All About Makenna: 4 Month Update

Wow!  4 months already!  This has been a month of incredible growth and development for Makenna.  It seems as though every few days she learns a new skill and leaves Rex and I saying "Woah, did you see that!?!"  She has now definitely transitioned from being a "newborn" to a "baby."  It is so exciting to witness.  For the longest time she was this small 6-9 pound little girl.  She felt so fragile and lacked control of her movements.   Now she is almost 12 pounds, feels so strong, and is very alert.  She smiles a lot and even laughed for the first time this month (2/2).  It was so adorable!  She literally went from just smiling to belly laughing and giggling for 5 straight minutes!  Since that day she will giggle every so often when we play peek-a-boo or if she just finds our words or actions silly.  She also loves when we call her "miracle" and when I say  "I love you."  She gets huge  smiles and starts to giggle as if she knows those words are more special than other words.



 She has also begun interacting with toys a lot more.  She will now look at something and make a conscious decision to reach out and grab it.  She loves holding onto things, especially plastic rings, and has even begun bringing objects to her mouth.  When she is sitting or laying down she is constantly putting her hands in her mouth as well and has started to suck on her fingers and thumbs.   Despite my many efforts, she still isn't interested pacifiers though, so there is a good chance she will be a thumb sucker.  She has also begun drooling a good bit. I have a feeling we may see a tooth in the next month or two.

Typically I do not include medical stuff in my "all about Makenna" entries; however, this month we had a couple noteworthy things I feel compelled to include!  For starters, we went to visit Dr. Kays on 1/27 for her first check-up.  He said he was tired of seeing pictures of her on Facebook with the nasal cannulas, so he decided it was time to come off oxygen (Pretty sweet that he takes the time to follow his kids on Facebook!). Now that he took her off, it is so fun seeing her without oxygen and being able to have complete mobility for the first time in her life.  It was also amazing to walk into the hotel that night and not get stares, pity, or comments of concern from everyone who happened to notice the giant 3 foot oxygen tank.  For the first time she was just seen as a regular, healthy baby.  What an accomplishment!  We also took her to Jacksonville to have her tongue and lip ties released with a laser.  She did fantastic during the procedure.  We hope this will be the solution to her inefficiencies with nursing.

This month we also discovered that Makenna probably has an intolerance to dairy and/or soy.  I have eliminated it from my diet to see if it will help her symptoms go away.  Unfortunately it takes 3 to 4 weeks for dairy to get out of your system completely, so we won't really know if she has an intolerance for a while longer.  As much as I love cheese, butter, etc. and don't want to give it up, I still kind of hope it is her problem so that she can start feeling better.

 

It is truly amazing how fast the last 4 months have flown by.  It is hard to believe that the little girl asleep in my arms is the same baby that was fighting for her life on ECMO just 4 months earlier. 

 

Some stats: 

 

Height:  Either 23.5 or 24 inches

Weight:  11lbs 11oz

11/10/13  -  12/21/13  -  1/21/14

 

Eyes:   Still a beautiful slate gray!  We thought they might turn brown like Rexs', although lately it appears they might be getting lighter.

Hair:  Makenna's hair has started to lighten a little.  It is very close to the color of my hair now.  It is still long with the peacock swirl.  I measured it the other day and it is almost 3 inches long! 

Clothes:  Most 3-6 month clothes fit well, although her 0-3 shirts still work as well.  Some of her 3 month pants are starting to be too short!




Diapers:  We are still using size one honest company diapers and one-size cloth diapers.
Food:  She is still exclusively breastfed.

Sleep:   Makenna is definitely experiencing 4 month sleep regression.  She is now waking up several times a night.  I'm hoping she is better sleep trained soon, but until then I'm just going to do my best to enjoy every moment I spend with her...even if it is the middle of the night!

Favorites:   Makenna loves her piano play mat and her new "snug-a-bear" swing.  She also really likes play with her hands and look in mirrors. 

  

Ice storm in Florida!

 

First walk without oxygen!

 

 

Check out her one, two, and three month updates as well!