4 Months!

Well, Gracie turned four months old March 3rd. She's growing so fast!

We had her four month check up on Friday March 6th and she did absolutely wonderful. She weighs 13 lbs and 6 oz (44%), she is 24 and 3/4 in. long (68%) and her head is 16 1/2 in. around (73%). So she's basically tall, skinny and really, really smart. She took her immunizations like a champ. We had a follow-up hip ultrasound at the end of last week. She had one at 6 weeks and the measurements on her left hip were just a little off so they wanted to get another look and everything is perfect.

The most exciting thing about the 4 month milestone is that we started her on rice cereal. On Friday March 6th we mixed a very tiny bit of it with breast milk and she didn't like it at all. We kept trying though and in a few days she actually seemed to enjoy it. Well, enjoy might be a bit too strong. She basically tolerated it and seemed interested in the spoon. The rice cereal made her very gassy and even a bit cranky so I switched to oatmeal cereal which was much better. I'm only giving it to her every couple of days now because she still gets all she needs from nursing.

The last couple of weeks were rough. She started waking up in the middle of the night which made it hard for me to sleep but after a few nights of crying it out she seems to have decided it's just not worth it. Now she is going to bed at 8, waking between 5 and 6 to eat and then going back to sleep for about 3 hours. She normally wakes up for good between 8 and 8:30. We're finally getting back into a routine after the week in the hospital and bringing her bedtime forward.

This is all wonderful for me because I go a little bonkers without a routine. I never did before but the stress of being a mom has really bowled me over lately. I don't think it can really be understood unless you've been a mother. The physical aspects are not that hard. Bathing, diapering, dressing and entertaining are all easy enough. It's the mental game that gets me. The little decisions that have to be made all day long. Is it time to eat yet? Should I feed her some solids? She seems cranky, why? Is she cold, is she hot? Is she happy? Is she stimulated enough or too much? Should I let her cry or pick her up? Maybe all mothers don't find it as difficult but I really have. I love that little girl so much and want to do absolutely everything the best way I can that I stress myself out about what seem to be little decisions. I don't know what I'd do without Matt. I've said it before and it is confirmed daily that he was definitely made for me.

Well, this post has been rather "babbly" so I'll put an end to it now and try and come up with something a little more entertaining for next time. Any requests?