We had a play date with Elena and Maeve. A lot of play and a little cookie making. Of course, I didn’t think to pick up the camera when they were ‘cooking’. I think Emily introduced Elena to eating cookie dough. You never know what kids will teach each other when they get together. We had a good time playing house, meeting new dollies, having lunch, and playing with each other’s sisters. Even the little girls got some time playing together. What fun they will have over time!

I work hard to get photos of the girls together, but on this morning it just worked out for me. We were still in our pj’s playing and Emily asked to hold Julia. I set Julia up on the boppy so that the girls could enjoy each other without worrying about how long Emily could handle holding Julia. They just loved looking at each other. Both even looked at the camera for a photo, crazy hair and all!

(4 months) Nothing is sweeter than watching a baby sleep. Even though they are still, so much inside of them is changing as they grow. It is just amazing to understand how they develop from movement from the center of their bodies outward. Julia was reaching out and making contact with a toy just a few months ago and now she is grasping things and bringing them to her mouth to taste. Now, everything that she get a hold of goes into her mouth, and if she can’t find anything, she will use her own fingers for entertainment. I don’t mind her chewing on my finger, it is a glimpse into how she is interacting with the world.

Julia is a regular night sleeper now, although she seems to have lost it for our vacation. On our trip she would wake once and sometimes twice to eat. All of our schedules were very different as we traveled, so I was not surprised. When we returned she would wake up once and last night she slept the whole night. I noticed a marked improvement in my memory, patience, and fatigue once Julia gave me my first week of sleep without interruptions.

Today, we had our first intentional occurrence of putting Julia down awake and her falling asleep on her own. While I changed her diaper today she was pretty still and it was time for her nap, so I went ahead and laid her down. It worked and she went to sleep. This is one thing I hope is repeatable.

Julia and I played a game of waving at each other yesterday. I don’t know that she understood what waving was, but her arm was bent up so that her hand movements were a wave.  I would wave at her and she would smile big and move her hand and arm. If this is repeated soon, I will be shocked, but it was a fun time of play between us.

Julia was enjoying a swing while Grandma secured her to it, although you couldn’t tell it from the look on her face. She was swinging in a tandem swing with Emily, which Emily thought was pretty cool.

Julia has a pretty serious face most of the time. Sometimes she sports a super-serious look, if she is considering something. Then she will burst into a smile and a little laugh. Many of her smiles are given to Emily and the best time to see one is when you go to save her from her bed when she wakes up.

Our family took a trip to Florida to do some visiting. We took the opportunity to go out to the beach and play with the girls one afternoon. Julia wasn’t very interested in the cool breeze that hit her once she was ready for a nap. Shortly after this photo she got bundled up and took a snooze. Emily had a blast both playing in the sand and splashing in the ocean. We let her wade in far enough to get her shorts wet. She wanted to go in further and stay in the water longer than we allowed her. The beach was a place of exquisite freedom and play for her. Who knew that sea gulls ran when you chased them? Touching the sand was awesome, but do you want it piled on you? What did the ground feel like under the water?

Julia had her 4 month checkup. She weighed 11 lbs – 12.5 oz. and measured 24 1/4 inches long. This is an increase of 1 lb – 6 oz. and 2-1/2 inches over the last 2 months. Julia is now at the 50 percentile for height. No wonder that she no longer fits in a lot of one piece outfits she has. The doctor was pleased with her growth. We discussed the number of feedings and my approach to her feeding. I’m trying to be a little less of an engineer when it comes to feedings. I am letting her ask for food before I offer (most of the time). I just like things I can measure. Julia is pretty laid back about everything including asking for meals. We will see if she changes with my new approach.

We also discussed my ongoing struggle with Julia’s dry skin and cradle cap. He has made some suggestions and I am hoping that we can make her more comfortable. Julia received two shots and one oral vaccine to keep her current on her shots. We had a fussier than usual evening which we are blaming on the sore legs, but maybe she just wanted to milk it for extra attention.

The doctor and I had a follow-up discussion about her heart condition. I had hoped that he would have received a report from the heart doctor before our visit, but it hadn’t arrived yet. So our discussion was all based on my comments. It is hard to remember everything and the names of conditions. Our doctor admitted his concern at her last checkup was that Julia had a heart defect because what he heard just didn’t sound like the typical murmur. He was glad to hear that Julia’s condition may be the less serious PFO condition. I will see if he has any other thoughts or comments at our next visit, which is at 6 months.