Happy 4 Month Birthday, Julia!

Julia is 4 Months Old!

4 Months old! My baby is growing fast! It really is amazing to me to think about how much she has changed and grown in just the last month or two. There are mornings that I take her out of her crib and really do think she has grown overnight; she suddenly will feel longer and heavier!

New things this month: Julia is ever so curious about everything! Her vision and hearing must have really matured now because she looks at things with such great wonder and it completely lifts my heart to witness her learn the world around her. She has become really good with using her hands and "inspecting" everything by grabbing ahold of it then shoving it in her mouth. She started sleeping with a "lovey/thumbie" lamb and she loves feeling the silkiness on the edges and shoving the little lamb head in her mouth. I should probably try and capture this on film, because it's quite entertaining. She loves standing (and this is something that she has shown a love for since about 6 weeks old!) - most mornings after I get her dressed I carry her over to the bathroom where there is a large mirror and I let her stand on the counter and admire herself. The faces she gives me are hilarious - she's a diva even at such a young age, and is already in love with "dress-up!" Julia has rolled over a few times on her own, but I think it's mostly been on accident - she's sure to get that skill soon, and then... look out, Delaney! :) Crawling is something else that she's working towards - I'm in no rush to have her moving around, but when placed on her tummy now, she tries with all of her might to get in motion. This month she has become a lot more vocal. She still says the typical "goos" and "coos" and "gaas" - but she now has added in some other shrieks, squeals, and grunts and it's even more entertaining to listen to her communicate. This morning she was in her Exersaucer and was letting off steam in frustration because she could see the tiny balls and rotation mechanism inside a "rolly-rattle" part, and no matter how hard she tried spinning it, she couldn't get those balls out of there. When Julia was born, Andy and I, more or less, cut out the "entertainment" portion of our budget because we knew most of our nights would now be spent inside at home.... and it's moments like watching her in the exersaucer that totally justifies that reasoning!

I really cannot believe how strong she seems - She's standing just by herself, more or less, with just the support of my one hand! My big girl!

We had two outfits for this "shoot"...

Julia's new "trick" she learned this month... sucking in her lips.

Another version of the "lip sucking"

Her expression here cracks me up - what is she doing!? Miss Attitude!

My Monthly "I Love it When You Do This" List

Dear Julia,

I love it when you...

1) watch your hands slowly meet up to find each other, and then together they search for something to grab or pull, or when all else fails, those hands just get shoved right in your mouth.

2) suck your thumb, and as a result, you poke yourself in the eye with the rest of your four fingers - you'll catch on one of these days!

3) cry, then laugh, then cry again, then laugh some more.

4) scrunch up your nose (and sometimes smile along w/it) - I'm still trying to get a picture of this one!

5) are talking away in your crib in the morning and then finally notice that we're there standing over you, ready to pick you up - your face completely lights up and you get a huge grin. It's adorable.

6) gurgle and coo with excitement and relaxation as I put lotion on you after your bedtime bath.

7) make sucking motions in your sleep.

8) watch yourself on videos and in pictures on our computer and get the biggest thrill out of it.

9) practice your new "trick" of sucking in your lips so it looks like you're an old man who has misplaced his denchers.

10) study every texture and terrain of my face with your hands, and stare at me with such amazement.

Mommy loves you, Julia!

**********

In other "BIG" news this week, Julia turned 17 weeks old!

(She's really thrilled about it)

(This adorable little romper outfit was handmade by a close family friend and is ever so cute!)

This was before we headed out for a day of errands at the mall - sunhat in tact for our hot, Texas weather!

Daddy and Julia before Julia's bedtime bath

(That face!)

Julia in her bumbo seat.... she doesn't seem to be as big of a fan of it as I was hoping for - I think she's too anxious to stand and not sit. Maybe we just need to give it time though!

Waking up from a nap showing me her "big girl" sleep sack that she uses now, and no longer a swaddle blanket

I'm sure she was still tired, but anything more than napping for 30 minutes these days would just be nonsense in Julia's opinion!

I have a few videos that I really wanted to share, but I think something is not functioning right with "blogger" and they're not uploading. Check back soon, and hopefully I'll have them posted!

I also am still working on posting my photos from our trip home.... I have an overwhelming amount of photos and because of that, can't seem to get motivated to start posting them in the small amounts of time I have available during the day. Soon though, soon!