Life with Olivia at 4 months

We just returned from Olivia's 4 month checkup. Amazing that it's been 4 months already. I finally feel like I have a bit of a grasp on life with two kids. The basic rule of thumb is to have a "just roll with it" attitude. Children are just completely unpredictable. Things that worked with Gavin, don't work with Olivia. But, one thing is true with every child: they grow up fast. I have to constantly remind myself of this fact. When I find myself getting frustrated about not getting things done around the house, I will take the kids out on the front porch. It's gotten colder, but we snuggle on the porch swing with a blanket and it seems to calm us all down. It's these moments that make me feel lucky. Where else would I rather be? Certainly not cleaning the house. Porch swings are therapeutic.

Olivia is getting so big. She has such a sweet nature about her. All she really wants is to be held and talked to. When I am not holding her, she watches me and when we make eye contact, she gives me a great big smile. She has a great smile- the kind of smile that starts with her eyes. Without talking, she says, "Hi Mom! It's me!" We love her.

She continues to be a bit of a night owl, but I'm beginning to call her bluff. She goes to bed around 8pm and wakes up for a feeding around midnight. She wakes up around 3am, but I'm letting her fuss through that one. She seems to be a light sleeper and I'm trying to encourage her to fall back to sleep. The last couple of nights have been successful and I'm finally getting 6 solid hours of sleep. She wakes again around 6am for a feeding. From there, she'll sleep until 8am or 9am. After the last few months, I will take it!

Here are her current stats and a few pics from the past month:
Weight: 14lbs, 12oz (63rd percentile)
Length: 25.5 inches (81st percentile- lucky little thing)
Skills: rolling, giggling, smiling, and doing all things cute

Cuddled up in the beautiful quilt that her Grandma deMars made for her

Happy Girl!

Halloween Giraffe

Oh, yes she did!

I dare you not to love our little material girl...