Our little girl is growing up before our eyes. I know I said this last month, but it seems as though everyday she a little bit bigger and doing something new to amaze us! One day this month I picked her up and for the first time ever she was able to hold up her head with very minimal support! Since then she has enjoyed being in carriers more and loves sitting up like a big girl in a bumbo type chair. She has also started being able to support her weight on her elbows during tummy time. Her movements overall just seem a lot more deliberate and she feels so much more strong and solid than before.
Makenna is also much more aware of toys and now wants toys to entertain her all the time. Now she consistently grabs things from our hands to explore and in true baby form immediately sticks everything in her mouth.
This month she has become even more social. She loves to give purposeful smiles directed specifically at familiar faces and lets us know with smiles and little giggles when she finds something particularly funny. She also loves my camera and smiles every time it is my hand, as if she knows that is what I want her to do! It is so fun to see her enjoying her world and begin to really interact with the people she loves.
Another fun thing aspect of her being so social has been hearing her babble. She loves to have back and forth conversations with us and always tells lengthy stories at the dinner table. She says lots of short vowel sounds, but has recently added the long I to her vocabulary as well. For about a week she has been saying the word "hi." We assumed it was always just a fluke caused by her experimenting with her sounds, but the other night we were playing and Rex walked in the room. Makenna looked right at him, smiled, and said "hi" loud and clear. She also said it to my mom when I handed her to her, and to me when I took her out of her crib this morning. It seems very early for a first word, but what delays she has physically, she is definitely making up for in cognitive and social areas!
All throughout my pregnancy I worried that the NICU experience would interfere with our ability to really bond. They say the first 24 hours are essential for establishing that connection and we didn't really get to for 42 days. I was afraid it would hinder our relationship. Thankfully some kids just seem to need constant snuggles more than others and Makenna is one of those kids. She loves being rocked, worn, nursed, and held by me. She definitely prefers me to anyone else and will cry if I'm not there. She is all about mommy all the time, which is great because she has become my world. Some people think I am spoiling her by holding her so much, but I really don't think it is possible to spoil a baby. She might have a little more separation anxiety than some other babies her age, but she is learning that she can rely on me for support and comfort anytime, day or night.
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| Little Night Owl! |
Speaking of night, this month 4 month sleep regression hit our house like a ton of bricks and I haven't slept since. She went from sleeping through the night to awakening 5-7 times a night. I've tried every trick in the book (okay, multiple books), but nothing has helped. This little social butterfly would just rather hang with mommy than sleep alone in a crib.
Medical Stuff
We have been documenting her head circumference since the hospital for hydrocephalus. For the longest time it was normal; however, lately she has gotten further and further away from her curve. We need to go back to Gainesville in a week or so and have her evaluated. I really hope and pray she doesn't have to go through another surgery/period of recovery. This poor baby has already been through so much.
The last big thing this month was figuring out what is wrong with her. Last month I mentioned that we thought it was MSPI, a milk soy protein intolerance; however the pediatrician wanted to be sure it wasn't something else more serious. It took three weeks to get the results of her cultures, but thankfully everything came back negative. She doesn't have an infection such as e-coli or salmonella. With that eliminated we now know it is an allergy or intolerance of some sort. So I have spent the last month on an elimination diet. Unfortunately dairy takes 4-6 weeks to get out of your system, so it became a waiting game to see if eliminating dairy/soy would work. Luckily on week five we saw a marked improvement. Her eczema is gone, congestion is better, she is not as fussy, and seeing blood in her diapers became more rare, but was still happening. Next I eliminated nuts, this seemed to help a little bit more, so now I am on a nut free, dairy free, and soy free diet. I sure hope she outgrows this as time goes on! She is a much happier baby though, so it is total worth it.
Height: 24.5
Weight: 13lbs
Eyes: Still grey, but a little lighter.
Hair: Dark brown
Clothes: Most 3-6 month clothes fit well, but she is wearing some 6-9 month clothes.
Diapers: We used size 1 honest company diapers and one-size cloth diapers all month, today we will switch to size 2!.
Food: She is still exclusively breastfed. I attempted to supplement with a hypoallergenic formula this month, but she wants nothing to do with it!
Sleep: Mentioned this above...but she is still waking up several times a night.
Favorites: Makenna really loves reading, her sleep suit, a taggie giraffe, Sophie the giraffe, and her new teethers.
Height: 24.5
Weight: 13lbs
Eyes: Still grey, but a little lighter.
Hair: Dark brown
Clothes: Most 3-6 month clothes fit well, but she is wearing some 6-9 month clothes.
Diapers: We used size 1 honest company diapers and one-size cloth diapers all month, today we will switch to size 2!.
Food: She is still exclusively breastfed. I attempted to supplement with a hypoallergenic formula this month, but she wants nothing to do with it!
Sleep: Mentioned this above...but she is still waking up several times a night.
Favorites: Makenna really loves reading, her sleep suit, a taggie giraffe, Sophie the giraffe, and her new teethers.
