Baby Valentine

Pictures from yesterday. So in love. She snuggles this bear now and I think it may be the cutest thing I've ever seen.

Sorry for the dramatic lighting. It's a rare moment when we get actual daylight in here.

Shots

Poor little cookie had her 4 month check up yesterday which included another round of shots. The shots themselves went okay but she just hasn't been herself since then. She's been feverish, pouty and sensitive, and needing lots of love. Most days, I'll admit I do a little mental jig (and sometimes a real song and dance) when she goes down for the night. It just feels SO good to have my hands free at the end of the day. But when she's hurting, I will gladly snuggle her tiny body, rub her soft back with my fingers, rock her in my arms while singing quietly, and stay nearly motionless for an hour so she can get some much needed rest on my chest. I feel filled with a patience beyond my own to comfort and care for this little person.

Our doctor teases me that I always get a little emotional during her shots. I silently sobbed my eyes out during her PKU test. I do a little better each time, but the sentiment stays the same. I don't want my baby to feel pain. She's too new here, too innocent and pure. She trusts and loves because it's all she knows. I'm sure she's already forgotten yesterday's shots, but until she's back to herself, it's hard for me to forget those tears.

4 months

It's true...babies really do grow too fast. I already miss her super snuggly little newborn self so much. I still get little moments of it, and those are the best.

Being a mom gets better and better. Some days I am truly overwhelmed with love for her and gratitude for my sweet perfect little daughter. Other days I'm just overwhelmed. The difference seems to be directly correlated to the amount of sleep I got the night before.

Speaking of sleep. Forget everything I said last month about Mariah sleeping for long stretches and only getting up to eat once. That has become a distant memory. I feel like we are back at square one. She usually stays somewhat asleep from about 8 pm to 7 am but she gets up to nurse or play every 2-3 hours around the clock. So tired. I felt like sleep training was a non issue before since I was really fine with the previous arrangement. Not anymore. Something's gotta give. Words of advice are welcome.

At four months, Mariah likes:
Blowing spit bubbles
Smiling and chuckling
Shrieking, squealing, and grunting
Bouncing
Drooling
Sucking and munching on anything near her face
When we sing her songs (current fave is horsey horsey, but she also laughed really hard when I sang her destiny's child)
When we snort at her (thanks mom for figuring that one out ;)
Playing with her feet
Practicing rolling over. This is her newest trick!
Little kids. It's so funny how responsive she is to toddlers and little kids. She loves watching Madeleine play around her
Her Bumbo seat

Mariah really does like playing with her cousin, sometimes she just gets a little overwhelmed by all the love and affection.

Mariah does not like:
If I set her down and leave the room
When she pulls her hair bow over her eyes
When she gets stuck on her side trying to roll over
When she falls out of her swing...my bad!

More phone pics from the last month:

Hands on hips

These two cousins get lots of quality time. 

I was loving Matt and Mariah's Superbowl get ups. So many cute pictures of the two of them.

As of a few days ago, Mariah is just starting to get interested in some toys. She played with these keys for a little bit until she kept hitting herself in the face with them. She's still working on that limb control thing.

We comment often on how "life-like" and "human-like" she's becoming. Yes we know she is actually a human but I still can't get over the fact that a real live person came out of me.