4 Month Update

4 whole months already! Things are easier now; and by easier I mean I don't freak out over every little thing. Maybe I am starting to get the hang of this motherhood thing. Right when I typed that, no joke, she woke up from her nap. I had to take a  break from writing until next nap time to finish this post. I guess there are always things that will come up with every day, month and year that will make me "freak out" a little and interrupt whatever kind of routine I am on. It is how I am handling those things that I'm getting used to.

It is amazing to see how Olivia is developing. Now it is not just about eating, sleeping, pooping and crying. There is definitely more awake time, which I love. She loves to play with little toys and look at herself in the mirror. When I have something to do I put her in a little play seat with toys and put a mirror in front of her. That keeps her entertained for a while.

We follow a schedule, well we try to. I am not a very big fan of reading parenting books. I prefer to ask moms and dads that I know about things that have worked for them. One thing that everyone has told me is: start a schedule with her. So I did, ever since she was a baby we started developing a routine for her. It got easier once she started sleeping thru the night. So hang in there if you are still waking up every 2-3 hours.

Olivia started sleeping 12 hours at night when she turned 2 months old. Night time routine for us is warm bath time, night time lotion and pajamas; reading a book and a feeding. I would rock her to sleep, and then I would lay her down. When she turned 3 months, I started just laying her down when she was somewhat sleepy so she would learn how to fall asleep on her own. That was actually recommended to me by my doctor, and it has worked for us so far.

She loves to smile. She is figuring out how to laugh out loud, and it is hilarious. It's like a combination of trying to laugh, scream, and cry. It's amazing. She stares at me and laughs when I speak to her in spanish, and she loves to look at Collin and Ginger (Miniature Schnauzers).

Another thing that has worked for us is: when she naps during the day, if she starts crying I let her cry for a bit. I check on her to make sure she is ok, but I don't immediately pick her up anymore. She goes back to sleep 99% of the time. This is something I am still trying to teach Daddy, not to pick her up immediately. I think next month I will work on Daddy's schedule.

She loves to stare at her dad when he talks and sings to her. She can now hold her head up, and is learning how to sit on her own. She hates tummy time, and now has a love/hate relationship with the car seat. We are still working on that, although it has gotten better since we started hanging toys and a mirror so she can entertain herself.

As for me, it has been officially 1 year since I had an alcoholic drink. Believe me, I am keeping track. I have been exclusively breastfeeding so it was my choice not to drink. I think I am about ready to get a taste of a huge margarita; now that feedings are not so often. I'm sure one or even half of a margarita will be all I need after not drinking for a year.

I love that I get to spend all my days watching Olivia grow. I am thankful for Tim that works extremely hard so I can stay at home with Olivia. I wouldn't trade my non-shower, spit up covered shirts, same clothes as yesterday days for anything else. I love being Olivia's mom.

Thanks for reading,