Memoirs of a Martin: Brynn Tracker: Four Months

The Story
Goooooodness. March 18th marked 4 months since we met the missing piece of our family. It, once again, has been such a fun month of learning about our little lovebug. First let's bring ourselves up to speed on previous issues though, hmmmm?

Why is this happening to me?

First- carseats. They were still basically public enemy #1 in last month's update. Then suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, Brynn was okay with the car. I can't pinpoint when it happened, but all of a sudden one day on the way home from school I realized that Boo Boo wasn't screaming... and hadn't for a few days. Maybe she just realized that when she piped down it allowed her to hear about Emery's tales of "shaaaaaring animoes." They're pretty priceless, so I can't say I blame her for wanting to hear them. Or perhaps it's because she couldn't hear her Mama's Grammy-worthy voice over the screaming? Regardless of the cause- I. Will. Take. It.

Sleeping? She still rocks at it. I (still) have all my digits crossed that the 4 Month Sleep Regression fairy continues to skip our house. Every once in a while (maybe 1x a week) she will wake up at some odd, unexpected time. For the most part though she completely sleeps through the night. I don't know how we got so lucky, but trust me- I am beyond thankful.

My toes? They're right there. And hilarious.

Her love of Mama? Still there in spades BUT she has started to accept other people, most notably her Daddy. We joke that we know the exact moment she decided that Daddy was a passable substitute for Mama. It was the weekend of Emery's birthday in fact. No matter where she and I were, she would find her Daddy and just stare at him. If she caught his eye she would smile sooooo big and giggle. I imagine those were the seedlings of a future Daddy's girl like her big sister, but for now I still sit on a pedestal. I know one day I'll be knocked down, so for the time being I'm just soaking it up.

Next up? This kid is a thumb sucker. Big time. For the first 3 weeks of the month her teachers would mention it to Ryan and/or I at least 3x a week. We tried knocking her hand out of her mouth. We tried finding a special toy she could use as an alternative. We tried another kind of pacifier. None of that worked. In Brynn's mind, her thumb is nature's pacifier. You win, pumpkin, you win. I've kind of given in and decided this is a battle we will fight in the future.

Ohhhhh, pink grass.

Annnnd it wouldn't be a Martin child monthly update without a new issue, would it? On March 6th when we went to the pediatrician for shots, our doctor mentioned that she was worried about how far Brynn had fallen off of her growth curve. She said that because she was so big when she was born, she certainly didn't expect her to stay that large but because she had dropped off in all 3 categories, most notably her weight, she was a little concerned. So. I cried. In my car by myself, but tears still happened. I THINK that might have been the first time I cried non-happy tears regarding Brynn? #secondtimeMama We decided maybe I wasn't sending enough in her bottles to school and she just wasn't complaining. So I've started sending more and feed her as much as she will let me. Oh and weigh her obsessively. Because everyone knows that helps. We will see at our next check up how we're doing. Fingers crossed!

Enough with that noise. Let's talk about the awesome things because there are a-plenty. My little Brynnie Boo still looooooooves to smile. She might be Buddy the Elf's soul sister. As long as she is securely in her Mama's arms, she will smile at just about anyone who talks to her, looks at her or even thinks about her. Ryan and I are constantly amazed just because it isn't very like any part of either of our personalities.

Was that supposed to make me smile, Mama? It really only makes me question your sanity.

Brynn is just generally so content. At home we constantly remark on how she really only cries if she is hungry or tired. I can't blame her - if it were socially acceptable, I would still cry for those two reasons also!

She continues to be our little observer. As long as there are things to look at, and especially grab or pull on, she is a happy camper. One of her favorite pastimes is to pull on things, mainly to see what happens. I find it a certifiable miracle that any hair remains on my head. Her first priority when I pick her up is to grab as much of it as she can and tug. I swear she knows that if she doesn't learn how to grab things and hold on she won't get anything around here. The second child instinct is strong.

Oh, you're still here? (I know not everyone agrees- but I still don't think they look at all alike. Bonus: you can really see her wild standy-up hairs. Love them.)

I know this is totally the mark of a Mama- but I feel like she's fairly strong. She will put her feet down and stand if you prop her up. If I'm holding her on my lap while I sit down, she tries to climb me. She rolls all over the place when you put her on the ground for tummy time. Also during tummy time she will sometimes do a little push up with her shoulders held high OR stick her booty in the air. Again, I'm sure all Mamas think this of their kids, but I'll go ahead and document it here for Future Brynnie's ego.

Brynn continues to be simultaneously completely enamored with, and terrified of, Emery. I think in equal parts. When she's down on the ground and Emery comes close to her she blinks profusely. She just KNOWS something will come flying in her face. Already she understands that past history is a predictor of future performance. She loves to watch Emery though and I have a lot of faith these two are going to have loooots of fun in the future.

I'm so bored I could eat my hands. Don't test me.

Clearly, I could go on forever talking about this little doll that lights up Ryan, Emery & I's lives, but I'll stop. I have to save something for next month, right?

The School Stuff
Brynn has taken to school really well, thankfully. She seems to adore her teachers there (as do we). From what they tell us, she must behave at school exactly the way she does at home. Their standard comments usually regard how sweet and smiley she is. They also say that for the most part she only cries when she needs something.

I know that I say it often, but it really is never enough considering how much they do for us- I feel so fortunate we have found a place to love our baby so well in the hours we can't be with her. I highly recommend them to anyone!

Praying for the flash to stop.

The Stats

Height @ 3.5 Months: 25" (87th percentile)
Weight @ 3.5 Months: 13 lbs 6 oz (45th percentile)
Head @ 3.5 Months: 16" (66th percentile)
Height: 25.25"
Weight: 14 lbs
Firsts:

First fever - 2/24
First roll from back to tummy - 3/6

Diaper Size: 2
Clothes: 3-6 months
Feeding: Every 3 hours during the day. I have to say though that if there's things going on, this kid is perfectly content not to eat- she won't necessarily remind you. So I really have to watch the clock.
Sleeping: She is still a pretty fantastic sleeper. During the week she usually goes to sleep sometime between 7:45 & 8:00 and about half the time wakes up sometime between 4 & 5 (which is actually awful timing for my morning routine) and the other half sleeps until I wake her at 6:30 or so.
Favorite Songs: This little lovey is probably the founder and only member of my fan club. She loves just about anything I goofily sing to her but her favorite is probably either Itsy Bitsy Spider or Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
Other Notables: Boo boo's hair started to grow back this month and is coming in pretty evenly. Did I mention somewhere that she had craddle cap? She did but she seems to have kicked it to the curb this month.