Where has the time gone?!

   I can't believe Paityn is already 4 months old. Where has the time gone? I thought I was really going to miss her as a newborn. Everyone says "remember the newborn cry." She was very cute as a newborn and I loved it, but to be honest, it has been so much fun watching her grow! She is just at such a fun stage now. She smiles ALL THE TIME! She smiles when she sees us, she laughs, and she has her own personality starting to show. She is becoming more predictable and I feel like I can not only anticipate her needs, but I know how to soothe them too! I think we are both becoming more confident in each other! She really is the light of our life!

  I took Paityn to her 4 month appointment on Monday. She really did pretty good. I feel bad that she has to get shots, but I know they are for her own good so it doesn't bother me too much. She was a little more tired and fussy for a couple of days, but is now back to herself. She has grown like a weed too! She is now 14lbs 11.5 oz, which is about a 3lb gain from her 2 month appointment. That puts her in the 50-75% for weight. She has also almost grown 3 inches and is now 25" long. Her height is in the 75%. No wonder her 6 month pajamas are getting a little snug! I told the doctor my concerns about her still only eating 3-4oz at a time, but he says clearly she is growing well and maybe that is all the calories she needs. We did get the okay to start some cereal in about a month. Brian and I are SO excited to start her on that. I think it is going to be so much fun watching her eat and/or her wearing her food! We go to Partner in Pediatrics for her clinic and they really do a nice job there. They always give a ton of information about what to expect for her growth and development and a ton of other helpful handouts. We are switching from the Maple Grove clinic to the Brooklyn Park one strictly to convenience, but I have liked this Dr.Bach we have seen. He made note of how "busy" she was! I also discussed with Dr. Bach about her still needing to be swaddled and her eating in the middle of the night. Both things he thought were fine and she will grow out of. I told him about her not wanting to nap in the crib. He says do whatever works for you, but eventually she will have to learn. I do agree with him, I will eventually let her "learn," but for now I like it the way it is. I talked to with my friend Maija about "sleep training." There are all these different methods (i.e. let the child cry it out, the no cry method, etc.). At this point, I don't feel comfortable letting her "cry it out." I feel like when she is old enough to know she just doesn't want to go down, that is a different story, but at 4 months she is still learning to trust us. Some people may disagree, but that is what I feel most comfortable with. As far as naps, I have been trying to put her in the crib at the end of the nap. When I do it for the beginning she only sleeps for about 30 minutes and then is crabby. By doing it at the end, the 30 minutes are no big deal and she is getting used to the crib. And to be completely honest, I LOVE napping with her. I LOVE having mommy-daughter cuddle time!

 I never know how the pictures are going to turn out until I get them on the computer. She is always moving so a lot of times they are blurry, color is bad, etc. I have to say, I LOVE how these pictures turned out! I really thought I didn't have one good one and I got them on the computer and was so surprised to see how cute they are! I also got a few more pictures on here from my camera from Halloween. 

She reminds me of the Mushroom from Mario Brothers