Height + Weight: 24” (51st percentile) | 14lbs 9.5oz (59th percentile)

We had her four month checkup this morning, and she’s healthy as a horse (or little pony?). She of course hated her shots, but she was a trooper, and I promised her a cookie. 

Milestones: Just before 14 weeks, we noticed that she was continually breaking out of her swaddle at night, and she was waking up every time. We decided to start transitioning her out of the swaddle, and Night 1 was horrible! We left one arm out of her normal blanket swaddle, and she was up every few hours, still breaking out. On Night 2, we changed to the Halo Sleepsack, which had been recommended by a few friends. What a Godsend — she slept from 8:30pm – 3:30am and then after eating, she went back to sleep until 8am!! The next night was even better, with her sleeping the first stretch till 4:45. Hallelujah for the Halo Sleepsack! (I will say that the next week, she didn’t sleep quite as well, but we also started a round of out-of-town trips lasting 3 weekends in a row, so I’m sure the stress of traveling didn’t help anything.) Now that the holidays are over, we’re getting back on track, and she has both arms out of the swaddle. On Friday, she slept for a solid 10 hours from 8pm to 6am (her longest stretch ever) — hallelujah!

A few weeks ago, she really took to sucking on her fingers… usually 3-4 of them at a time! Ha! It’s so loud and funny, but we’re glad she’s found something to soothe herself since she’s not a big pacifier fan. Just recently, she has started to get the hang of sucking her actual thumb, too, and it’s kind of adorable.

And for the final milestone of the month, she has rolled over! I came into her room to get her up on Saturday morning, and she was crying a lot more than usual. What do I see when I look in her crib, but a baby who is on her stomach and NOT happy about it! I’m sure this will make for some sleepless nights as she gets the hang of this skill, but it’s exciting to see her learning new things.

Likes: She loves her fingers! Also, anyone holding her is subject to their fingers going in her mouth and being slobbered all over. Pretty much everything she can get her hands on is going in her mouth right now.

She’s really started to focus on things and is now able to grasp small toys and rattles, which she’ll play with and look at to entertain herself.

Leighton also loves looking in the mirror – you’re almost always guaranteed a big smile when you hold her up in front of one.

This past weekend, we picked up a Baby Einstein exersaucer to try out since she’s been doing so holding her head up. After assembling 47,000 parts, she got to take it for a spin, and she loved it!

Dislikes: She’s not the biggest fan of having clothes pulled on over her head, but if I can distract her enough, she’ll let it fly. Waiting to eat is still her #1 pet peeve, but being left in the swing or on the activity mat for even a minute too long will elicit a pretty solid cry as well (and that’s usually during our dinner). 

Fun stuff  & firsts: Leighton had a big month celebrating her first Christmas season! Even though she wasn’t really aware of all the fun and festive outings, gatherings, and activities, it certainly became a much more magical time of year for us. She’s been dressed in red jammies and Christmas shirts all month, got to meet Santa, has gone to look at Christmas lights, and has been asking for a pony non-stop, which she of course received (don’t worry – just a stuffed one). 🙂 It’s amazing how much more magical holidays become when you get to share them with your child! 

She marked off her 4th state on the map this month — we went down to South Alabama for my dad’s extended family’s annual Christmas get-together.

She has gotten over the phase of not wanting anyone but mommy to hold her (it lasted almost a month) – and we couldn’t be more happy! She let so many family members and new people hold her at the various Christmas week gatherings, which was a miracle. I know more of these phases will come and go over the next few years, but we’re pretty excited this one seems to have passed for now.

Her hair is falling out on the back of her head, but she has a lot of peach fuzz on top. Her eyes are bright blue, and I hope they stay that way! They’re so big and pretty, and she’s always wide-eyed, taking in everything around her. We joke that she has “pillow feet” because they’re puffy, and we can’t get enough of her little arm and leg rolls. Chubby babies are the best!!