The Harding Family Adventures: 4 Months Old!

This past month has been both fantastic and challenging. This month has seen some amazing changes in Abby, but also behaviours and sleep patterns we haven't experienced before. It's been a month of incredible mental growth, as well as physical growth. Our little rabbit is officially 13lb 8oz and 25.5 inches long - which puts her average for weight (50th percentile) and tall (90th percentile for height). So far body wise, she's very much a hybrid of D and I - height from me and lean like her father. It's funny, carrying her around everyone says she's so petite and small, (which does make me feel a little like I'm not feeding her enough!), but she's actually model perfect!

Abby trying to sit up all by herself!

Tried to get a photo with her monkey - but this is what she does with it now!

Look at those rolls on her legs!!

So, to recap this month with the bad first: Can you believe this adorable thing is driving her parents a bit batty. She's in a bit of a sleep regression. It started the Monday we were in Ottawa. She decided to get up in the night, almost every two hours. Then it kept going. One night I saw every hour on the clock - so her longest sleep period would have been from 1:00 - 2:59. [Actually, she sleeps quite well from 7-8 (her bed time) until midnight, then it's a mixed bag from there!] At first, I thought it was growing pains, as she would wake up, I'd feed in bed, (where I'd fall asleep and wake up an hour later to take her back to her crib) only to do it all over again an hour after that. No fun, Abby! I may have turned a corner this last week, but it's too early to tell (I've stopped feeding her around 2am and just put her soother back in, she still wakes up at 3-4am hungry though). I've tried to get her to nap in her crib during the day and to be more consistant on nap times and a bedtime routine. I'm not one to let her "Cry-it-Out" just to get her to sleep or pick her up at every noise from the crib, so we are in a balancing act right now. There are so many "experts" out there, each with their own philosophy and set of rules and it gets quite stressful; and you know these "experts" play on the parents' guilt to sell their latest philosophy. Oh well! We've started to give Abby Lovies, blankets to help comfort her to sleep, which seem to be working. She'll snuggle right into them. We are providing her with a couple of different options, to see which lovey she likes the best. So far, the more the better! We just have to be careful, she loves to put them over her face!! I love to sneak in and watch her trying to soothe herself to sleep. She'll sometimes talk to her mobile or to her monkey blanket, she also rotates around the crib now (I never find her in the same orientation I put her into the crib). I love when she grabs her little monkey blanket by its little arms and holds it in front of her face to give it kisses (or to eat it, which she also does!). So, again, as much as her late night awakenings are driving me crazy, Abigail is still so darn cute going to sleep, I can't get mad at her. Plus, she'll wake up smiling and cooing - it's hard to be upset with that.

She's rubbing her face with the satin edge!

You can never have enough toys and blankets in bed, right?

She's a wiggler! I would have put her into bed on her back and parallel to the crib rail.

Our other struggle this month is that we think Abby is teething. Abigail has turned into a bit of a drool monster, compounded with a bit of a runny nose for a couple of weeks. Together, it has meant that everything in the house is covered in a bit of slime! And I mean EVERYTHING. We have to put a bib on her when she does tummy time or is in her Jumperoo, otherwise you pick her up and she's soaked down her front!! No sign of teeth popping through yet, so this drool phase could last for a while. We'll be sure to bring lots of blankets, burp cloths, and bibs wherever we go. Besides the drool, teething has also meant that Abby occasionally has a bit of a grumpy attitude, especially if she's over tired. (Basically, all the negative about this month comes down to Mommy's not getting the sleep she's used to or needs!) Oh well, we know that when she gets teeth it will be time for real food, and I'm looking forward to that!

The good thing about all of this, is Abby still doesn't really cry that much. I mean, she cries - but it's usually not for long and is easy to solve her problems. Even at night when she wakes up. She's not bawling, she's just calling for me or whining. Soon enough she'll actually be calling for me!

Now, enough complaining - onto how AMAZING our little girl is. (Brag much!?)

Dustin and I are constantly turning to each other, exclaiming "Did you see that?!" This month, Abigail has improved her use of her hands. She can now reach for toys, bring them to her mouth and eat them. She can roll over both ways (from front to back and back to front) and does so frequently to get a toy just out of reach. Again, I'm constantly finding Abby in a different orientation than the one I put her down in. She's a little squirmy wormy. Just today she rolled from her front to her back and back onto her front again about three times, in a row. Diaper changes have also become fun - as she's learned she can wiggle and kick to get things, she'll do so while I'm trying to put her diaper back on! Abigail has also learned to jump in her Jumperoo - as evident in the video I posted earlier. She also will stand up if you help her by gently pulling on her hands and hoisting her up. She pulls up to sitting and then pops up to be on her feet. I think I'm going to regret encouraging her to stand and jump and move when she's 7 months and crawling EVERYWHERE! She really wants to sit up. She loves to kick in the bath. She could be in there for hours. I can't wait to take her swimming.

Yep, those are her feet sticking out of the crib rails.

Like mother, like daughter! (Me circa 1982)

The other amazing thing Abby is doing, is "talking". She makes all kinds of noises now. The other day I put her down for a nap and over the monitor I could hear her cooing and gurgling and laughing to herself, or to her mobile or to her monkey. It was very cute. She also has a bit of a laugh - she loves when I kiss her neck and if bounce her or lift her up really high and give her a little wiggle. In the morning, I sometimes wake up to her cooing and smiling. It makes all the rough nights worth it to see her smile and laugh. I really believe she has started to wake up more in the nights because she's learning so much. Her brain is just processing all the new activities she does during the day, it can't completely shut down. And Dustin and I joke, we'll take all the sleepless nights (by we, I mean mostly me), if it means that she is doing all of these new activities and skills. Every day we see her doing something new. This entire month has just been an explosion of skill learning!

Learning her first 100 words!

Abby's starting to develop a little personality. She perks up and will talk and smile when D and I walk into a room. Abby enjoys going to our classes and seeing all her "friends". I really like the classes too and am starting to meet some moms in the area, and hopefully, we'll start doing more mom and baby things together. Abby is very observant - her eyes are always bright and looking at everything; everyone compliments her big blue eyes. She loves books. I have a book I read Abby every night, and she'll be cranky and fussy and then I'll pull out the book and she'll calm right down. She's even starting to turn pages. We've been on lots of walks and a couple of runs (she falls right asleep in the stroller!).

We've been lucky to see family this month too. Papa Chris came down for a night, and then Nana Cheryl and Great-Nana came a couple days later. Aunt Sue also popped in quickly to say hi. Always nice to see everyone. Can't wait for Abby to meet all the members of (big) family she hasn't met yet. (I'm talking about you Grandy and Gramps! July can't come soon enough!!)

A visit with Great-Nana - always a treat!

With Aunt Sue - and the amazing headband made by Meaghan!

This month has been really exciting. You can almost watch Abby's brain growing and neurons connecting and clicking into place. (Sorry, the scientist in me finds it very fascinating to see what I learned in school in action!) So, what do you think? Do you think Abby is starting to look like me? Below are photos of Dust and I as babies, along with photos of Abby. I think Abby is starting to look like her Aunt Allie. ;) Plus, her personality really shines in the last photo. That's my girl!