4 Months

Dear Hayden,

No matter how many times I witness it, I will never get over the growth trajectory of a newborn. It is truly amazing how much you have grown and changed over the past four months as the below picture with your newly arrived friend Michael demonstrates. It is true that you had a few pound advantage from the beginning. But still you look like an absolute giant compared to him. A completely adorable giant that is.

This past month you have continued to prove yourself to be the most easy-going baby that ever lived. You rarely fuss and share your huge gummy grins often. You think daddy is funny. You think I'm funny. You even sometimes think your big sister is funny. When your smile breaks out, your eyes light up with indescribable happiness.

Now the next part I hesitate to say out loud. And really, if any other baby mommies are reading, I suggest they skip the next paragraph. It seems that you have decided that sleeping through the night would be a great thing to start doing. So great, in fact, that I don't remember you waking up between 9pm and 7am at all this past month. In fact, if you could train your older sister to sleep as well as you do it would be much appreciated. I can even put you in your crib sleepy but awake, and you *gasp* fall asleep. At not even four months old you have attained the holy grail of baby sleep. In truth I expect this to blow up in my face any second now. It just doesn't feel normal for a baby to sleep as well as you do. But for now I will just count my blessings, keep my fingers crossed, knock on wood, search for a four leafed clover and quit speaking of this on my blog.

I owe some of my thanks for your good sleep to your thumb. Yes, my dear, you are quite the thumb sucker. You seemed to show a penchant for your thumb from the time you were in the womb with your head crammed up against my cervix and your hands always in your face. Upon your exit, I noticed that you possessed the ability to bring your hand to your face, which was very impressive for a newborn. At first you sucked on your hand. Now it is your thumb. I'll often see you wiggling on the video monitor when I'm up in the middle of the night with Jillian, and then a while later I'll see you sleeping with your thumb in your mouth. I'm sure that my excitement over this habit will change years down the road when the orthodontic bills arrive. But really, genetics were not on your side in that teeth department anyhow.

Daddy does complain to me that you do not nap very well for him during the day. It is true that you are a bit of a cat napper at this stage. Certainly no real pattern has emerged in your daily schedule. It doesn't bother me much though because (1) I'm at work all day so it is his problem and (2) you are happy and pleasant to be around no matter how much you do or do not nap.

I think you will be rolling over from back to front soon. When laying on your play mat, you can get all the way up on your side to play with a toy. I suspect that you might be capable of rolling from front to back now, but you dislike tummy time too much to find out. Despite the lack of rolling, you have found other ways to move. A few weeks ago I noticed you were off the play mat, and I reprimanded your sister for moving you. Five minutes later it happened again. I reprimanded her again. Then she went outside. Five minutes later it happened again. That is when it finally clicked in my brain that you were using your legs to propel yourself backwards. Oops! Poor Jillian. Getting in trouble for the things her sister did.

Hayden we are truly lucky to have you for our little girl, and in closing I will share this parade of your smiles so that people can see just how much you light up our lives.

Love,

Mom