite of yours is when Daddy rubs his head/hair on your face--you just giggle away!
--You still love your big sister! Usually Shelby is very sweet & gentle with you, but sometimes she just gets a little too much in your space. Well, you're already starting to fight back by pulling her hair. ;)  Right now the score is tied--Shelby has made you cry twice, and you've made her cry twice. ;)

And here are a few other recent pictures of you that I love!

Love how well this picture captures your big blue eyes!
Shelby's eyes were blue when she was this age, but they've since changed
to hazel. We're anxious to see what will happen with Hadley's eye color!

We love you, Hadley! You are such a sweet addition to our family, and we are so thankful for you!