4 Months!!

Sorry for the Delay in posting this, but sometimes Life gets in the way. :)

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Lorelei is Four Months Old!!!

Her Official Four Month Old Picture!

At the doctor's waiting for her 4 month immunizations.

She continues to be a petite little girl, weighing 11 lbs, 14 oz, measuring 24 inches long and 16 inches around her head.  Since neither Andrew or I are particularly large (well minus extra padding), this is normal and puts her between the 50th and 25th percentile for growth.  She's now outgrown her 0 - 3 month clothes pretty much and has moved up to size 2 diapers.

We're still working on sleep with her.  Andrew can get her to take naps during the day, but she won't sleep easily for me unless she's nursing.  We've started getting her used to a bedtime between 7:30 or 8pm when she starts getting sleepy and rubbing her eyes and getting fussier.  At night she still wakes for feeding, but usually only once or twice, typically at 2am



Some milestones that Lorelei has reached this month are:

• She can grasp things with either hand on her own (you don't have to wrap her fingers around things any more).
• Once she has something in her hand, she can very easily transfer it to her mouth (although she misses sometimes and drops the object, chewing on her fist instead.
• She can manipulate an object with both hands now, albeit still a bit clumsily, so that she can turn it a little bit.
• She's started to take a great deal of interest in how things feel, their texture, and will sometimes entertain herself by repeatedly stroking something with her fingers.
• She's half-way to rolling over.  She can turn her shoulders and reach toward an object but hasn't yet figured out how to turn her hips as well.
• She can turn her head to look toward sounds

Lorelei demonstrating hand-mouth coordination!  Look at that little tongue!

Speaking of sounds, Lorelei has become quite the chatter box!  When she's in a good mood she'll entertain herself by cooing and babbling and making nose noises while stuffing her fists in her mouth.  It's really very cute. :)

She still prefers to be held or carried most of the time but still dislikes the sling I made for her, although I have been able to carry her in it, facing forward with her legs folded for a short time.  She seems to like the Infantino baby carrier, especially facing out so she can see things.  She's getting better at entertaining herself with toys on her play quilt.  She'll play happily for 20 minutes or longer now, which gives Andrew and I a great chance to do something around the house, or cook, etc.  

Lorelei's favorite toys are:

Her open frame ball

The neato rattle Mom got for her

Her chillable teething ring

The cloth blocks from cousin Will

A tower of nesting cups to knock over

Her fingers, our fingers, any other object or handful of fabric that she can get into her mouth

I'll make a separate post later with a compilation video of Lorelei playing. :)

Lorelei has been to college, and to another bookgroup, to the park and and to the farmer's market.  She is an expert Skyper, talking with Poppa Ed, Grandmom Patty, and Aunt Betty Anne, with Tutu Wendy, and with Gramom Lynne.  She will smile and laugh when the people on the screen wave and move. :)

That's all for now!

Outside with Lorelei and wrapping up the Fall Semester for Mommy.

Here is another post that I MEANT to post in May, but got delayed. :)

Since the weathers been getting warmer, we've been taking Lorelei outside more often.  Here are some pictures from her first play times out side.  The first day we went out on Pappa Harvey Lonsbary's old quilt it was cool and windy so she's wearing the yellow sweater Gammy Tolton knitted for her and the little white eyelet sun hat from Tutu Wendy and Tutu Richard.

 Here, Daddy is helping Lorelei have her first leaf ripping experience!

Here Lorelei is snoozing in one of her first stroller rides.






She seems less then thrilled about the walk being held up for picture taking!

On Saturday we took Lorelei to her first Farmer's Market.  It was the first day it was open so there were only 4 vendors and no produce yet.  But, one vendor was selling plants and I got a VERY healthy tomato plant for $1.25!  Andrew had Baby Girl in the baby carrier and she fell asleep on the walk home.  When we got home, Andrew and Lorelei studied tree leaves again while I repoted the tomato plant into a big container for the patio.  She *likes* the carrier when Daddy uses it. Hmph!

The weather is finally feeling summer like.  It was sunny an high 70s today with 80s possible this week.  Last summer Mom and Dad Tolton gave us a gift certificate for a window air conditioner, but they were always out of stock!!! So earlier this spring, we snapped one up as soon as they went on sale.  After we all went back inside, Lorelei and I washed up and changed into comfy cool clothes and made lunch for the grown ups.  Then while I fed her, we watched Andrew put in the air conditioner, not an entirely easy job with the style of these windows, apparently, but he figured it out.

This is the last weekend of the Fall semester for me.  Friday night was the Commencement Ceremony for JCC which was very nice.  It would be nice if they could have it on a Sat afternoon instead of from 7 - 9pm on a Fri, but it's tradition.  I sang with the Faculty Staff choir again, which is always fun.  We sing the National Anthem at the beginning and the Alma Mater at the end.  Lisa, the director and I were talking at the end of the evening about how it would be nice to sing together more often... wouldn't it be fun to sing something to open the first Senate meeting?  Hee hee... I'll have to suggest that. :)  In the meantime I have to get the rest of my grading done by noon on Mon.  Then there are 2 days of meetings and 2 days of advising new students and then I'm free!!   I'm teaching one online class this summer, but my face to face class 2 evenings a week at Fort Drum has been cancelled.  Only 1 person signed up.  I don't mind too much because it will give me more time to spend with Andrew and Lorelei and more time to visit friends and family.

That's all for now! Stay Tuned for the 4 month update.