"She's not a baby who needs more"...

Those were the words from the Public Health Nurse when we went for Evelyn's 4-month check-up and vaccinations - In other words, our little girl continues to grow way too quickly!

Evie is about 4 1/2 months now.  At her last appointment, she weighed in at 16 lbs even.  Turns out her weight is getting a little ahead of her length putting her in the 97th percentile on the weight-for-length chart (So out of 100 baby girls her age and length, she is heavier than 97 of them).  She is very healthy and happy, and I'm sure she'll even out a little more once she is a bit more mobile (it just might take a little longer for that to happen).  The rolls on her legs are pretty cute, but they might give her a hard time rolling over (and eventually walking :).

Always happy to be naked - I'm looking forward to summer when she doesn't need to be bundled up so much to go outside 

Her routines are more predictable now, which makes it a bit easier to plan out our days.  On the flip side, now that I know when/how long she needs to nap it can makes me a bit anxious to take her out if I know she hasn't had a good rest.  As a new parent, you hear a lot about the 4-month sleep regression.  I think we are experiencing it to a minor extent.  Around Christmas and the New Year, Evie was sleeping really well at night (getting up once a night or sleeping pretty much through the night). Now she is going to bed at a more stable time (usually around 7-7:30 pm), and she'll get up usually twice a night to eat around 1-2am and 4-5am, and then she is usually up for the day around 6-7am. I'm still happy with her sleep though as she eats really quickly now and usually just goes right back to sleep.  

She is getting much better at falling asleep on her own in her crib too.  As long as the soother stays in her mouth, she will usually just play with her hands or grab her blanket/sleep sack until she falls asleep.  I'm not sure I'd be telling the same story if she didn't take a soother though (I LOVE soothers).

Even though babies are "supposed" to learn to sleep on their own, there is nothing better than having your baby sleep in your arms

I think she may be starting some early signs of teething now as well - she has been drooling a lot, is always putting her hands in her mouth, and sucks her bottom lip at times.  Her cheeks have also been very red lately.  At first, her doctor treated the red cheek as an infection an she was on antibiotics, but those didn't seem to clear it up so we are just going to wait and see what happens (or go back to the doctor if she develops any other symptoms.  Hopefully we still have a little while before a tooth makes an appearance - they say that symptoms can last months before a tooth will break through.

This is what happens if I forget to put a bib on

She continues to get more and more interactive.  The other day she watched me eat my breakfast - she hasn't really noticed people eating before, so that was exciting.  Soon enough we'll be starting to introduce solids (at 6 months), and taking interest in eating is one sign of readiness that babies show.  She also noticed the dogs now too, and if they come close enough to her, she will reach out to touch them (they are usually gone before she has a chance though.  She definitely hears their loud games of tug-of-war and will watch for  few minutes.

The dogs are still great with her.  Hudson has has been pretty comfortable with her since she was born.  Ruby has been curious but a little more tentative in the past (she would walk away if we sat Evie down near her).  Ruby seems to be more comfortable now though, and will bring her toys up to Evie when she's on the ground....one day she'll have a playmate.

Just hanging out on the couch

Big sister Ruby watching over Evie

Hanging out with Huddy

She is getting better and better at entertaining herself (which is nice if there is something I want to get done).  Her attention span is pretty short, but if I rotate her through all the stations (high chair, bouncer chair, floor mat, exersaucer, etc), I can usually get myself a half hour.  I managed to bake a cake for Craig's birthday the other day with her in the high chair the whole time.  I had to do a lot of singing to keep her entertained when I was icing it though!

Playing in her high chair - we have the style that just attaches to the table or counter so it works well if I am working in the kitchen to have her on the counter across from me

Happy girl in the exersaucer (she's still too small to reach the floor, so we have a board game underneath)

Concentrating hard on this spinner

Her mind is blown by new toys

She also had her first real laugh a couple weeks ago - talk about melt your heart.  It is just the best sound in the world.  The laughing still isn't an every day occurrence, but every few days we find something that gets a few giggles out of her.  

I am looking forward to spring, even though we have had an amazing winter.  I have several friends who are expecting babies in the next couple months so it will be great to have some more mat-leave buddies.  I love being home with Evie, but it is definitely nice to get out and talk to adults instead of babies and dogs (even if all we talk about is babies!).  

I signed up for my first post-baby race - the Calgary half marathon.  I definitely won't set a new PB but I'm hoping I can do a little better than when I did the race last year at 19 weeks pregnant.  This year Evie will be cheering me on at the finish line instead of kicking me in the bladder, so that should help :).  The 12-week training program starts next week, so hopefully the snow disappears and I can take Evie out in the Chariot for a few runs during weekdays.  

Until next time, bye from me and this cutie