Lily - 4 Months!

Lily Noelle!  We all absolutely adore you!!  You're such a precious gift to our family!

I've loved that this month you've been giggling more.  I noticed you giggling when you got really excited because you were about to eat, and you'd often do it when I was giving you a kiss.  Speaking of kisses, your siblings have now all learned that when they lean over you and you open your mouth that it's because you’re waiting to get kisses.  It's such a blessing to see how much you all love each other.

Like your brothers and sister, you love to dance!  In fact, you can be fussing, and if we start singing and having you dance to it, you'll instantly stop fussing and start smiling, regardless of how upset you were.   

I love how when you smile big (like if someone says "hi" to you), you make a happy cooing sound as you do it.  I don't think I'll ever get over how much the dimple on your right cheek melts my heart!  You're such an incredibly joyful baby!

As with all our babies around this time, you've been drooling quite a bit and chewing on your hands more.  Caleb, Evie and Silas didn't get teeth until 7 months or later, but we'll see what happens with you.

I dropped your fifth feeding on June 26, which means you now eat at 8 a.m., 12 p.m., 4 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., though those times definitely vary depending on what we have going on that day.  You also take a 2 hour nap between each feeding. Though you're a great little eater, we've never tried giving you a bottle.

Due to old velcro on your SwaddleMe blankets, you fairly regularly come at least partially unswaddled during the night but don't seem to be bothered much (if at all) when it happens.  You still sleep in your bassinet in my closet.
 

You're still very much a Mommy’s girl and seem to have finished the end of your "I only want Mommy to hold me!" phase.  There were a few times when it was inconvenient, but I've tried to soak it up because I know that one day all too soon you'll be too big and maybe not want me to hold you.

You’ve learned to growl, which is something Evie often did too.  At times you’ll be sitting there making sweet cooing noises and then will instantly shift to these deep growls.  It’s so funny because you can do it while smiling and it’s a bit baffling that these sounds can come from your cute, tiny body.  Daddy will sometimes call you "Gizmo" or "Giz" because you sound a bit like a (cute) gremlin.  It's so sweet and endearing but can be a bit embarrassing when you do it during Wednesday night Bible study.  Later in the month you weren’t growling as much but had moved on to blowing bubbles.

You're very strong and can move around some while lying on your back by digging your heels into the ground and pushing off with your legs.

This month had some more firsts including your first Fourth of July parade and your first time to swim.  You were so laid back about swimming and even took a nap in the pool.  In an effort to figure out a way for you to float safely on your own, we combined 2 different floaties.  Neither an infant life jacket nor your infant ring were secure enough on their own, but putting you in both at the same time worked perfectly!  You also got to meet your Grandpa and Grandma Bliss, Uncle Josh, Grandpa Baker, Boompa and Nana.

You'll often sit in your Bumbo seat on the table during our meals or sometimes on the island while we cook (supervised, of course).  It’s fun being able to have you more involved in our daily life, and I'm excited that you can now be a part of the many precious memories that have been made with our babies helping us cook while sitting on that island.

There was one day this month that you took a pacifier, but for the most part you refuse them.  However, when I sing your brothers' or sister’s songs to you, I can usually get you to do whatever I want you to do, whether that’s to stop crying, start eating or settle down and go to sleep.  I still need to pick a song for you. 

At this point, you're wearing Size 1 diapers, and mostly 3 Month clothes, though some are 3-6 Month.

Your 4 Month checkup was 2.5 weeks late, so your stats are a little off in comparison with Caleb, Evie and Silas, but you were 15lbs 2oz (around 68%), 26.5” long (100%) and had a head circumference of 16.339” (52%).  Though you started out the smallest, you are now longer than your brothers and sister were at this age.  They were: 

     Caleb:  14lbs 14oz (50%), 25.75" (75%)
     Evie:  14lbs 13oz (75.75%), 25.5" (89.61%)
     Silas:  16lb 4.2oz (76.47%), 26" (84.93%)

We love you, precious Lily, and are blessed beyond measure to be your parents!

(Click here to see more pictures of Lily.)