Month 4

Ava will be 5 months next week, so I figured I better squeeze in this "Month 4" update before it's totally out-of-date!

Month 4
During her 4th month Ava began intentionally self-soothing by sucking on her hand. We stopped swaddling her while she slept so she could sooth herself throughout the night. This change quickly led to her longest stretch of nighttime sleep - 10 hrs! We also moved Ava from her bassinet to a crib. Originally, our plan was to move Owen to a big-boy-bed so Ava could have the crib. But Owen loves his crib and isn't ready to move-out yet. We contemplated doing it anyway, but after some research/reading and talking with friends of young toddlers - we came to the clear decision that there was no reason to rush Owen. If he likes his crib and isn't trying to climb out, then it's the safest place for him to be! So rather than buy a toddler bed for Owen, we bought Ava a crib. We are now a 2-crib household! (both cribs are convertible, however. So when Owen is ready, we can simply convert his crib to a toddler bed).

Ava is a chatter-box and does lots of cooing, "talking" and high-pitch sounds. She learned to use her hands to intentionally grab something, and she usually brings the item to her mouth. She also loves to grab her feet and pull them up toward her face. Ava is getting stronger at tummy-time, and other new experiences this month included her first bottle of formula (just to keep her flexible, especially when Linnea travels to Seattle for business), and sitting in her Bumbo! At her 4month doctor checkup, Ava weighed 11lbs 12.5oz, and was 25.25" long.

Ava is very alert & aware, but also very calm & laid-back. Plus, she loves to snuggle! Ava is such a sweetie, and we are cherishing every moment.