Sarah At Four Months

No more pillows to prop her up!

Stats
Length: 26.3" (97%)
Weight: 15lb 6oz (73%)
Head circumference: 16.3" (59%)

Sleeping
I'll go ahead and say it.  Sarah is the best sleeper in the history of babykind.  Say what you want - "Wait til your second kid."  "This won't last."  But we're loving every minute of it as long as it lasts.  Sarah's night is from 8:00pm-8:00am without any wake ups.  She usually takes naps around 10:30-12:00, 2:00-4:00, and 7:00-8:00.  She falls asleep quickly by just sucking on her pacifier for 10-30 seconds.  We've started swaddling her with her arms out, and it's working well.  We started with one arm in and one arm out and worked our way to both arms out.  Eventually we'll switch to a sleep sack instead of the swaddle.  She sleeps well in her crib but can also fall asleep in the car seat when we're out and about.  She has a certain cry when she's sleepy, and if you just whisk her away quickly enough and head upstairs to her crib she'll fall right asleep.  We've also started tucking her in while she's sleeping but not actually asleep so she can learn how to fall asleep on her own.  There's never any crying.  She usually just falls right asleep, but sometimes in the afternoon if it's really bright in her room she'll play for 5 minutes or so and then fall asleep.

Eating
Sarah loves her bottle.  She loves it so much that we even wrote a song about it.  For real.  "Drinking bottles, it's my favorite.  It's a special time for me.  Drinking bottles, it's my favorite.  It gives me all the food I need.  I like to drink my bottles, morning, noon, and night.  I like to drink my bottles to help me grow up right."  We tried the size two nipple when she turned three months old.  It was awesome how much faster feedings went, but she'd spit up a lot so we switched back to size one.  It's okay.  She eats 8 ounces four times a day: 8:00, 12:00, 4:00, and 8:00.  I think we'll be starting baby cereal soon.

Personality
Sarah loves smiling!  She also loves "talking."  She's really been experimenting with her voice this month and making lots of new sounds with her throat and tongue.  She squeals, coos, screams, and makes all sorts of noises!  She likes to stare intently at things and raise her eyebrows while studying.  She likes to tilt her head dead and smile shyly.  She hates the cold and wind.  Stroller rides have become very short even while bundled.

Health and Physical Ability
Sarah is still working on her bottom two teeth, so it's made for a few sad moments, but she's doing well overall.  It's caused her to be a drooling snot machine.  She can hold toys in each hand at the same time.  She still loves tummy time and reading while in that position.  She still loves her activity mat.  She's gotten very good at putting anything and everything in her mouth - toys, books, hair.  She has started getting more hair and it's much blonder than it was at birth.  Baths have become much more enjoyable, and she enjoys splashing around some.  She's in between sizes right now.  Some outfits are 3-6 months, and others are 6-9 months depending on the brand.

Superficial
Sarah is the world's cutest baby.  I'm glad we've established that.  She has gorgeous blue eyes and eyelashes.  She has the softest skin ever.  She loves snuggling and holding on tight to your shirt like she never wants to let go.  We call this her koala bear position.

Highlights of the month

Celebrating Pepaw's 85th birthday

A visit from Grandma!

Sarah's first Thanksgiving

Sarah's first Christmas party

Dear Sarah,
Seriously, you are a cool girl.  It's obvious that all the other babies want to be like you.  I hope you grow up to be a good role model to your peers, those who are younger than you, and even those who are older than you.  You can be a great leader.  If you have Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior He will guide your steps and help you to make good decisions that please Him and will be good for you.  Sarah, my greatest desire is for you to know the unfathomable love of your Heavenly Father and that you will choose to be His servant and follower all the days of your life.  Things in your life won't always be as easy as they are now, but God will never change, and you will always be His precious creation.  God will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go (Psalm 32:8).  Thank you for making me a mom.