Dear Mykenzi: 4 Months

Dear Mykenzi,

Another month has come and gone and you continue to wow me with how much you grow and change everyday.  I can put you to bed and you wake up with a new trick.  You have learned so many new things this month, it makes me so proud and a little sad at the same time.  My baby girl is getting so big!

We had your 4 Month Baby Well Visit this week and you weighed in just shy of 14lbs at 13lbs 14oz.  Momma could definitely tell you had put on some weight just by carrying you and your cute little thigh rolls have even gotten a little chunkier.  Not only heavier, you are taller too.  You are in the 80th percentile for height at 25.75 inches which means you will most likely be taller than your Momma.

Shortly after your 3rd Month you transitioned to Size 2 diapers.  I don't see any signs of heading into size 3's just yet.  You are in 3-6 month onesies, but when it comes to anything with legs we better make sure it's 6 months to keep your legs covered.  Dresses aren't quite your thing yet ... either you are fussing that you're in one or the dress is pulled over your face and in your mouth.  Don't worry, we'll work on that.

Your eyes are still the most beautiful Blue.  When we are out, strangers like to comment on how beautifully Blue they are.  I still see some Green trying to shine through but no signs of them changing colors just yet.  Whatever color they decide to be, you will still be my beautiful Mykenzi.

 Your hair is still Light Brown. It is growing longer but you developed a few thin spots this month.  I was so happy you didn't lose all of it and your thin spots are starting to come back in nicely. Don't worry, Momma had a few thin spots in her own hairline this month too.  So we were kind of like twins! You had a round with cradle cap and thankfully for us, it was fairly mild.  The images I saw when I googled how to treat your cradle cap brought me to tears and I'm so thankful yours just looked like dandruff.  No worries, a couple of rounds of Olive Oil and your scalp is back to normal.  We kicked that cradle's cap! #punintended

You are still a great sleeper for Momma but your sleeping habits have definitely changed this month.  You now throw full on tantrums when it is time for you to go down for naps and bedtime. The first time it happened you were so hysterical I thought I was going to have to take you to the ER because I thought something was seriously wrong, turns out you are just a little bit of a Monster when you are tired.  We bought you a Magic Sleepsuit that has helped tremendously in getting you to sleep without fits.  Even with your fits you are still giving us 8-10 hours of sleep at night.  You are down by 9:30pm and up by 8am, which is such a blessing.  You ended up cutting out your own mid-morning feeding by just not waking up anymore!  You are such a happy baby in the mornings too!  I hope I always remember waking up to your coos and big gummy smile, it is truly the best alarm clock.  Sadly for me, in the next few weeks we will be working on transitioning you to your own room for bedtime.  I know you are ready, but Momma isn't quite there yet.

Eating is still one of your favorite parts of the day.  Our breastfeeding journey is still going strong and most times it is the only way I can get you down for a nap.  Grandma and Daddy can get you down with a little rocking and a paci, but you know Momma's got the goods and demand I share them with you ... so much so, that you have no problem showing the world where your milk comes from.  I really hope that's a stage or Mommy has a lot of flashing episodes in her future.  You have also developed this cute little habit of putting your hand on my lips while you are nursing.  I haven't quite figured this out but it makes you happy so we'll let it be for now.  We have introduced Rice Cereal and you surprisingly love it.  I'm pretty sure your favorite part about it is eating it off a spoon ... it's a messy but fun time for both of us.

You think your hands are the neatest thing since sliced bread.  When you aren't concentrating on how they work, you will most likely find them in your mouth.  You have discovered you can reach for things and have made it your daily goal to reach for everything!  Momma's got to watch her phone because that is your favorite thing to reach for these days.  Reaching for things has led to you rolling from your back to your tummy.  Mommy and Daddy missed your first time because you decided to show off to Grandma.  I'm pretty sure my heart broke, but that's okay ... you rolled for Mommy and Daddy later that night.  You love to lock your legs which means you are standing with assistance like a champ.  It also means that changing your diaper, changing your clothes, and putting you in your car seat has become an Olympic sport.

You love to chat.  Although you still love the ceiling fan, there is a new friend on the block ... the Christmas Tree.  You chat with the Christmas Tree daily and will instantly stop crying if we bring you over to it.  You even cheated on our Christmas Tree and had a full day's conversation with the Tree at the Auto Shop when Mommy took her car to get serviced.  No intentional words have been said yet, but you frequent Ma.  I cannot wait until you intentionally say Momma!  You have discovered squealing and try to test out every octave your voice will allow.  Let's not forget how much you laugh these days.  I can't even handle how adorable the sound of your laugh is ... I'm guess you think Momma is pretty nutty with my attempts to make you laugh.  I just can't resist hearing that sweet sound!

Bath time is your favorite part of your bedtime routine.  You love when your Daddy sings you bath time songs that he makes up on the spot.  You think its funny when you kick your feet and splash Mommy and Daddy, which makes us all laugh.  You are quite the ham in the bath, its pretty entertaining.

I'm pretty sure your new favorite thing is to do your dirty work at the most inopportune time you can find.  I used to have your bathroom habits timed perfectly but you have since made it your mission to throw Momma off and poop when it's super inconvenient.  You've decided that while being strolled through the parking lot was a great time, while Daddy was trying on clothes, right after Mommy has put you in your Magic Sleepsuit, and in the dark of night, in your car seat when there is no where to pull over.  If an inopportune time wasn't awkward enough, you think it's necessary to grunt your loudest when doing your business in public places.  When asked, "What did you do?" you find that an ear to ear smile is a sufficient answer.  Well played, Mykenzi.

You are such a joy to watch and I still find it crazy that you are mine.  You are a pretty special little girl and you steal my heart all over again daily.  Your Daddy and I can't wait to celebrate your first Christmas with you.  We will be hosting Christmas in our new home with family who can't wait to spend time with you.  Expect a lot of hugs and kisses.  You don't quite understand what Christmas is yet, but you will next year.  This year, just know that you have made our Christmas the most special Christmas we've ever had.  You are the best gift we could've ever imagined.

Happy 4 Months my Kenzi Girl!

After this shoot, I have come to terms that I'm in desperate need of a new camera.  Momma's old DSLR isn't going to cut it anymore.  Don't judge my terrible lighting.

I know many of you have been wondering how the Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit is working for us! No worries, I promise there will be a full detailed blog about it next week!  I wanted a solid week of wear to determine what kind of difference we saw, which has been huge y'all! Can't wait to share with you!

Happy Weekend!