4 months old

Dear Lauren,

You're 4 months old, baby! 4 months! You're getting so big! You have your 4 month checkup in a few days and we'll know just how much you've grown. But you keep growing into and then out of new clothes, so I'm excited to find out just how big you are! You've been learning so much and so quickly lately, and you just astound your father and me with how smart you are. Watching you discover new things makes us so happy.

Learning and playing: You are so smart, baby love! It seems like you learn something new every few days. And you get so excited when you discover something new! You love the tummy time toys we got you for Christmas, and as a result you actually enjoy tummy time now! You rolled over again on December 20, and when you saw how excited I got, you got the biggest smile on your face and let out the cutest giggle! You're kind of sitting up on your own now too! I say kind of because you can sit up without me holding onto you if you're on my lap, but if you're sitting on the floor you lean waaaaay forward for awhile, and then tip over. Seriously, you are so cute! Your favorite toys are your play gym- especially the butterfly, your pink giraffe, your bunny, and a little fish rattle. Your eyes light up when you see them and you get the biggest smile on your face! Speaking of things that make you smile... you've become great friends with both your aunts lately. You adore Emily and Jana, and it makes me so happy to know you love them so much. But you save your biggest smiles for your Daddy. I know you love me- I'm the one you want when you want to cuddle and I can still tell what you need better than anyone- but you are such a Daddy's girl. It makes me so happy to see how happy your daddy makes you. You just adore him!

Sleep: Well my love, you are finally CONSISTENTLY sleeping on your own! You sleep in your swing, and you sleep for about 10-12 hours every night, and generally take about 2 naps during the day. You usually fall asleep in my arms, but occasionally if you're really tired you'll fall asleep in your swing on your own. You're so grown up! :)

Eating: You are so strong willed and independent (well... as independent as you can be, right now, lol) You love to hold your own bottle! But if you get too excited about it, you start smacking your bottle right out of your mouth. It's made feeding you rather challenging. lol.

Teething: If I had any doubts before that you were teething, I don't anymore. You haven't had any teethe cut through yet, but the drool has reached a new level. You go through so many outfits every day because they're soaked through from drool. You have some teething toys that we keep in the fridge that you seem to like, but mostly you chew on your hands, or my hand, or my shoulder, or whatever is closest. You've had a few rough nights where I can tell you're in pain and it just breaks my heart. Tylenol and Orajel help, but they can only do so much.

Your Favorites:

1. Being nekkid! It's not that you dislike clothes, its that you love to be naked!

2. Baths. You are either super wiggly and playing, or you get so relaxed that you fall asleep! It's so sweet :)

3. The TV and the computer screen. Oh boy.

4. Kisses