So - we have had some big things going on around here. This sweet girl is now 5 months old! Well to back up, we had our 4 month old check up. Scotty was able to go with us this time. Charlotte got her shots that she needed. Her daddy got one too. They were brave : ) The first stick didn't bother Charlotte at all but the second got her screaming. Poor baby. Hopefully one day I can explain to her it is worth it in the long run. She weighed 14 pounds and was 24 inches long. We had a med student in with us and our doctor was showing her how to do a well baby exam and the doctor said that Charlotte was "about as close to perfect as you can get" after they completed the exam : ) The med student said that Charlotte had a wonderful temperament. That is a great complement. It was very cute - the doctor was explaining to the student that the exam starts as soon as you walk in the door and as they approached Charlotte she gave them the biggest smile and squeal. The doctor said, "well it looks like her social skills are on point!"
The doctor also gave us the ok to start cereal and stage one fruits and veggies. I have included some videos down below : ) We have tried rice cereal, bananas, apples, prunes, peas, and green beans. We have also had prune juice and apple juice. She is not a fan of plain cereal or apples, in juice or food form. She actually does better with prunes and prune juice which is odd to me. The cereal has been giving her some problems with going poo-poo so we have been trying things to help her out. I have read on the internet about Karo syrup and people using that to help things along. Makes me a little nervous. That will be a very last resort for us. The doctor recommended the prune juice for us to use as well as warm baths and taking her temperature to get those muscles moving. I try belly massage and I move her legs all around too.
After we started the cereal, a few days later the constipation started so I called the doctor and they gave us those recommendations. Later that same day I discovered a rash. Charlotte had a red bump on her cheek for a few days and then all of a sudden there were a bunch on her arms and legs. So, to the doctor we went. Apparently it was a viral rash. Charlotte had no other symptoms other than the rash and the doctor said they are very common in children. After a few days it went away all on its own. Strange.
I forgot to mention at the 4 month appointment the doctor told me that Charlotte was too old to be swaddled. Oh no! The swaddle was a guarantee to get her to sleep. The doc asked how she had been sleeping and I told her it was up and down and that some nights it was 4 hours then wake, some nights 6, some nights 2, some nights 8. Well then the doc drops the bomb on me that I shouldn't nurse in the night anymore. Whaaaa? No swaddle and no nursing! We will never sleep! Well we had a some what rough night that night, not terrible, and after that we were golden! The next night Charlotte slept for 13 hours!! It has since dropped to 8-9 hours but that is still amazing! I am so proud : )
Charlotte loves sleeping in her crib. She does so well at night and she is now napping in there during the day. Since we aren't using the swaddle anymore we are now using a Zipadee. I posted a picture of it last blog. She looks like a starfish in it. We zip it on and she knows is time for sleeping. It is aid to transition out of the swaddle. It gives her the freedom to move her arms up and down (like a bird) but not as far out in front of her so that she doesn't startle herself. And just today, she flipped over and is now sleeping on her stomach and the zipadee is safe for that, unlike a swaddle. We are working on 2 hours for this belly nap. I knew she would sleep so much better when she learned to flip onto her belly.
Charlotte is now learning to sit on her own! She can sit in a triangle and sit unassisted for a few seconds. It is impressive : ) She wants to sit up all the time now. I will be glad when she can sit up so we can get rid of that bald spot on the back of her head! Hopefully her sleeping on her belly will help with that too.
I think that she is kind of starting to learn her name. I have been testing that out. I have also learned that she gets very upset now when you leave the room. She has a meltdown. She has started whining as well instead of flat out crying. That's not so fun. I think I would rather the crying. I have discovered that when she is crying she likes when I sing. Acapella in fact. She does not enjoy when I have musical accompaniment.
Charlotte has discovered how to blow raspberries! It is the cutest thing and she will copy you if you do them first. She is so amazing and learning all the time!
Another big change we had around here is that, as of last Friday (Jan 31), I am now a stay-at-home mom. Yay! I couldn't be more excited! I get to spend all my time with my girl. We will be filling our days with the previously mentioned activities of working on sitting up, learning our name, and blowing raspberries. We also will be going to the library for story time, and the park, and Mommy and Me time at the Little Gym. I am over the moon that I am able to do this. I feel that this is where I belong right now and that we are doing the best thing for Charlotte. I am so happy to spend all my time teaching her things and watching her grow. That beats a paycheck any day!
Before I quit, Charlotte was spending a lot of time with Scotty. See photos and video below. They had fun - most of the time : ) It is very apparent that Charlotte loves her daddy very much. He can make her smile at any time and she just looks at him like he hung the moon. She will be a daddy's girl for sure!
One more big thing happening around here is a tooth! A for real, bottom tooth that can be touched and seen! So exciting! I love rubbing it and looking at it!
Something that both my mom and I noticed is that Charlotte is starting to get a neck. I know that sounds weird, but before it looked like her head was just sitting on her shoulders and now there is a space between the two. For some reason that makes her even cuter, if that is possible : )
Charlotte also experienced her first snow! She wasn't too sure about it. She just kept staring at it and she did not like to sit or lay in it for long. I have included pictures below.
So my mom heart attack for month - Scotty and I are at the grocery store and I have Char in the Bjorn facing outward. We are in the check out line and a lady starts talking to Charlotte. This is normal because everyone talks to Charlotte, especially in the grocery store. The lady had no front tooth, was older, and had crazy poofy hair. Well she starts talking to Char and then as she is telling her how pretty she is, the lady then grabs Char's hand and proceeds to kiss it. The hand that Charlotte keeps in her mouth 24/7. Yeah. I'm holding Char's hands down as hard as I can til this lady walks away and I can scream for Scotty to get a wipe out! Finally, after quoting something from the Bible to Scotty about having a pretty wife leading to a pretty family and blessings, she left. And I told Scotty to get a wipe and while I waited for that I put 2 rounds of hand sanitizer on her hand. Probably not the best thing for an infant but neither is crazy lady disease. Well we got Char all cleaned up before she could get that hand in her mouth. Geeze. People, please do not touch, kiss, lick, etc., baby hands. They put them in their mouth! All the time! Thank you.
Well now that I will be at home more, my goal is to blog more often and keep up with Charlotte's baby book and calendar in more detail. Let's hope she allows me the time for that : ) Until next time - enjoy!
Viral rash.
She is getting so big and strong!
Snoozing with her Lovey
Knocked out!
Having to strap her into the swing now. She can push herself out!
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| Snow day! |
Char '14
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| My footprints look like a finger pointing at her : ) |
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| Side sleeper |
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| Daddy picked out this outfit, if you couldn't tell. |
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| Lovin' those toes |
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| 5 months old! |
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| She hates apples! |
We have a roller on out hands. Flips over and sleeps on her belly now. Great. Now I get to worry about that at night!
First time eating cereal
First time eating bananas
Below: Video I got while at work
Blowing raspberries!
Talking girl!
Giggly Baby!
