September 30

Isla is four months old today! (or maybe tomorrow...that's the annoying part about having babies born on the 31st!)

• Her four month checkup is next Friday, so we'll find out how big she is then. My guess is between 13-14 pounds. She is growing so much and getting so chubby. You would never guess that she was so skinny and tiny as a newborn. She also seems really long to me. She is already almost filling out (in length, that is) several of her 3-6 months sleepers. We're going to need some bigger clothes to make it through the winter if she keeps growing at this rate.

• She makes all kinds of sounds and coos and squeals right now. She seems to enjoy talking to us, and it's pretty easy to get her to smile and laugh at you. (Except for when you are holding a camera, then it takes a little more work to get those smiles).

• She is starting to be an easier baby. Not that she was ever incredibly difficult, but for the first few months, she never seemed to content when left alone. And I probably made it worse by never wanting to let her lie on her back (or in a bouncy seat or swing) for more than a few minutes at a time because of her flat head. Now, the helmet is looking inevitable, so I've given up my quest to keep her off her back. She is also old enough to grab toys and play with things, helping her to be more content to play by herself.
  
• Her favorite activity now is to hold her legs up in the air and then kick the ground. Over and over and over again...even in her sleep at night! She can slowly move herself around in a full circle, just by kicking her legs.
  

(She's doing her Popeye impression in this one!)

• She can roll over from her tummy to her back. I think it is going to be a while before she rolls over from back to tummy. She doesn't even like to move her head when she is on her back...it's hard to imagine her moving her whole body!

• She is making progress with her head and neck control, and I think she gets a little stronger each week. We are working with her still to encourage her to turn her head all the way in both directions. We are also working with her to get her to extend her neck and look up. She can hold her head up steadily, but she tends to keep her chin down. Shannon, her physical therapist, wants her to keep her chin up! Today during tummy time, she was doing such a good job with this. It's even harder to get that chin up when she is on her tummy. She was working super hard, and she did it...and even posed for a picture with her head (and chin) up high!

Here is Audrey at 35 months (because of course she must have her picture taken with Raggedy Ann too!). Where in the world did this kid come from? Because, seriously, she is a kid now. She's not a baby or toddler anymore. She walks and talks and acts like such a big girl. Every day, I am amazed by something that she says or does, and then I wonder how in the world she got so big so fast!