4 Months Old!

...actually Braelyn is about 4 and a half months old, but this momma has been all over the place and is finally getting to write some stuff out! Yay!

 So this is a look back at Braelyn's development in December before she hit right at 4 months!

Braelyn Updates
How Old:  4 Months

Medical Updates:  She had her 4 month check on 1/6/15 and weighed 13 lbs 3 oz  lbs and is 25.75 inches long, this girly is still pretty darn tall! Once she got over the sniffles she was having at the end of November, she started sleeping well again.  Then around 3.5 months she started coughing again, super runny nose, and super fussy...turned out she was teething!  Her first tooth broke through on 1/10/15!  Crazy!

Sleep: SO that pretty good sleep cycle she was on lasted until 3.5 months...just before the holidays.  She was sleeping in her crib with only 1-2 night wakings.  She would nurse and then go back down.  Then all heck broke loose.  It was a combination of her learning to roll over more and more (sleep regression can come when baby develops new skills), she is also becoming much more aware of the world and fascinated with watching things, so that didn't help. To top it off she was teething, as I already mentioned, and the last 2 weeks of December we were out of town for 9 nights (5 nights one week 4 the next) so that really didn't help her sleep cycles.  It's now the middle of January (she's 4.5 months) and we seem to just now be getting back on track with some sort of sleep.  Neal and I have tried a LOT of methods and finally may be settling in on one that works for us...we will see how this week goes - prayers please!

Clothing/Diapers:  I've started packing away a lot of her 0-3 month clothes.  I was going to give them to a friend, but she's all stocked up :)  So we are saving them in case we make another little girl in the future.  Then I'll give them away or sell some of them down the road.  

As for as cloth diapers, we are still REALLY loving them.  We bought a few more All-in-ones, which is what I like to use at night.  We have Bumgenius Freetimes and the suede cloth keeps her a little dryer at night so she isn't waking up because her diaper is wet.   

Milestones:  Braelyn is a champ at rolling over and has started to enjoy sitting up assisted.  She sits in her bumpo chair or a bouncer at home, and an exersaucer at daycare.  She really seems to like the bouncer and exersauser because they have toys.  A lot of times here at home Neal and I will lay on the ground a pop up just to hear her giggle at us from her bouncer!  Oh that giggle :) I love it! 

Mommy Updates

Postpartum: 4 Months

Weight: Right around pre-pregnancy weight.

Waist:  I'm back to pre-pregnancy size, but not the tone. 

Belly:  The linea nigra is still slightly noticeable.  Also I still have a little pooge in my lower abs . It is a lot harder for me to get the lower abs back in...I do think some of it has to do with diet.  Since the holidays, I've developed a sweet tooth, and I'm still trying to kick it!

Best moments as a new mom:  Her giggles and her eating her toes.  I know it's random, but I just love her toe sucking, it's too cute :)

Hardest moments as a new mom:  I would say for this month, it's dealing with sleep, or lack of it.  She was SUCH a good sleeper from birth until 3.5 months.  It's been just about a month of restless nights for all of us.  I REALLY do want prayers that this next method we are trying will work and maintain...I know teeth will come again, growth spurts will occur, and we will be thrown off.  I just want what's best and safe for her, and I'm adamant on her sleeping in her crib.  I truly find this to be difficult. 

Also, right before the New Year, I was a hormonal mess. I've started tracking via Natural Family Planning, so I do think some of it was hormonal, possibly ovulations - still no period though and doubt there will be one for a while with how abnormal mine are and still breastfeeding.  She had just started sleeping poorly after transitioning like a champ into her crib for two weeks and then the teething started and we were traveling.  And don't' get me wrong I'm SO GLAD we were with family for both Christmas and New Years, but that's very difficult when sleep deprived/learning new sleep as she is growing.  I wanted to give up on it all...including breastfeeding...I hated pumping during work and was just resentful about everything...hello hormones, welcome back :)

Overall, I would say month 3-4 was the hardest yet.  Work picked up, Lively Happenings on Etsy picked up, Braelyn was developing more and more.  However, I know there will be harder times and I know there will be even better times yet to come.  Every moment this little one smiles at me, my heart melts! I just love her to pieces! I can't even say it enough!

And for all mom's out there, if you haven't read this article by Ashely Gadd, do it.  You are amazing and each little thing you do is more than enough!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  What things do you have planned?!  We're getting our paperwork ready for taxes - oh boy! Haha!


And here's some baby spam pictures from December :)

A letter from her daycare

Christmas Eve, going to Church!

Christmas Morning!

Christmas Day Tutu

Happy Friday to you all!  Enjoy!