Faith is 4 Months Old Today ♥

Here is what she looked like at 3 months, 2 months, and 1 month.

An entire 4 months have passed since our baby girl came into the world.  I still can’t believe how fast the time is flying by.  Becoming a mommy for the first time was such a huge moment in my life that Faith’s birth still seems so fresh in my mind.  I still think about my time with her in the hospital.  The beeps from the monitor, the buttons at my bedside, the nurses, the hospital room smell, etc.  It seems like yesterday I was resting in my hospital bed, with tiny little Faith swaddled in her hospital blanket, laying in my arms.   Time is just passing too quickly.  I was looking at newborn pictures and videos of her just the other day.  So small.  So new.

Everyday feels brand new with her.  She is constantly changing, and learning new things every single day.  New noises.  New facial expressions.  New movements.   There is so much I want to hang on to!  I know that in the blink of an eye she will be walking, and talking.   Soon, she will no longer cry for milk… she will ask for it.

Here is what Babycenter says about the developmental milestones of four month olds, “Researchers believe that your baby can now understand all the basic sounds that make up her native language. Between this time and 6 months of age, your baby will develop the ability to make some vocal sounds, which means you may hear the words you’ve been dreaming about, namely “ma-ma” or “da-da.”

Just a couple days ago Faith was testing out some new sounds.  She was going, “Hmmmmmmmmm!   Hmmmmm!”  Real loud.   And then I heard, “Mmmmmmaaaah!”    I guess that’s as close to “mama” as she can get for now :)   I wonder if she will say “mama” or “dada” first? :)   She LOVES talking.  She loves making tiny high-pitched gurgling noises in the back of her throat.  She sounds like she’s purring.  She knows how to use her voice in such a way that makes her ultra-cute!  And she knows it.

She is becoming less frustrated with tummy-time.  However, she still can only tolerate being on her stomach for a little while.  She still MUST be on her feet, standing.  That is what she likes best.  She doesn’t like sitting up.  She would rather hold our hands and stand.

She is now starting to talk contentedly to herself when she wakes up in the morning. She doesn’t belt out a hunger cry immediately after waking up.  Just this morning, Aaron and I were in bed listening to her sweet sounds.  When I looked over the edge of her bassinet, she saw my face, and she smiled a big gummy grin.   She is such a happy girl.  I picked her up, and put her between us in our bed.  She was reaching out with one hand to feel daddy’s whiskers, and the other hand grasping my shirt.  I love these moments.

She is almost ready to roll over.  She is SO close!  Take a look at this …

She will be having her 4 months immunizations on Monday afternoon.  I am praying it goes a bit smoother than her first round of immunizations.  I hate to see her so upset. Her teary eyes looked like she felt betrayed by her mommy.  Even after the pain was gone, she still sobbed like she had a broken heart :(   I really really hope things go a little bit better on Monday.

Four months old :)  Wow.

Faith is 3 Months Old Today ♥

Faith is 3 months old!  I still can’t get over how quickly time is passing.  She use to be this teeny tiny little thing, with soft, sweet little cries. Now she is standing up whenever she has the opportunity to push up on her little legs, and she holds her head up well when she is lying on her tummy.  She grabs and holds her toys now.  She can maneuver them towards her mouth, also.  She laughs, and has so many funny facial expressions.  She is non-stop entertainment for us.  She coos and squeals.  She grins from ear to ear when we sing to her.  She loves the alphabet song.  By the time I get to G she is smiling and squealing every time.  She also sleeps through the night now.  Sometimes sleeping up to 7 hours.  She loves holding her little hands together, and playing with her fingers.  She is content just staring at her chubby little hands; clasping them together, unclasping them.. and doing it over and over again.

Babycenter says that at 3 months old, “Even though your baby has been able to recognize you since she was just a few days old, she may now be able to show it.  About half of babies this age begin to exhibit an obvious recognition of their parents.”   Faith has recognized us for over a month now.  She always smiles and squeals when she sees me or her daddy.  She is very aware of the people around her, and she is now beginning to cry when she sees strangers.

Babycenter also says, “A big spurt is happening in your baby’s brain development that coincides with significant behavioral changes. Your baby is more attuned to the outside world and more sensitive to changes in her environment.”   This is very true.  Faith gets upset when we are at someone else’s house for too long.  Just today Aaron and I took her to Lowes to get a couple pumpkins.  A couple people came near to look at her, and talk to her.  She cried.  She starting getting so upset, we had to head back home.  She is very aware of her surroundings, and she seems very quiet and wide-eyed when we go out to other places.   She is at her happiest when she is at home.

Babycenter says, “The part of the brain that governs hand-eye coordination and allows a baby to recognize objects is developing rapidly now.  Her hearing, language, and smell have also become more receptive and active. When your baby hears your voice these days, she may even look directly at you and start gurgling or trying to talk back.”   So true!  Faith has been doing this for weeks now.  If she fusses while in her swing, and I’m in the kitchen, I’ll sing to her and right away she will start smiling, even though she doesn’t see me.   When I change her diaper, I sing to her or talk to her, and she is at her chattiest during diaper changing time.   There are several times when I am breastfeeding her, and I will start talking to Aaron.  When Faith hears my voice, she will start talking as well, with a mouth full of milk!  Then she will smile, and milk pours out of her mouth.  She loves being a part of the conversation :)

Babycenter says, ” Research shows that babies whose parents speak to them extensively have significantly higher IQs and bigger vocabularies when they get older than other children, so interaction is especially important right now. Set a solid foundation by exposing your baby to a variety of words.”   Faith is so receptive, I can’t help but chat it up with her every moment she is awake.  She absolutely loves it!  I feel very fortunate and blessed to have this time with her at home so I can talk with her daily, and help her reach her milestones.   Truly a blessing ♥

Here is a video of baby girl’s progress!

 

This is a video of Faith’s first laugh!

 

This is a video of Faith talking to herself! :)

 

Faith is 3 months old today! Yay! ♥

 

Soon, the Pitter Patter of Little Feet?

Our little girl is 11 weeks old and wants to walk already.  Really.  She’s serious about it…

She throws a fit when it’s tummy time.  She doesn’t like lifting her head up while on her stomach.  She is happiest when on her feet.   If she had her way, she would skip learning to crawl, and go straight to walking!