Addison Mae - 4 months

Are you kidding me? My baby girl is four months old? I feel like I was just carting her around in my belly, during the hottest summer in the history of the world, mind you. Addie has become a real little person in the past month. She is starting to explore the world around her, noticing people and sounds. She especially likes to notice her hands. She noticed them one day and hasn't been able to keep them out of her mouth since. We just started trying cereal this weekend, which she seems to be a fan of. She can't exactly figure out how to swallow much, but she opens her mouth very willingly for it. Though we've been cleared for veggies and fruits, I'm just not ready for that yet. I feel like at any moment I'm going to turn around and she'll be driving.

Weight: 12 lbs, 10 oz
Length: 23 3/4 in

New things this month:

• Still not quite laughing ... but making lots of new laughing-like sounds. Loud squealing and shrieking are her personal favorites.
• Hands in the mouth. All. The. Time. And using those amazing contraptions to get other things in her mouth - our hands, my hair, toys, blankets ... whatever she can find.
• Pretty easily grabbing whatever she sees that she wants - again, with the intent to get it in her mouth.
• Lots and lots of drooling. Might have something to do with all those things she's putting in her mouth.
• Holding her head up. When sitting in our laps, she prefers to hold her head up rather than rest it against our legs. Impressive.
• Staring at her feet. She hasn't made the move to grab them quite yet, but she is definitely aware of them. She's hanging out and then all of a sudden gets in a staring match with them - like, wait a second, are those connected to me?
• Rolling onto her side and from her tummy to her back. She still acts surprised when she finds herself on her back.
• Pooping. The kid who previously only pooped a couple times a month (for real) has decided that perhaps it's better for everyone if she does it every few days. Praise the Lord.
• Still sleeping through the night, usually 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. And I say that meaning she doesn't need a feeding during that time. She still likes to wake up at least once or twice and call for someone to come hang out with her for a bit.

Likes:

• Anything with a new/fun texture. She loves soft blankets and loves her taggies. Still a fan of the nightly naked kicking routine.
• Did I mention she likes her hands???
• Her dog, as in the real 65-pound one. She's really started noticing Izzy and has even reached out to grab her face several times. Sweet puppy just lets Addie do whatever she wants to her and doesn't even protest.
• Bathtime. So fun. She also had her first poop in the bath this month. Two of her favorite things at once.
• Her mother's lovely singing voice. And any crazy noises I might make. Not surprisingly, my singing and crazy noises are quite similar. She likes to make sweet little singing voices while I sing or try to imitate the noises I'm making. She especially loves it when I imitate the noises she makes. She is her mother's daughter. :)
• Books. Loves to be read to. And now loves to put the books in her mouth. Noticing a trend???
• Football. She LOVES the TV, and her personal favorite is any type of sporting event. Her dad couldn't be prouder. She also loves her Baby Einstein videos. She is completely mesmerized by them, but they make her dad want to jump off the house. So football it is.
• The Christmas tree. Loves the sparkly ornaments, the lights, the packages. She can be in the middle of a crying fit, we take her over to the tree and she immediately calms down. It's like a drug.

Dislikes:

• Taking a bottle. We really struggled with this when I went back to work, even though we practiced and practiced beforehand. She pretty much told my mom, "yeah, I'm not having that." It's gotten a little better, thankfully.
• Napping. She still insists napping is for wimps.
• Tummy time is also for wimps. Although if she can watch TV while on her tummy it's totally fine with her.
• Putting on a coat. Because that means she has to get in the carseat.
• Socks. I don't actually think she dislikes socks, but she's a professional at kicking them off within 1.3 seconds of them being put on.