Measurements:
Height: 25.5 inches (90th percentile)
Weight: 17 lbs 5 oz (100th percentile)
Head: 41 cm (80th percentile)
Apparently I specialize in big chubby babies :)
Eating:
For being such a big baby, she really doesn't eat that much. I've never seen her take more than five ounces and that was only once or twice. It normally is between 3-4. She nurses on demand all day which evens out to be about every 3 hours. I started giving her a couple ounces of formula before she nurses at bedtime to help get her to sleep a little longer. It seems to be working great. We are using a gentle formula and haven't had any problems with gas or fussiness since she started last week. But to be honest, I'm not sure two ounces of formula a day would really bother any baby!
She is still doing great with the bottle but really only gets it with the nighttime formula or when I leave to run an errand. I feel okay that one bottle a day (or even every other day) will be enough for her not to refuse it. Hope I didn't just jinx myself with typing that :)
Sleeping
SHE SLEEPS IN HER OWN BED! I finally ordered (and received) a video monitor and felt like it was time to move her into her room. It's been a couple of weeks now and we are all adjusting great, though I do miss her. She goes down between eight and nine and usually sleeps until at least 2am but some nights she goes until 3 and on two occasions she went to five. She will still sometimes wake around midnight to nurse but will generally go back to sleep quickly and seems to sleep peacefully in her bed.
I start out the bedtime routine with a bath, then feed the 2 ounce bottle of formula and then nurse until she is almost asleep. I lay her in her crib when she is still awake (groggy but awake) and turn on her Cloud B Giraffe on the static noise setting for 45 minutes (it's on a timer). Occasionally she will wake up and whimper or move around but I don't go to her unless she is full out crying and really upset. Most times she is back asleep in minutes. I love having the video monitor and being able to see what she is doing. It's hard for me to fall asleep at night because I can't stop staring at the monitor haha! Such a sweet sleeping angel.
When she wakes up in the middle of the night I bring her back to my room until morning. I'm taking baby steps with this sleep-training thing. I feel like she is still so little and I didn't start with Leighton until six months. Gracen does seem much more "go-with-the-flow" as far as sleeping arrangements go and she has made it pretty darn easy on us so far.
Temperament
Gracen is such a sweet baby. She smiles her big gummy grin from morning until night. She is pretty laid back and happy to just hang out. She loves to be around us and will cry if you leave the room or if she can't see anyone. A lot of times she is fine to lay on a blanket on the floor and look at the Christmas tree lights or just watch us all. She likes having tummy time too but doesn't seem interested in rolling over! It's hard for big babies :)
Unlike Leighton, she is an awesome car rider. She loves to ride and a lot of times I look back at her and she is awake and just looking out the window. If she does cry it's only for a second and then she's fine again. She babbles (we say she is singing) and coos ALL the time. She is the most vocal little thing ever. You can talk to her and she will answer with coos or squeal with delight. She loves to talk to her mobile over her crib, it fascinates her.
Details
She's so observant. In the past week or two she has started to follow every little thing Leighton or Amos does. It's so funny to watch Gracen when Leighton "Fies" (flies) around the room. Her little head and eyes go around and around trying to keep up with her big sissy. I also find her staring at Amos and remember that Leighton started to be interested in him too at this age.
The baby giggles are by far my favorite part about this age. My heart melts when I hear a sweet little baby giggle. Every.single.time. We mostly get her to laugh by tickling her but she is starting to laugh out loud at us more too.
Sister stats
Gracen is still bigger than Lei was, but just barely. They are the best of friends but Leighton likes to tease mama and REFUSE to take pictures on demand especially sister pictures. This picture pretty much sums up what she does when I ask her to take a picture with Gracen.
Here are Leighton's four months measurements:
Height: 25 inches (75th percentile)
Weight: 16lbs 8 oz (95th percentile)
Loving this age and loving my girls :)
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