Four Month Favorites

At 4.5 months old, here are the things that put a smile on Liv's face:

Baby Einstein's Exersaucer entertains her all morning while I am getting ready for work.  Love this one b/c there is so much to see and play with plus she loves the music.

She has become a jumping fool in this Fisher Price Jumper.  She will continue to jump in your lap after you take her out.

Lately, I have had to take this Baby Einstein's Aquarium out of the crib at night so she will go to sleep b/c I think she would stare at it for hours if I let her.  She has learned to hit the starfish for music to play and is fascinated with the lights and sound.

Liv is loving textures so this soft book has been a hit.  And when she gets bored of touching it, the book doubles as something for her to chew on.

Liv will wrestle and roll around with her Carter's Snuggle Buddy Doll until she is tired.

My girl loves to check herself out in the mirror.  This Fisher Price Go Baby Go Snail Mirror is wonderful b/c it lights up, plays music, rocks back and forth and spins around.

She is still thoroughly enjoying eating her piggy toes.

And last but not least, trying to put her binkie in her mouth has become a fun new game.

On the Move

Ahh...the crawling has begun.  I thought most babies rock for awhile or practice getting up on all fours.  Nope not my child.  She just went for it at 4.5 months old.  She has not figured out continuous crawling but will pull her legs in and then push herself forward, stop and then go again.  Needless to say, she can get where she wants to go. Now the push is on to baby proof the house. A step I wasn't quite ready for yet.

Also on the topic of moving, Liv's crib was moved lower since she has taken a liking to grabbing the top of her bumper.  She is extremely strong and I don't think she could pull herself up on the railing yet but also don't want to risk the chance of her trying to be Evel Knievel and launch herself out.

This aquarium attached to her crib is equal, if not higher, to the front railing.

Thank goodness for an amazing monitor so we can see what our little fresh face is up to.

The Joys of Teething

Teething disrupts all that you've worked so hard to get on schedule.  Why is it that just as your life starts to get back on track with a baby, teeth come along to throw your life into a tailspin yet again?  Liv's two bottom teeth broke through right around the time she turned 4 months, which was accompanied with lots of drooling, night time crankiness and stuffiness.  My husband asked if were now in the clear for awhile? Ha oh how naive he is.  I didn't want to break the bad news that we are in for the long haul, and we were just lucky to start this fun process earlier than most.  Honestly, I should be counting my blessings because Liv did not experience some of the normal teething symptoms like fever or diaper rash.  But she has taken to biting me while breastfeeding. So this teething process has effected me in more ways than one.  Our nighttime routine to combat this stage has become tylenol for the pain along with saline nose drops and a humidifier for the stuffiness.  Seems to be working so far, keeping my fingers crossed that it continues.

Runny nose day and night but she is cute

Two teeth

4 Month Update

Olivia Elyse - 4 Months

Before Liv's four month visit, my family all took bets on her weight since she is becoming quite the arm workout to carry or pick up.  I came in the lightest at 17lbs with others guessing up to 20.  Still in the 95%, she weighed in at 16 lbs 13oz and measuring 25.5 inches long.  I was honestly shocked she did not weigh more, but lately she has not been eating as much due to teething.  She currently is wearing a Size 2 but shortly will be graduating to Size 3.

So Liv has her two bottom teeth already and you can see another chicklet waiting to pop thru next to them.  Overall the process has not been too awful besides some crankiness at night.  However this past weekend she bit me for the first time while breastfeeding.  It instantly brought tears to my eyes. Who knew a baby's jaw with only two tiny teeth could cause so much pain.  She has bitten me two more times since then and I have found she seems to do this when worked up from hunger or sleepiness.  As a result, I have only been breastfeeding her when completely calm otherwise she gets a bottle. 

So back to the doctors appointment. Olivia started experiencing cold like symptoms, which I attributed to her getting sick since I myself hadn't been feeling all that great.  Figured I could kill two birds with one stone and have it checked out during her visit.  Come to find out, the stuffiness is due to her teeth but she has a yeast infection and eczema.  Not sure how this girl could have a yeast infection as I change her diaper constantly except for at night while she is sleeping.  The eczema was not a shocker b/c I noticed dry skin on her elbows and legs after applying baby sunscreen to her at the beach a week ago.  Even though doctors advise no sunscreen until 6 months, I thought it would be ok since it was mineral-based.  Up until now she has had perfectly clear skin. I guess those doctors know what they are talking about. 

Most babies are fussy after shots, but my girl was wild and unwilling to lay down for a nap.

Guilty mom confession....I continually forget to give Liv Vitamin D but I am going to make a conscious effort to do so going forward.  With that being said, she went to the Doctor on Monday and I have yet to put Vitamin D in her bottle this week.

Likes: 
Her feet are all the new rave.  She loves to hold them, stare at them and try to put them in her mouth.
Talking but it has morphed into screaming. She is vocal like her momma.

Mirrors have become a favorite pastime.  She smiles and screams at her own reflection.

Whoever invented the exersaucer is a genius since it entertains her for great spans of time.

She still loves tubby time and somehow manages to get me half soaked by the end with all her kicking/splashing. 
Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Aquarium - when I put her in the crib she stares at it until I turn it on.

Teethers - whether it be actual frozen teethers or a soft animal/doll to chew on.

Trying:
Crawling - She pulls her feet in but then her hiney falls to the side each time like it is too heavy for her body.

Sitting - She fell backwards right after this and cried her eyes out making me feel like a bad mom.  Next time I will line pillows all behind her.

Just Keep Swimming

Liv is really starting to love the water.  As soon as I put her in the tub, she kicks her legs like she would in the pool.  Another week = another trip to the pool. And to make it even better, we had friends meet us for a pool play date.

Bucket List

Creating a bucket list is the first step in achieving/experiencing your lifetime goals.  Here is my list so far:

1. Volunteer for a non-profit

2. Learn how to use my camera properly

3. Take a trapeze class

4. Stomp on grapes to make wine

5. Horseback ride in the ocean

6. Run a marathon or 1/2 marathon

7. Visit hot springs

8. Swim with dolphins

9. Visit Bali

10. Open an Etsy shop

11. Be a stay at home mom

12. Visit a volcano

13. Take a month long vacation with husband/family

14. Renew my wedding vowels on 10th anniversary in the Bahamas on the beach

15. Blog everyday