4 Months! - UPDATED

Juliet is 4 months old!
(but writing post on 9/13, at almost 4.5 mo)

STATS:

13 lb 9.5oz (45%)

(Laila was 13 lb 10 oz, 50%)

26 1/2 inches (>95%)

(Laila was 25 1/4 inches, 75%)

 {at the doctor together for Laila's 2 year well check and Juliet's 4 month}

 Juliet is starting to babble quite a bit and smiles CONSTANTLY but still has yet to giggle!  We're just dying to hear that little noise come out of her mouth but she's keeping us in suspense. She's over a month behind her sister on that one, but they don't have to do everything at the same time, right? 

She is rolling back to front and front to back consistently and enjoys being in a seated position, whether in the bumbo, jumperoo or assisted. She is bearing more and more weight on her legs and actually stood for a few seconds yesterday (9/12), holding onto our coffee table, and a while today!.

 She has discovered her feet and they are often found in her mouth.
I am amazed at how flexible babies are!

 I feel like she has been teething for quite some time now as she is always chewing on her hands and is drooling quite a bit, but I've yet to see those little chompers pop through. Laila cut her first teeth around this time so I am wondering if Juliet will follow suit or not. I am hoping they hold off - there is something about having teeth that makes them not tiny babies anymore and I'm just not ready for her to be growing up so quickly. She still likes and takes a pacifier often but she has also found her thumb and has started using that to soothe herself. If she continues to do that, I may try to take the paci away sooner than later so she doesn't get attached to it.

We started sleep training with Juliet on Sunday night (9/9) and it's been going really well. Up until then, she had been napping on her tummy (unswaddled, in her crib), but sleeping at night swaddled in the rock n play in our closet.  She generally naps well and goes down without fuss, still doing 3 naps, usually 2 short and one longer. Her nights have not been at all consistent since birth...sometimes waking 2x night all the way up to 5x or so. I was feeding her whenever she awoke and then she would go right back down. At her 4 month check our doctor said that nutritionally she doesn't need the night feedings anymore and the goal should be go get her to sleep from 7-5 at least before getting a feed. So, that's what we are doing. We transitioned her to her crib, sleeping on her tummy, unswaddled (she refuses to sleep flat on her back - and has since we brought her home from the hospital), and decided to let her CIO until close to the 5:00am hour. 4 nights straight now of CIO and she's done really well.  She has awoken a few times each night but is able to settle herself back down within 10 minutes or less each time and her cries are always very weak - there has been no screaming (unless she flips herself onto her back, in which case I go in and flip her back over). Last night (night 4), she made it from 7 until 2:15 without waking up and settled in just a minute or two and then slept until 5! She's figuring it out! I am still waking all night long checking on her and watching her on the monitor so I'm not sleeping well, but that will come :) Once it gets close to 5 and she wakes I will feed her at that time and then she's been going back down until at least 7:00 and as late as 7:45. I am guessing/hoping that another night or two will do the trick and her body will figure out to sleep straight through until 5!

She continues to be a rather content and very joy-filled baby. She is starting to recognize her sister and seems to be entertained by her. Sometimes when I get Laila up in the morning or after her nap, she asks for Juliet to lay in her crib with her.  Laila shows her the giraffe on her blanket and lets her hold it and snuggle with it (which is a BIG deal, because her blankie is very special to her!) She will sing to Juliet if she's crying and Juliet usually quiets down. Juliet is more and more aware every day of her surroundings and just seems to be taking it all in and figuring life out. 

She is wearing 3-6 month clothes and is in (and almost out of) 6-9 month sleepers due to her length. She is in size 2 diapers and size 1 (almost size 2) shoes, even though she hardly wears them. 

Her hair is lightening by the day and I think will be very blonde sooner than later, although as it's bleaching out it has a reddish tint to it right now. She has striking, bright blue eyes - even lighter and bluer than Laila's.