Stony Brook State Park

Last weekend we headed to another one of the nearby state parks--Stony Brook.  It was a beautiful day for it, sunny with temperatures in the mid 70's. Little Bird enjoyed the ride strapped in. She likes looking up at the bright sky and slowly sticking her tongue out to lick the side of the carrier.

In the afternoon, on our way back down, it was much more crowded. People had arrived to wade and swim in the pools of water and play in the waterfalls. Looked like a refreshing way to spend a hot summer day. Next time we will have to pick a warmer day and give it a try.

It was a nice day trip, out enjoying nature.

Four Months

This week Little Bird is four months old. It is amazing. She had another doctor's appointment with official weighing and measuring. The results: 15lb. exactly , 25.6 inches (off the growth chart). She also got a few more shots. She did great that day but we could definitely tell that her legs hurt the next day. When we put her down she would just stay still instead of kicking and pulling on her feet like usual. She was also just not her usual happy self. But she seems to have recovered and is back to normal.

She is getting more and more active. She has mastered the art of rolling from her back onto her tummy. But once there she is stuck and lets us know after a few minutes that she needs help. Then after we flip her back, she rolls herself over again right away. It helps to have toys there for her to grab, because it keeps her from going all the way over. Sadie and Sylvester like to keep her company on the floor as she plays in her nest.

She is very good at grabbing her feet now. She almost gets them into her mouth but not quite. She is also discovering her tongue. You can see her wiggling it around in her mouth sometime or sneaking in and out of her mouth. She giggles and squeals and blows raspberries and makes all kinds of noises that defy description.

 

Little Bird still lover her baths. She wiggles her arms and legs so much it is a challenge to get all that finger and toe lint. Afterwards she is just as fond of playing with her towel--kicking it and pulling it up to her mouth to chew on.

Since she is now four months, we thought we would start the process of getting her familiar with a spoon and rice cereal. Today was her first experience and I am not quite sure what she thought of it. I doubt that any of it actually made it down. And it cause her to produce so much saliva that I think the volume that came out of her mouth and down her chin and chest was double the amount that went in her mouth in the first place.

Go Team!

 This has been a fun week. We have been watching the Olympic non-stop. Even Little Bird has been trying to get in on some of it. When we sit on the couch watching the games as we are feeding her, she is constantly craning her neck trying to see the action. We have to put up a pillow or hand as a blocker. She got a little nervous about the outcomes of the women's volleyball gold medal game (biting her nails). But it is good that they are over tonight, so we can all start going to bed earlier again.

On another note, Little Bird can be quite the cheeser when she is in the mood. Laughing and grinning and making all sorts of noise. What a cutie. Her two teeth are poking through more and more. She loves to grab fabric and pull it up towards her mouth (skirts included).

She is getting so strong--holding up her neck, trying to pull herself upright, and even trying to stand. Although her balance needs some work. Definitely no balance beam for quite awhile ;)

I Cannot Be Restrained

I get wrapped up,
But I get out again
I ain't never gonna be restrained.

(tune to the chorus of Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping")

As mentioned in a previous post, Little Bird needs to be securely swaddled to sleep well. But she is also quite good at escaping. We tried multiple special blankets, none of which were successful. In the end we have just been using two flannel blankets going in opposite directions. Even this in not 100% Little Bird proof though.

She starts out like this, nice and snug and comfy.

But sometimes she finds a way out. Sometimes she just gets the blankets loose enough to wiggle.

Sometimes one arm will escape. Or maybe both.

The craziest is when the swaddle is still intact and she has found a way to squeeze herself out the top of not only the blankets but also the neck of her pajamas. Once in a while we find her with the pajamas and swaddle down around her waist. I think that if it wasn't for the bulk of her diaper, she would scoot completely out of them.

Round and Round I Go

Little Bird is getting more active every day. She loves to kick her legs and flap her arms. The last couple weeks she has gotten pretty good at scooting around on her back.

One minute she is facing towards you and the next she has spun herself 180 degrees.These pictures are of her over a 15 minute period, spinning around in her crib. (They are in order--she went full circle at least twice.)

She is also rolling up onto her side a lot. She really wants to roll over but usually gets stuck on her elbow (she hasn't figured out to straighten it). Twice she has rolled over from back to front. Both were unwitnessed and happened when she was stretching after being unswaddled. She was on her back and then a couple minutes later she was on her tummy. Quite a surprise.

Toothies

The last month Little Bird has become more drooly and keeps getting her hands into her mouth, first to suck on and then to chew. We couldn't believe that she was already teething--no way not at 3 months. The last week we could feel a couple teeth beneath the gums but thought it could be quite awhile before they pop through. Little Bird was stuffing her hands and toys and bibs and our fingers into her mouth to chew on.

Then on Friday we noticed that it was no longer gums biting our fingers but sharp little teeth. The two bottom teeth had broken through at the same time. They aren't out very far but they are definitely there. She has been her usual happy self, you wouldn't even know those teeth have been working their way out. It is hard to catch a good shot of them because she keeps them covered with her lip or tongue. But today we finally snagged a shot while she was chewing on Caleb's finger.

On another note, we have succumbed to the baby headband group. With hardly any hair we decided to give it a try and boy does she look cute.

Back to Work

Last week marked the beginning of a new phase in our lives--Camberly headed back to work. Caleb has been getting ready to work from home with Little Bird three days a week while Camberly is working. It was a challenging first day. Camberly didn't want to leave her little snuggle bug and once she got to work it felt like she hadn't been away (it is sad how work does that to you). Caleb had new phone system go live that day and he was the go to guy for the whole thing. Little Bird knew that something was up and as a result did not do much napping. She wasn't an unhappy girl, but sometimes those happy squeals can be just as difficult while in the middle of a phone call. Everyone survived and with a little more practice Caleb and Little Bird will get a routine that works for them (Camberly will never be happy to be back at work though).

Little Bird has a special corner in the office to hang out with her toys, right by Daddy and next to Mommy's stacks of fabric.