The Brunkers: Brooklyn 4 Months

Brooklyn Paige 4 Months: 2/26/12-3/26/12

Is it really that time again?!? Another month has past-my baby girl is 4 months old! Wow!!

Brooklyn is a joy to be around every day! It is amazing how much she changes each day-she is growing up so fast! We went to the doctor on Tuesday for her 4 month appointment! She is as healthy as can be and growing wonderfully!!

4 Month Stats:

Weight: 14 pounds 10 ounces (75th percentile)

Length: 24 inches (43rd percentile) *

Head Circumference: 16 inches (40th percentile)

*I personally think that Brooklyn is longer than what she measured at the doctors office. While the nurse was measuring her, I don't think she had her legs fully straight (as it is difficult to do with Brooklyn's legs constantly moving). My unofficial measurement for her length at home is 26 inches.

Diapers: size 2

Pajamas:3-6 months, just bought some 6-9 month but they are a little big

Clothes: 3-6 month or 6 months. Not many 3 month clothes fit anymore

Schedule: Wake 7:00am, eat 7:30am, 10:30am, 1:30pm, 4:30pm, 7:30pm and between 3-4am.

She is awake for about an hour and a half and then she goes down for a nap. Her naps range anywhere from 25 minutes to 2 hours. You never know what you are going to get! She is always keeping me on my toes.

Brooklyn has NOT been sleeping well at night. This has been going on for the past 6 weeks. To say I am exhausted is an under-statement. I am more sleep deprived now than I was when she was a newborn. She is up almost every hour in the night and just wants to be rocked. I only feed her once in the night, I know she is not hungry, she just wants mommy cuddle time and I am a sucker and give it to her. But, that is all changing tonight (3/30). Tonight is the start to 'sleep training'. Miss Brooklyn is going to hate her parents for a few nights, but Ben and I both know that it is going to be so worth it in the end. The next few nights are going to be very rough but we will get through it and once I can get more than 45 minutes of sleep at once I will be a much happier person and happier momma!! We are also taking away the swaddle tonight cold turkey! She loves her hands so I am hoping she will such on her hands (once the paci falls out) to self soothe herself. I am dreading tonight but Ben and I both have a plan and we are sticking with it. We will do this!!

Brooklyn REFUSES to nurse! It breaks my heart. The only time she will nurse is in the middle of the night. Any other time I put her on the boob she will be on for 3-5 minutes and get real squirmy and start to cry. My baby is lazy and wants the immediate gratification that a bottle gives her. So, what do I do all day? I pump!! Brooklyn eats 5 ounce bottles during the day and a 6 ounce bottle at night. That is a total of 26 ounces I pump for her to eat during the day and I also pump 10 ounces a day to freeze! Yes, I am crazy! Yes, my freezer is full! Yes, that is a total of 36 ounces of milk I pump a day! Crazy to think about!! The reason I am freezing so much milk is because I want Brooklyn to get breast milk for as long as possible (up to 1 year) but once she gets her first tooth I will not nurse her anymore-not that I am nursing her much now anyway.

I spoke with lactation consultant at Brooklyn's 4 month check up and she pretty much told me that it is going to be a very difficult task to get Brooklyn to nurse regularly again-ugh! So, instead of trying and making both Brooklyn and myself mad and irritated I am just going to continue to pump, pump, pump! (Thank you Janet for my pump-I never thought I would get so much use out of it!)

We are going to start Brooklyn on rice cereal tonight. We are going to give it to her in the mornings around 8:30am and then in the evenings around 6pm. We are going to Florida next month and once we get back from Florida we will start introducing fruits and veggies!!

Now, some highlights from Brooklyn's 4 month (by the way-she has been sleeping for 1 hour 30 minutes without me having to go up and rock her or replace her paci-this is very uncommon and has only happened a few several times-maybe she knows we are starting sleep training tonight and she is trying to convince me not to...hmmm...I am not giving in missy!)

rolled over tummy to back 2/28

5 times in a row on 2/29

took 2 hour nap in her crib 2/28
gave mommy her first giggle 2/27
blows bubbles/raspberries constantly
slept in her crib at night for the first time on 3/2
brings her hands above her head
we switched her reflux medicine from Zantac to Axid and it is really helping-she hardly spits up anymore! The one side effect she does have with the Axid is she burps all the time. It could be 2 hours since she last ate and she will burp!
went to the doctor at 15 weeks (to discuss reflux and switch medicine) and weighed 13 pounds 12 ounces (doctor was a little concerned that her weight had started to plateau, but at her 4 month check up she had gained almost a pound in 2 1/2 weeks. I think her weight was plateauing because she was not nursing well)
her fists and hands are in her mouth ALL of the time!
she screams, squeals, sings (daddy thinks she is going to be a country singer!)
starting to grab and reach for things
drools constantly-teething??
getting so close to finding her feet!

Loves:
being outside
her hands
being naked/diaper only
watching basketball on tv (Rock Chalk)
screaming (for fun!)
being on her changing table

Hates:
being alone
nursing
quiet rooms/places
being away from mommy :)