Lucy at 22 Weeks

Weight: 15 lbs 4 oz. Height is around 25" and head is 17". This puts her about 50/50/90. I love my big-headed kid.

Medical Issues: I took her to the pediatrician Thursday because her chest cold has lasted over three weeks. They diagnosed it as sinusitis but kind it's probably a case of bronchitis that was nearing the end. She was put on augmentin, and she's already doing a lot better! 

Sleep:  Unswaddled in the RnP at bedtime. She was waking up 5 times a night earlier in the week, and I blamed it on sleep regression (since she's BEEN sick and sleep wasn't a problem before that), so we tried a little sleep training. She would cry anywhere from 5-30 minutes but then soothe herself. I would feed her if she woke up after 1 am though. I'm now thinking it wasn't really a sleep regression, and she was waking up because she was sick. I feel awful, but sleep training will have to happen sometime, especially since she's not in the crib yet. 

Clothes: 3-6. Still trying to get her into more "outfits" during the day. 

Social:
She attended her first wedding! And she did amazingly well. Sat quietly through the ceremony on my lap and threw smiles at everyone throughout the night -- even through skipping her evening nap and staying up past her bedtime. She only ever cried once. What a rockstar.

Crying:
Hunger and overtiredness.

Milestones:  
First sleep training? Now that she's a roller, she wants to try it out everytime she's on her playmat and everytime she's getting her diaper changed. Oy vey. She visited the Easter Bunny for the first time and got her school photos back. :)

Lucy at 21 Weeks

Weight: Maybe around 15 lbs? 

Medical Issues: Dry skin on her cheeks. The cold that will never end. Snottiness. Chest cough. 

Sleep:  Unswaddled in the RnP at bedtime. She wakes up around 1-2 times a night to eat. We're probably too quick at jumping to the bottle, but sometimes it's all about sleep preservation.  Sometimes taking longer naps, which is definite progress. 

Clothes: 3-6. I'm just now trying to get into her outfits for daycare instead of the sleep n plays she normally wears. And I must admit, she looks damn cute in pants. 

Social:
On weekends I've been taking her shopping on Saturdays since W has been working a lot of mandatory overtime. She loves car rides and getting out and about, which helps us both. If we were cooped up in the house, we'd drive each other crazy.

We attended her NICU Reunion. It was a little bittersweet to be at the same hospital where we dealt with so much pain and anxiety at Lu's bedside, but we loved seeing her neonatologist, her nurses, lactation team, chaplain. So happy we went!

Crying:
Overtiredness. I've really been trying to watch for her sleep cues and get her down before she melts down, but it's been happening a lot lately. She also REALLY hates getting her nose suctioned, and because she has the cold that will never end, I've had to do it a lot.

Milestones:  
She rolled from back to belly! She was getting close, but it one night I laid her on her back while I went to her room to grab a sleep sack. When I came back she was on her belly and hands looking up at me all proud. Now whenever she's on her kick and play piano playmat, she tries to roll over but gets caught by the toy bar/pole. Silly goose.

Lucy at 20 Weeks

Weight: 14 lbs 6 oz at her appointment last week. Anything from here to her 6 month appointment will be a guess. 

Medical Issues: Eczema continues -- mainly on her left elbow and cheeks. Of course the cheek dryness could be from all the drooling she does. She's been showing teething symptoms for awhile, but nothing has broken through the gumline yet. She's still suffering her little chest cold. She coughs at night, but it doesn't generally wake her. 

Sleep:  RnP in her room. But now unswaddled! We tried to go cold turkey with the crib and the unswaddling which resulted in an epic fail. Now we're just doing no swaddle but in the RnP and so far, so good. We even had one night of no wakeups!

Clothes: 3-6! She can still fit into some of her 0-3 clothes - namely onesies. 

Social:
My stepbrother offered to make dinner -- spaghetti! -- so we dined at my parents' house during the week.

Crying:
Overtiredness. I've really been trying to watch for her sleep cues and get her down before she melts down, but it's been happening a lot lately. She also REALLY hates getting her nose suctioned, and because she has the cold that will never end, I've had to do it a lot.

Milestones:  
She was babysat for the first time because W had to work, and I had to go to my mom's birthday party, which was in a smoky bar. She did great! Tried the door jumper for the first time. She didn't know what to do, but seemed to have fun anyway.

Lucy at 19 Weeks

Weight: At her four month pediatrician visit, she weighed 14 lbs 6 oz, which means she gained a whopping 9 ounces in just 6 days. We somehow timed her doc visits at the beginning and end of a big growth spurt. She also gained an inch diameter in head, which puts her noggin in the 98th percentile! 

Medical Issues: Big growth spurt!! She went from eating around 24 ounces a day to 32. And she'd wake up two-three times during the night to down whole bottles. 

Sleep:  RnP in her room. 

Clothes: 3-6! 

Social:
The usual -- Target, dinners out, lunch date with Mama. Visit to see her great-grandmother, Carm.

Crying:
Teething. Hunger. Tiredness.

Milestones:  
She can read?

4 Months

Dear Lucy,

Time is going by too quickly!  Four months in the scheme of things is not a huge amount of time, yet it feels like aeons since your birth and your newborn days!  You are an observant and engaged young lady now. You're working very hard on finding your hands and rolling over. You are working on your core strength and are doing decently well at tummy time.

Each day you amaze me. You become more aware, more "worldly", more in tune with your feelings and opinions. I think you know who we are. You light up like a Christmas tree when you see me or Dad. You giggle when Mommy kisses your feet or cheeks and when Daddy sings to you. Overall, you're a pretty sunshiney kid, even through teething pain. Speaking of teething, you shun all your teething toys in favor of chewing on your hands. 

We have less time together during the week because you slowly moved your bedtime up from 10 pm to 8 pm. I never feel like we see each other enough, so weekends are very cherished around here. 

Four months in, and I still cannot believe I get to be your mommy. Whatever I did to deserve you must have been something incredible. You are my heart, Lu. 

Love, Mommy

Lucy at 18 Weeks

Weight: Due to our spontaneous pedi visit, we learned she is 13 lbs 13 ounces, 24.24" tall and 16" head circumference.  

Medical Issues: She had quite a few days of very little eating, but more frequent poops. It concerned us so much we took her into the pediatrician. He diagnosed that it was a bit of teething mixed with a stomach bug. A day after that, she started a huge growth spurt, taking in about 1/3 more of food! She woke up Sunday morning looking like a different kid. 

Sleep:  RnP in her room. I don't have the heart to crib transition because of the crappy sleep she's giving us and the cold she's getting. Maybe someday.... Her naps are still really short. She probably takes about 5 short naps a day. 

Clothes: 3-6! 

Social:
The usual -- Target, dinners out, lunch date with Mama

Crying:
Teething. Hunger. Tiredness.

Milestones:  Getting really in tune with her hand motor skills! She's been a little less vocal as she goes through her stomach bug and growth spurt. She's been getting a lot better at tummy time, though I'm weak and give in after she starts fussing. 

Lucy at 17 Weeks

Weight: Not sure -- we go March 6 for her 4 month appointment. 

Medical Issues: Teething! Looks like there's a tooth appearing on the gumline. She also has what I believe is an Epstein pearl on the side of her gum farther back. Really spooked me because I thought a tooth was coming in all crazy. She has some serious dry skin right now and eczema on her cheeks. 

Sleep:  RnP but in her own room! This time I'm trying a slow transition to her crib. Once she gets used to her own space, away from us, we'll do the crib again. Her pattern has been a little erratic, but overall it's going well. I miss her being in our room and I sleep with one ear open, but I think it will be better for all of us overall. 

Clothes: In both her 0-3 and 3-6 month clothing -- though mostly 3-6 now. She even wore jeans!

Social:
She got to meet her cousins, Chloe and Caden. Also attended her first event for Mommy's work and had a family get together.

Crying:
Teething. Hunger. Overtiredness.

Milestones:  She is loving her new Fisher-Price Discover 'n Grow Kick and Play Piano Gym! There's more for her to grab and see and the music really keeps her entertained.