Whitney is FOUR Months Old!

Last month I said that things were going at the perfect pace and that Whitney wasnt growing up "too fast"....Ok, I lied. Well, maybe I didnt LIE, but things have certainly jumped into fast-forward and Whitney is growing more and more every time I look at her! Eric and I went into her room together this morning, and we agreed that she grew at least an inch OVERNIGHT. :) (And we NEVER exaggerate!;-))

All this growing is great though! Whitney is learning new things and making us laugh and smile more all the time. She is getting her own lil personality and CONSTANTLY has a smile on her face.

Stats:
Weight: 16 lbs 9oz (95th)
Height: 25inches (75th)
Whitney had her doc appointment on Monday. Her doc was VERY impressed with Whitney's fine and gross motor skills, and her "verbal" skills. :) Once again, it's our blog, so I'm gonna use it to brag on our little girl. We are SOOOO proud! Whitney is sooo strong and extremely social! She smiles at anyone! We are still hearing people say "she is so calm!" and "she's such a GOOD baby!" and "look how SMILEY she is!!" and, of course, "aww, she's growing into her bows...how sweet...!" :)

Our Daily Schedule:
I think kids thrive on structure and schedules at this age. Yes, I allow a GREAT deal of flexibility, but I am really loving the schedule Whitney has decided upon lately. Unlike previous "schedule-like-moments", Whitney is apparently liking her new routine enough to stick with it for longer than 3 days. Our days at home look something like this:
8-8:30am - wake up SMILING and talking to her mobile
diaper, 1 tbsp cereal, 7-8oz bottle
"Your Baby Can Read" DVD, books/flashcards, jumperoo, tummy time, walk with Summer and the boys if its not toooo hot
10-10:30am - down for nap #1
12:30-1:30 - she usually naps for 2hrs, but can go as long as 4hrs, depending on how busy we were in the morning.
diaper, 8oz bottle
books, lots of jumperoo time (she LOOOVES jumping!!), swimming, tummy time, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, etc
3:30ish - down for nap #2
5:30pmish - up from nap, smiling and ready to see Daddy who is usually home from work
diaper, 1 tbsp. cereal, 4oz bottle
playtime with Daddy, walk
7:30pm - bedtime routine
bath, 6oz bottle, books, prayers, swaddle, kisses, nighty night by 8:30pm

Again, this is ROUGHLY our schedule. After talking with some mommy friends, I noticed that Whitney was able to HAPPILY stay awake for 2-2.5 hrs before she needed a nap. She "told me" that 10am was ABOUT when she needed her first snooze, and the rest sorta fell into place. I like that I didnt have to force her into a schedule, and that being home with her allows me to be flexible...and I REALLY love that WHITNEY is flexible! It is sooo nice having a laid-back baby! There are a lot of days we spend out and about, shopping, meeting friends, running errands, and Whitney rolls with the flow and never fusses.

Activity:
Whitney LOVES jumping!! LOVES! She jumps super high in her jumperoo and her exersaucer, and she REALLY loves to stand on our laps and jump, jump, jump NON-stop! SOO cute! It never gets old! :) Whitney started "sitting up" on her own in the last few weeks. Sure, she still uses her hands a lot of the time, but she steadies herself and reaches for toys in front of her, knowing what is too far/too hard to reach vs. what she can get on her own without falling over. I'mnot sure who was more impressed...her doctor or us! Whitney continues to roll from her belly to her back. Within the last few days, she has mastered toe-touches and could lay on her back and grab her toes ALL day! She is so proud of herself when she gets them both in her hands and pulls them close to her tummy! Its amazing that a few weeks ago, she struggled to pull her legs up high...but now, she can get her legs all the way up to her chest! Whitney plays independently in her exersaucer or jumperoo, on her playmats, or with toys in her bumbo or bouncer. She has favorite toys that make her eyes light up when she recognizes them coming! She LOVES her bear blanket from one of Eric's coworkers in Texas! LOVES. She cuddles him close to her face and squeezes him tight when she's sleepy. I can see years of fun with bear blanket :) Whitney also loves her "Sophie" giraffe teether. Eric and I had each ehardabout this "#1 toy in Europe", but werent sure the $20 was worth it for what amounts to a glorified Baiely toy. But, one day last week, Whitney and I came home from errands to find a package on our doorstep. Daddy had ordered "Sophie" for his little girl afterall :) Whitney LOVES Sophie and we are so happy Daddy surprised us :)

Sleeping/Napping:
Whitney continues to be an excellent sleeper, and has decided that it is time to start sleeping ALLL the way through the night now. I will admit, I sorta miss those middle-of-the-night feedings and cuddles. :( Except for when my back hurt, it never bothered me to get up and see my baby in the middle of the night. I stillgo in and peek at her multiple times throughout the night, but she sleeps peacefully from 8:30pm to (about) 8:30am. We swaddle her most of the time, but she was getting ready to grow out of some REALLLY cute PJs, so I had to skip the swaddling a few nights and let her sleep in the longsleeve/long pants PJs. She didnt sleep any better or worse when unswaddled, and she still woke up SMILING and happpppy...so we have been using more and more long PJs now. SOOO cudddddly!!
Her naps are great 99% of the time, and she is still able to sleep anywhere, anytime.

Eating:
Well, I didnt need to start phasing out her middle-of-the-night bottles since Whitney did that on her own. She now has one tbsp of rice cereal in the morning, followed by an 8 oz bottle. Then, for lunch she has another 8 oz. bottle. At dinner, she has another tablespoon of rice cereal, and a 4-6oz bottle. And right before bed she drinks another 4-6 oz bottle. She has 24-26 oz of formula a day, which is on the low end of average, but still remains in the 95th %ile for weight. :) Whitney took a fingertip of peas from her BFF, Faith last weekend. While she gobbled it up with smiles, and the doc said we can start foods whenever we want,the plan remains to wait on foods until Whitney is 6 months old.

Personality:
Is it any surprise that I'm going to tell you that Whitney is the BEST baby EVER?? :) She smiles, LAUGHS, and babbles allll day. She still hasnt shed one tear but the doc said its not "dry eye"...just "a reeaaallly happy baby". And no, Im not exaggerating. Whitney truly has not cried one tear. I know I will LOSE IT when she finally drops tears, and dont get me wrong..she does get "upset", but its nothing a few tickles or silly noises cant fix quickly. She is just sooo easy :)

Pictures:
Proof of her cuteness :)
Whitney Faith Bass, 4 days old:


Whitney Faith Bass, One Month Old:


Whitney Faith Bass, Two Months Old:


Whitney Faith Bass, Three Months Old:


Whitney Faith Bass, Four Months Old:



The Bass Family, 5 days old:


The Bass Family, One Month Old:


The Bass Family, Two Months Old:


The Bass Family, Three Months Old:


The Bass Family, Four Months Old:
(taking them tomorrow....will post as soon as we take a good one!)

And some outtakes from this month's photo shoots :)





One of my FAVORITE pics of Whitney, taken when I walked into her room in the morning...SOOO happy! This is how she is EVERY time we go to her crib to get her...sooo worth the wait for this smile!!

with one of her BFFs, Baileydogger


with her Sophie