The Goodwin Baby Blog: 4 Month Update

We got Amelia's baby announcements out in the mail on her 4-month birthday. That was my amended goal. I finished them during the roadtrip to Mississippi (which you can read about as soon as I get the family blog up and running). I swore I was not going to make my baby announcements; alas, here they are...about 12 man-hours later. Imagine them mounted on a dusty pink cardstock border and a white chiffon bow up top.

Amelia had her 4-month well visit today with Dr. Grant. Nate was quite the l'il helper. He knew she was getting shots today, so he brought his Sesame Street doctor kit to her appointment. When it was time for the shots, he pulled out the Cookie Monster syringe and said, "OK, Amelia, I'll do it first so it doesn't hurt." She wailed during the actual 4-needle, 5-vaccine inoculation. Then it was over. Of course, the nurse gave her 4 day-glo-orange band-aids...as if to remind me with even the slightest glimpse of my sweet pea that I put her through the gauntlet today. All's fair in love and the advancement of medical care.

Here are her 4-month stats:
Length: 26 inches
Weight: 17# 5 oz (that explains the sore back)
Head Cir: 16.75
She's tipping the high end of the charts. I looked at Nate's numbers for a comparison and he was 17#12 oz and 26.5 inches. He started tapering off at about 6 months (as soon as he started getting mobile and burning off those calories!) I think she's starting the teething process--early I know, but you should see her gnaw on my knuckle! I brought this up to Dr. Grant and he just said it's a normal developmental stage to become very oral at this stage. Time will tell if she's an early teether. He also asked if she's rolling over yet. I said she rolled over nearly a month ago on accident and several times since then if she's on a uneven blanket or the like. He told me to expect it to start happening on a more regular basis as she gains confidence. As soon as he left the exam room, I put Amelia back on the exam table to get her dressed and she rolled over (front-to-back)! She's also in the beginning stages of sitting unsupported (can go for about 30 seconds), squawking with squeals of delight and blowing raspberry bubbles with her lips.

Whatchu lookin' at?

I figured I'd better post a few photos of The Nursery, Phase 2. The crib is painted black, the bedding is on, the valances my mom made are up, her name in letters is hung on the wall, the changing table is in and furniture arranged. I say Phase 2, because it's still not complete. I need to get my craft shelves organized, accessories in the room (pictures in frames, butterfly mobile hung from the ceiling, and (if we stay in San Antonio for residency) the walls painted with some combination of pink, white & black.

In case you're wondering about Mia's adventures to date, we took the 12-day roadtrip to McComb, Mississippi for Camp Meeting (Jason's family reunion & revival of sorts--read about our antics soon on our new family blog), a family trip to the zoo, a day at Sea World's water park and an afternoon at Mike's pool (Jason's best friend from high school moved from Houston this month. Not only is he back in San Antonio, he's about 2 miles from our house...and his apartment complex has a beautiful pool area!) It's been a crazy summer with our plethora of travels, non-existent routines (thanks to a newborn and a summer break from our usual agenda), and Jason's presence around the house for most of June and July to study for Step 2 of his licensing exam (not that I'm complaining...I love having him home). But he's back to work in the ENT department at Wilford Hall right now (the big Air Force base in town and his first choice for residency programs). Our school-year schedule will start up soon--MOPS, BSF and a preschool co-op we're going to try this year with Nate. My brother, S-I-L and their two girls are coming out the first weekend in September for one last summer fling. We're excited! Oh, before I forget...the Amelia variety tomatoes that the boys planted for Amelia's homecoming are in! We harvested about six tomatoes this week and sliced them up in a pasta dish for dinner. They're very meaty...yum!