Larkin at Four Months

 Larkin at Four Months:

1. Well, first of all, I did NOT give this girl permission to turn four months old. I begged her and begged her to stay three months older just a little longer... It's been such a sweet, sweet age, and I am already worried I'm forgetting it all too quickly. Stay tiny a bit longer, Larkin Clementine. *sniff*
2. But since December 30th came and went, I suppose I can give a list of my girl's current tricks and activities. 
3. First, she is 11 lbs 13 oz and 23.5 inches long. She is maintaining her tiny growth curve of 7%, and thriving well, so no worries there! 
4. Larkin has found both her hands, and her hands have found each other, so they grab at each other and make their way to her mouth all day long.
5. She is getting really good at grabbing at toys and things. They make their way to her mouth, too. 
6. She's on the edge between 4 oz bottles and 6 oz bottles... I think she's currently in a growth spurt, actually. 
7. She really only nurses during our second-half-of-the-night co-sleeping, so while Id normally be ready to transition from that couch co-sleep thing to a crib full-time, this time I'm feeling reluctant to end our sweet second-half-of-the-night snuggles. I know it will be the end of nursing, and I'm not ready. She and I are both really content with the status quo. 
8. Larkin loves the "baby in the mirror" and anyone holding her in that mirror, too. 
9. She is so happy and engaged when she's on her playmat. She manages to scoot herself all over the place within that small area, even without rolling just yet. 
10. Larkin smiles, coos, and half-laughs, especially at her siblings. The other kids are really finally interested in her and have merged her into their worldview at last. Like, she's passed muster and is one of them. ♥
11. She is wearing 0-3mo clothing and some NB pants, still, but is creeping out of both of those things... still almost too small for 3-6mo, but the current set of clothes are getting snug. She is in size 2 diapers, though she does still fit size 1 if needed. 
12. Larkin is still swaddled and still sleeps in her rock n play, and I know its time to transition her out of both of those things... But she's SO predictable and wonderful with both, and we don't have her crib set up yet, and I'm dreading the rocky transition we're probably in for, and so I kind of just push it all to the back burner. Ack. 
13. Same with her binkie. She loves it... she does better with it... but she doesn't keep it in well still, so I still "scarf" it in. But once I take away the swaddle, I cannot scarf it in anymore-- too dangerous to have that loose fabric around her with her able to roll and pull it and such. So once the swaddle is gone, it's gonna be "binkie fall-out" drama every time, and.... ugh, I get knots in my stomach thinking about it. Back Burner'ed there, too. 
14. (Ha! I just reviewed her month 3 post and these issues were mentioned then, too, so CLEARLY it's something I am stewing over. And not yet ready to do anything about. Sorry for the repeat!)

She's just such a good baby. As textbook and predictable as I could have hoped for... When she fusses, I know why. And when she is fed and rested, she is just happy and chill and sweet. If I could keep here RIGHT HERE, just for a few more months... No need for her to learn rolling or sitting up or how to sleep without a swaddle or binkie... No need for teeth or a high chair and baby food.... That can all wait a while longer. I want her just like this, for another few months. Let me really soak it in, so that none of it fades from me because new things keep happening to overwrite the current things. I want to memorize every single thing about her right now. I want the muscle memory of holding her, both when I rock her to sleep and when I play with her during her awake times. I want my littlest one, my youngest, my last to stay here, like this, until I know for certain I've soaked it all in. And then she can grow a bit. But then I want my 6-month old Larkin, then 9-month-old Larkin, and 1, and 2 and 3, and 4-year old Larkin to keep giving me more time than is humanly possible, for each age, each stage... She is my last, and I want to hold on and slow down and breathe it all in before it's completely different. 

But I know I don't get to make that call. And I know it's already changing so fast. Not just with her, but with my other babies. And so I continue to take photo after photo and little silly video clips and I hope its enough.... to help me remember when everything is yet again completely changed. Ah, the curse of being so deeply sentimental. A beautiful burden. ♥

Enough of that melancholy... Here are the rest of Larkin's 4-month images, with her many faces, her kicky legs, and her cute little fists that grab at each other and find her mouth again and again. Enjoy!

(Photos taken on Larkin's amazing bird quilt made by my friend Melanie Hess of Thoroughly Modern Minis, on Etsy. See her 1 month photos HERE, her 2 month photos HERE, and her 3 month photos HERE! )