Spinning around the crib

So Clara is now 4 months old. She has been suffering from watery
diarrhea for 2 weeks now. The doctors suspect lactose intolerance so
she is on a special lactose free formula and I am banned from milk
products except my lactaid milk. She seems to be her usually self
except for these frequent bowel movements, and, she is no longer
napping/sleeping as nicely as she once did. She use to have 3 naps a
day and is now down to one good nap (1-2 hrs long) and maybe a 5 to 15
minute nap in addition to that one. The past couple of nights it has
taken almost 2 hrs to get her to sleep even though she is clearly
sleepy (yawning, rubbing her eyes). Not sure if this is related to
the diarrhea or just part of her keeping us guessing. One thing that
is amusing during all this is how she'll spin around in her crib
clutching her favorite Aden and Adonis blankets (gifted by our friends
Cyndi and Al). What I love about these blankets is that they are very
sheer and soft, so that even in this warm weather (her room is like 79
degrees), she can tolerate the blanket and because it is so sheer, if
she covers her face accidentally (which she'll do with her bib and
wake up) she can still breathe easily. She is rather distractible
these days, has trouble focusing during breast feeding so I find
myself having to pump more often, even on weekends. She is now big
enough to use the Ergo Carrier without the infant insert (which is a
relief because the insert made her so hot). She's almost 15 pounds
which means we'll no longer be able to use our bassinet features on
the pack and play crib (too bad because this has been a very
convenient feature, I'm still not clear why she can't keep on using it
as currently she can't roll over or climb out of it).

She loves her mobile (Fisher Price - Rainforest Musical Mobile) and it
has become incorporated into her bedtime routine, that in addition to
her "bouncy ball" (aka an exercise ball we bounce on until she gets
drowsy).

Hopefully by the next post her diarrhea will be all gone and she'll be
back to using her potty again!

almost 4 months

So our baby is almost 4 months old (!)

She used the potty for the first time earlier this week! (Of course,
she has to be held as she cannot sit on her own).

She enjoys talking in the evening, around 7 PM and tells me all about
her day with daddy. She likes to watch TV (terrible I know, she likes
"the Simpsons" according to Jason but I try to stick with the
"educational" stuff (like "C is for Cookie" by Cookie Monster on
Sesame Street). I know she's probably not suppose to be watching TV
either way, but if it is on in the background, she is absolutely
mesmerized. Jason reads to her every day, by the time I get home
she's usually not in the mood for books.

Jason has worked his magic and has gotten her to sleep on her own!! I
can't believe it. She is sleeping in her "big girl" crib. (The pack
and play is only used briefly, like when we're changing her and need
to wash our hands!). She still wakes up around 4:30 AM, but sleeps at
least 5 straight hours and returns to sleep for another 5 hours. This
is her first week with this kind of schedule so I am hoping that as
she grows older she won't even need the middle of the night feed.

Maybe sometime soon she'll learn to sleep by 7 PM (rather than 10 or
11) so Jason and I can finally have a meal together! Oh well, one
thing at a time, right?