Matt and Courtney: 4 months!

Hannah is now about 4.5 months old and she's still the light of our lives! She is so social and active. She seems to have a very inquisitive nature and is busy looking around all the time! Because of this, we definitely do NOT have a snuggler! The rare moment that she is laying into my shoulder if she's a little sleepy is so precious. She has the most precious laugh! She loves it when I make new sounds and clap or snap my fingers. She also seems to really get a kick out of the Itsy Bitsy Spider. This month, she has really gotten interested in toys. Hannah's two favorites are both elephants! One is a small, silky blanket with an elephant head and the other is an elephant holding a teething ring. She especially likes to suck on their noses if she can find them! She is rolling over back to front like a champ. It's easier for her to go to her right, but I've seen her roll left a few times. She still doesn't like to go from her front to back very much, though she is capable! A few weeks ago Hannah started trying out baby food! She is not so sure about it and spits everything out, but we've been told that you just keep letting them taste it and one day they like it! We decided to start this because she holds her head up very well (which is one sign of readiness) and she has been much hungrier throughout the day and has begun to wake again at night to eat. Our doctor said that all of this is very common for 4 month old breastfed babies, and especially for a baby of Hannah's size, it might be time for her to learn to eat! I'm trying not to stress about the fact that she doesn't actually eat any of the food offered, but it's hard when I think about the potential for her to sleep all night again! Hannah has gotten better at being in the car, but I also have started timing trips when I know she's a little bit sleepy. That makes things much more pleasant for the both of us! She really gets up on her knees, and looks like she wants to go! Fortunately she hasn't figured out how yet, but I'm afraid it won't be long before I need baby gates! She is in size 3 diapers and is officially in 6-9 month clothes. At her 4 month check up she weighed 16 lbs 7 oz and was 26.25 inches long. I've been keeping track of her percentile chart at home, and until now she has been slightly above the 95% on weight and just at or slightly under the 95% for height. This month, she is sitting right on the 95% for weight and has shot up above for height! It's interesting to look at her growth chart form, but we definitely don't have to worry about her health!!

Since I last wrote we went for a weekend trip to St. Louis so Matt could go to the Mizzou football game, and of course so we could see family. We had a wonderful time! I had the opportunity to spend the day with Matt's mom. We had a nice lunch and walked around a really cute consignment store. It was a bit overwhelming but I did find a few good buys! Hannah and I also had another visit to the pumpkin patch earlier in the week. I am involved in a MOPS (Mother of Pre- Schoolers) group through our church, and we went on an outing the pumpkin patch. I rode with my friend Rachel and her son Jay.

Hannah was a tiger for Halloween. It's the same outfit that all of my nieces have worn on their first Halloween's, so that was fun to keep up that tradition! The costume was VERY hot, so Hannah really only wore it so we could snap a few pictures! We seem to do that a lot!!

Enjoy the pictures!!!