4 Months!

Charlotte was 4 months old on November 3rd.  I am obviously a little late getting this post up, but it has been quite a busy month for our family!  Thank goodness we have such an easy-going, adaptable baby.

*Weight - 12 lb 1 oz (5th-10th percentile)
*Length - 24 inches (25th-50th percentile)
(Interestingly enough, I looked at my baby book 4 month stats ... I was 24 1/4 inches long - almost exactly the same as Charlotte - but weighed 17 pounds!)
*Diaper size - she just moved into Pampers size 2 at the end of the month ... they are a little big but the 1's are getting too snug
*Clothing size - completely depends on the brand.  3 months, 3-6 months, 6 months.  She continues to require bigger sizes in the footed pajamas to accommodate her long legs!
*Eats  - We have had a lot of change this month in the eating department.  With me starting work, Charlotte is now partially bottle-fed and partially breastfed.  I am pumping at work, which has proved to be somewhat challenging as my schedule is hectic and I don't have an office.  I spend lots of time sitting on a toilet in the handicapped bathroom with my pump ... not ideal.  Getting her to take a bottle was a mighty challenge, but she finally gave in and is doing great.  She goes back and forth between breast and bottle without difficulty.  After trying every bottle and nipple on the market, we ended up with the Playtex drop-in bottles because they can be bought with a latex nipple - which Charlotte really seems to prefer.    On average she eats 4-6 oz 5-6 times per day.

We still have the occasional bad spit-up that comes shooting out of her nose!

*Sleep - Charlotte is a wonderful sleeper at night, but a terrible napper.  She goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:30 and wakes up when I get up between 4:30 and 5:30.  If she takes a good nap during the day, it is usually in the morning.  Sometimes this nap will last for two hours, other times only 30-45 minutes.  It is very difficult to get her to nap in the afternoon.  Overall she is a content, happy baby, and the only time she gets fussy or frantic is during the day when she is tired and can't fall asleep.  Helping her settle down and get to sleep is a challenge.  However, at bedtime she has no trouble and goes to sleep.  She still sleeps in her bassinet next to my side of the bed.

She still sleeps with her hands up by her head, like she has done since she was born (I guess she has liked this position from the very beginning ... hands were always by her head in our ultrasounds)

*Likes - her hands (I might call this an obsession), the swing, the activity mat, sitting straight up (she hates to lie in a semi-reclined position, like in her car seat), standing, her bumbo seat, Brutus, baths, reading books (her favorites seem to be Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See, and People magazine), watching tv and looking at the computer screen (we attempt to limit this but it's hard to keep her turned away), the changing table, playing airplane
*Dislikes - the car seat, naps, riding in the backseat of the car by herself (therefore, Brandon and Charlotte usually sit in the backseat while I drive).  Honestly, she is a pretty content baby ... I can't think of any other dislikes at the moment.  Even tummy time is becoming less of a dislike (but she isn't doing well enough to put it in the "like" category yet!).

A rare angry moment.  Charlotte is not the most patient baby, but she is easily pacified when she gets what she wants (usually being picked up).  She goes from screaming to laughing in seconds.  Therefore, she really doesn't cry much at all.  Brandon and I were talking about this the other night ... we estimate that, literally, she probably does not cry more than 5 minutes total in a typical day when one of us has her (I can't speak for what she does in daycare or when anyone else keeps her!).

*Other happenings - Charlotte had her ride on an airplane and went to Middlebury, VT.  She is rolling over stomach to back, and almost has back to stomach (she still gets caught on her arm).  She is laughing now.  Her hands move much more smoothly and grab everything, especially hair and glasses.  I think she will be able to put her pacifier back in her mouth pretty soon, which Brandon and I are looking forward to.

First Halloween

I went back to work this month, and Charlotte started daycare two days a week.  So far it has gone really well (daycare, that is), although I think she is a little high maintenance and doesn't nap much or like to be put down.  Who can blame her?  To be perfectly honest, going back to work has been a major adjustment ... I would say Charlotte is handling it much better than me!  We are so thankful for all of our family and friends who are supporting us through this transition.  

First day of daycare.  It has been really nice to have her in daycare right next to UAB.  Yesterday I was able to walk over and feed her in the afternoon while I was waiting for cardiology to see one of my patients.  I truly feel like she is in caring hands when she is there.

October 26th ... my first day of residency

Middlebury, Vermont

Our trip to Middlebury was so much fun and, like all great trips, went by way too fast!

Lake Champlain ... literally in the backyard of the rental house

A rare, happy moment in the car

Our scenic drive from the house to Middlebury

At the Storm Cafe for lunch on Friday

Catherine showing us her dorm room

Another dorm room picture.  My dad's soaking wet rain jacket is representative of the weather we had for most of the trip 

Snuggling with Grandpa in the morning

It may not be SEC football, but you can't beat the view from the bleachers!!

Sadly, the Middlebury Panthers lost to arch rival Williams 

Ski lift at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl

Mom and Charlotte stayed at the ski lodge while the rest of us rode the lift ... little did we know what an adventure that would be.  It was a chilly day and the skies looked ominous, but Mom assured me that it was not going to rain.  Just before we got to the top of the mountain, it began to sprinkle ... that sprinkle turned into hard rain ... the rain turned into hail.  It was a LONG ride back down soaking wet and freezing!  At least we decided not to take Charlotte with us ...

Warming up by the fire

Charlotte stayed warm and toasty in her Patagonia baby bunting

We woke up early on Sunday morning to go to a quidditch tournament at Middlebury

Quidditch ... with the back of Catherine's dorm in the background

Meeting Aunt Catherine's friends

This dorm is one of my favorite buildings on campus

Catherine's dorm

View from behind the science building

Saying goodbye

Charlotte with the front of Catherine's dorm in the background

Charlotte with Grandma

Lake Champlain ... finally some gorgeous weather the morning we had to leave!

The house

First Airplane Ride

We returned yesterday from a wonderful trip to Middlebury, Vermont to visit Catherine.  It was Charlotte's first time on an airplane, and overall it went really well.  We got off to a rocky start getting past the TSA in the Birmingham airport with Charlotte (an infant in arms), but once we got on the plane things went more smoothly.  I quickly got over any fears of nursing in public, because it meant a happy, sleepy baby for us and everyone else on the plane.

Being content

Not so content

Chilling at the Grey Goose Martini Lounge in the Detroit airport ... this Baby Jogger City Mini stroller was awesome for traveling!

In the Burlington, VT airport

Buckled up and ready for a car ride.  We were able to get an infant car seat with the rental car which saved us a lot of hassle!

Charlotte was one good little traveler!  More from our trip to come ... 

Weaning Woes

In anticipation of my return to work in a couple of weeks, we decided that Charlotte needed to practice with a bottle and try formula for the first time. Once residency starts, I plan to nurse her in the morning and at night, while pumping as much as I can during the day (but realistically pumping and internship may not mesh well together - requiring formula supplementation).
Here's how it went ...

Charlotte gagged, choked, spit-up, acted like she had no idea how to drink from a bottle, and looked like she was being poisoned.  We then decided to punt the formula and focus on getting her to drink from a bottle, so I pumped and left my mom to attempt a bottle feed with breast milk while I went shopping.  Apparently she screamed unlike my mom has ever heard her scream, refused to drink, and cried herself to sleep.  An hour later, after buying a different brand bottle on my way home, we tried again.  This time she took the bottle like a champ without any problems.  Not sure whether it was the new bottle or she had just given up ... 2.5 weeks left to figure it out!!