Madison Monthly: 4

The Basics
My not-so-tiny baby is weighing in at 15 lbs 13 oz and 27 inches long this month.

Eating and Sleeping
We've been all over the place this month in some ways, but she is definitely progressing on both counts. She is up to five ounces for her meals. In the morning and early afternoon, she eats every three hours, but she tends to up that to every two and a half (sometimes just two) hours in the evening. Stocking up for bedtime. Bedtime seems to vary from 8 to 10. I think the real problem here is that we can't seem to get her on a nap schedule. She was rocking it for like four days, taking four one-hour long naps throughout the day, but that quickly reverted to her more typical 20 minute naps at really strange intervals. If she naps well, she definitely sleeps better, going to bed at 9. Mostly her naps just sort of piss her off though:

Fine. I'll take a nap. But I'm not going to like it.

She's sleeping until 5 or 6 these days before waking up for what I call her midnight snack and what she probably calls breakfast. I am not a morning person, but I have a sneaking suspicion my little nutter is. We have a few smiles at this time, and then I try to put her back to bed 99% of the time, she will not go back in her crib, so I do the unspeakable.... I bring her in to bed with me and Brian...which she adores...and she then falls back to sleep, typically not waking again until 8 or 9. Now I won't leave her in bed alone, so that means I am lounging around in bed until 9 too. This may sound awesome, but I don't sleep wekk with her in the bed. She's still so small that I worry. I realize that bringing her in bed with us is deemed a REALLY BAD IDEA by some. Then there are those who always sleep with their children (cosleeping). My hope is that this morning ritual goes away once she sleeps in until 6 or 7. I just can't quite bring myself to be up for the day if there's a 5 at the front of the time.

Behavior and Development

I bought one of those new fangled, small security blankets: a tiny patch of blankie with a Tigger head in my case. I thought it would be a great idea. Why have her love a big blanket that gets all dirty from being drug across the ground?  She will play with the Tigger blankie (i.e. put it in her mouth, but alas Madison loves her lightweight and absolutely giant summer blankies.

Madison is definitely grabbing things right now, but she doesn't always get those things to do what she wants. Most of the time any objects which cross her path get put in her mouth, but every now and then, she misses. And she gets frustrated. Poor thing.

She was rolling over a few times but realized that when she rolls over she winds up on her stomach and there's nothing to do once you are on your stomach, so now she just rolls side to side. She also finally found her feet, which I adore because I think its the cutest thing ever. Now as long as she doesn't put those feet in her mouth.....

She is definitely aware of people and smiles directly at you and what you are doing, but she is still not laughing. Every once in a while she lets out this heh-heh sound that is clearly meant to be laughter, but somehow manages to be a bit creepy.

Her favorite thing to do these days is fly:

New Toys
I seem to have no problem spoiling my baby. I bought her a swing, a developmental gym, a bouncy seat, and a vibrating seat to start out, and now I've added a front pack, a Bumbo seat, and an exersaucer.

The Bumbo seat was not a success. My baby doesn't want to sit; she wants to stand, so she spent the whole time in the seat trying to stand up:

And so that went back, and I bought a Baby Einstein exersaucer, which I swear she likes despite the fact that she looks terrified in the picture:

Finally, both my mother and I now have front packs so that my very nosy baby can walk around with us. She really likes walking around outside in it and checking out the flowers:

Social Stuff
We are still going to grandma and great-grandma's all the time, which we all love, and once a week, she still spends the night at my mom's house.

She has a new favorite person: the baby in the mirror. We love the baby in the mirror; she is our friend:

Mommy Notes
I guess it's the same old, same old really. I am tired. I can't believe how little you can get done during nap times. Then again, my baby isn't a big time napper, generally only going down for 20-60 minutes, and if she does go down for an hour, I have to shush her back to sleep at least once.

Her Nicknames:
I think I can stop this section because Nutter has become THE NICKNAME. Brian wants me to find something new, but it is just so appropriate for her. :)

The Pictures (in case you haven't seen enough yet...)

 Baby loves her grandma's shower curtain

 That ancient hand there is the great-grandma's :)

 She's already kicking off the socks...or at least one

 I swear I am not choking her. I was burping her and she fell asleep.

 My bundled baby.

Grandma always makes her look like such a girl. :)