4 Months

Well, our little girl is over four months old now. She's about 13 lbs and thriving. She handled her vaccinations bravely, and actually cried more when the Dr. cleared the wax from her ear! She is drooling more and gnawing on things here and there-in preparation for solids, I am told. We thought she might be teething but I don't think she's quite there yet. I am told the drool and crankiness are far worse for true teething than what we've seen so far! Daddy, while letting her chew on his finger, also informs me 'no teeth yet'! She is a tummy time champ and rolled from tummy-to-back for the first time today! Though it almost seemed accidental...like her heavy baby head just discovered gravity and took her down the right way. I won't downplay my daughter's achievement though-SHE ROLLED OVER TODAY! :) She's working on the back-to-tummy roll with help from Mommy and Daddy. She arches her little back, digs in her heels and....well, nothing yet on her own. :) She is a little chatter box too. She introduces us to all sorts of Eleanor sounds. Her latest thing this week is talking while we're trying to put her down...mainly when she's offered the pacifier and doesn't want it. Not screaming, mind you...it's sounds like very polite chatter: "no pacifier right now. thanks" She continues to sleep through the night often. When she does wake, we give her the pacifier and she settles. There are nights when this can happen a few times, but she usually goes easy on us. :) We have a solid night time routine which is one of my favorite times of the day. I thought maybe a book or songs would do it, but what calmed her best was a bath and the massage was something I worked on implementing in a way to also sooth her. We listen to quiet music meanwhile and have nice chats in Spanish. :) Her eyes are a lovely green right now but it's hard to say if they'll shift to brown or stay as they are. Will says they look like his Dad's eyes. I suspect they'll be light brown and green like Will's.

In preparation for her coming mobility, we attending a baby proofing seminar. William came along as I think the most challenging aspect will be baby proofing all the electronics and computer stuff. I also went to a baby foods class. Let me also say that I'm doing this because I'm not reading a darn thing these days. Who has time to read? Give me a one hour class any day. So at least I feel better prepared for what to feed my dear girl. It's kind of exciting actually...there is a whole world of flavors and foods that await her. I can't wait for her to have her first taco or taste of nopal salad! That, of course, will have to wait for a while. I'm also doing some informal sign language with my mommy's group that continues to meet. One mom is an expert and is teaching the rest of us some of the basics. I thought I'd have enough on my plate with Spanish and English, but the language geek in me is intrigued. :)

William is also embracing fatherhood and a more interactive Eleanor. I love watching her belly laugh with him. She did so just today when he found "C is for Cookie" online sung by Cookie Monster. The other morning I came into the kitchen to find him dancing with her to distract her while he finished cooking breakfast. They spend time sitting together, talking, and hanging out. He's also learning to watch the clock like I do as our girl hits her sleepy time after two hours of play. :) She also lets us know when she's hungry and has recently made a leap to a whopping 30oz a day!

The hardest part of motherhood for me lately has been my own body. :( A well intentioned effort to catch up on my yoga followed by picking up Eleanor sent my back into spasms for almost a week. That was also the week that Eleanor learned how to sooth herself back to sleep at night without more milk...I just couldn't pick her up! It all worked out in the end and we all sleep better for it now. :) I also got the flu this week, but am better now after a nice hefty dose of antibiotics. :) William has had to pick up the slack on the weekends and has been very supportive. Our sitter has also been fabulous. I am thankful for every little bit of help I get...and for the fact that my daughter is so good natured and kind to her solo mommy!

We also lost Susie this month. She passed away after 16+ years. She was the most amazing cat. We adopted her at 6 years old after I decided that I needed some company while Will worked out of state during the week. It was a rigorous adoption process that involved references and even questions about a next of kin for the cat! And after all that, William had to sign for the cat because I wasn't old enough! (I think you had to be 25. ) He wasn't even sure he wanted a cat! Susie was shy and very nervous. We brought her home and she hid under the couch for two days. She was scared of plastic bags, the vacuum cleaner, you name it. It took her about two years to meow and even longer for William to get her to sit on his lap. Ultimately, though her great motivator was affection. She'd do anything for pets. She would crawl all over us to get pet (mainly over me to get to William). Even though I was her under appreciated savior and provider-I fed her, gave her meds, changed her litter-, she loved William best. She would stand on the back of the couch yelling at William when he worked at home so we would stop and pet her. :) Though he may not admit it here, he adored her. She did wonders for his blood pressure and when asked why I was not paid as much attention as the cat, Will informed me I was not fuzzy like her. I am grateful for Susie, that she held on long enough to meet Eleanor and see us through on our journey to parenthood, and that she was such a loving companion to us for the last 10 years. To you all, thanks for letting me share.