4 months

baby emmie is four months old.  time is flying by.  days, weeks and months pass & i just can't keep up.  i feel like i'm going to turn around tomorrow and she'll already be one!  which may be why this crazy mom [yes, i am self-aware] has already purchased some items for her first birthday party.  yes that is real.  hey, they were on sale and totally not extravagant, premature, but not extravagant.  here is a little record of all that's happened in the last month with our little princess bean.

your tiny, pudgy fingers are perfection.  you like to do a lot with your hands.  you stare at them when you're laying on your back, you fold them like you're praying, touch your face and rub your tiny baby eyes, you like to feel along my face and your poppa's scruffy beard.  you like to rub your hand along my shirts and sweaters to feel the different textures and now you grab at things that you want to hold like dolls, rings and toys. you love love love to hold hands.  my favorite is when you're trying to fall asleep and you let your little fingertips tap each other real sweetly.

you're very alert and curious, always checking things out.  this has made eating a little...interesting.  if anything is going on around you, you want to be a part of it.  you hold your head up like a big girl and stare all around.  you follow us around the room even when we're far away.

your reaction when i chant "Ohhh C-A-T-S, CATS! CATS! CATS!

you smile all the time - it is absolutely precious. melts your momma and poppa's heart.  you're giggling a little bit more but still have a gasp as a laugh.  i cannot wait until it is a real hearty laugh.  i'm gonna tickle all kinds of squeals out of you!

speaking of squeals, you have all kinds of words and stories now.  you have super high pitch squeals and loooong grunts [hilarious].  you like to babble a lot and when you're not babbling fake works you move your mouth like you're talking with no sound.

i think i said this a month ago but i swear you are about to roll over from your back to your belly any moment.  you get like thiiiiis close [finger smidge] to flipping and then stop.  your entire body will be on your side and then...you just roll to your back.  you still roll belly to back like it's your job.  you try and sit up constantly.  when you grunt and strain to sit up it is pretty hilarious.  work baby ab muscles, work!  if you take a hold of two fingers you can pull yourself right up and if you start on an incline you can sit up by yourself.

 everyday it looks like you have more, darker hair.  i like to brush it back and make it look all fluffy.

this was a big month for you as an author.  you wrote your first text and your first love note.  yes, she clicked onto the emjois & scrolled to different pages and picked that little creeper face and the mouse-hamster.  i'm so proud.

she also wrote a love note to a friend.  i thought the friend would know who she is by the time i posted this but i just found said love note on my sofa table, so i suppose i forgot to send it.  err, emmie forgot to send it.

 

you've now celebrated your first thanksgiving dinner, i think that you really enjoyed it.  you got to spend the whole weekend with the brzinski's and you love it there.  you especially like to play with nonna mary.  who, by the way, got you a jumperoo.  you were a little overwhelmed at first but after we stuck a book under your feet, you were set to go.  well at least for about 10-15 minutes.

you also decorated your first christmas tree.  we can't wait to teach you all about what christmas is all about.  i'm going to read you the christmas story before bed each night i think.  it that excessive?

my husband and daughter = the most asian, non-asians in existence.  how precious are they?  this is not staged, this is just real life.

you still sleep through the night but we have had a couple hiccups.  you were sleeping until at least 8 every morning until the time change happened.  that should mean that you wake up at 7 every morning, still not bad, no complaints but for about 2 weeks you started waking up earlier and earlier, 6:30, then 6:15,  then 5:30, 5:00am... "OH. NO." was my reaction, this could get real bad.  thankfully we're getting back on track and waking between 7 and 8 has commenced once more.  you go to sleep around 8 or 8:30p most nights these days and that is kind of fun for me and your pop.  we're able to get a little more time together than we used to when you went to bed at 10, which also happens to be your poppa's bedtime.

2.5 months vs. 3.5 months - you're so big!

naps are starting to change a little too and i like it.  you now take a really good morning nap, right after you wake up, and a really good afternoon nap [at least two hours each, sometimes more].  the others are kind of unpredictable but you generally fall asleep between each feeding, i just never know for how long.  you sleep really well in momma's room so i'm contemplating getting you a queen sized fluffy bed with blackout curtains and see what happens.

i didn't really notice that you stopped laying your head on me to cuddle until you started doing it again in the past week or so.  i love when you lay your little head on my shoulder to snuggle.  i think for a little while you just had to work those neck muscles out and for whatever reason this week you were ok with a little down time with momma.  i'm soaking it in because i know it won't be like this always.

you really like toys now.  you play on your activity mat and love all the things that you can bat around.  i surround you with toys [newest addition, mr. crinkle-feet] and you're usually really content.  you love things that you can grab or that make noise.  we've also tried out your bumbo and you seem to enjoy that pretty well!  you're definitely in the stage now where everything you reach for goes in your mouth so i think baby-proofing needs to begin now. 

speaking of baby safety, you had your first fall.  it was literally one of the worst days ever for me [and maybe your dad].  we were about to take you for a walk because it was gorgeous out and i stuck you in your carseat on the couch, as was our custom.  well you weren't all strapped in because that's not necessary for a walk.  poppa was in the room with you but what working on something else and i left you on the couch to go gather my things for our adventure.  a few wiggles toward the end of your carseat and you just flipped yourself right over, face planting on the floor.  one big thud and a "oh shh.." later i rushed in to find you and your poppa both a mess.  you were fine, scared and hurt but fine.  you had a little imprint on your forehead of our hard rug.  i was so scared something would be wrong and i wouldn't know what to do.  you seemed sad and not exactly yourself for a bit.  after a nap sleeping with your poppa you perked right up though.  you were all smiles and giggles which is just what i needed to know you were alright.  it was just the most heart-wrenching 2 hours waiting for that smile.  i felt so guilty.  so so guilty, like the worst mom ever.  needless to say, i don't really leave you anywhere anymore unless you're surrounded by soft things.  i can't relive that.

you watched your first kids' movie, brave.  your poppa loved it because it had a little girl in it.  anything that is about a little girl tugs at his heartstrings now.  just so you know, your poppa used to have a heart of stone before you.  he never tears up, he never has emotions [jk...but seriously] but now, well, let's just say:  he's going to be wrapped around your teeny little fingers.  you giggled at the end which was really cute.

you're in 6 month clothes and are kind of pushing it in those if they have feet.  you still wear a few 3 month things - but i think momma is really stretching it...literally.  you wear size two diapers but are about a pound away from being out of those too.  it has gotten really cold here, really really cold so i've gotten to dress you in lots of sweaters, bundle you in blankets and keep you in socks, which you always seem to wiggle out of.  babies in sweaters are ridiculous, and perfect. 

well hello there cutie pie!

i've taken pictures of you each month in your room in hopes of capturing how you've grown from month to month.  i've planned on putting them on here each time but have continued to default to camera pics because it's so darn easy and picking from 40 pictures instead of 1,000 seems easier.  i hope to post some of your darling little face so very soon.

baby emmie, i think it is probably needless to say but you are just precious to your poppa and i.  i'm really excited about lots of things for your little life.  one being that many of your parents' friends have littles [just like you] that are waiting to be your best friends.  i can't wait to see you all grow up together.  i know there will likely be a time when we embarrass you and you think that we're lame, that you won't want to hangout with us and you'll want some independence from us.  i pray that that time will be brief and that you'll kind of like us even though we're crazy.  someone today also reminded me that we need to be praying for your little heart.  that you'll be brave and courageous, that you'll stand up for what is right, fight for good, love people well.  i hope that even if you have to do that on your own [seemingly] that you'll be faithful and stand firm - even if it's not popular.  i pray that you'd do all that with the Lord's strength and that you'd choose Jesus for yourself.  i pray that you know His goodness and that His love is better than life [psalm 63:3], and most definitely superior to what this world has to offer.  you are a doll and we love watching you grow.  you are a great joy in our home.