Jillian is 4 Months Old!

I can't believe my little peanut is 4 months old! She's getting so big! Let's see... she's still *this* close to rolling over from back to stomach but can roll from stomach to back like an old pro. She is also sitting unassisted for brief amounts of time if she "tripods" (props herself on her hand). She always looks so proud of herself when she does that. She loves to suck on her fingers and thumb and still hates the pacifier. She goes to bed at around 6:30 and usually wakes up once or twice a night. She LOVES her new exersaucer that Jackie and Jadyn let us borrow, and loves to follow Matt around the room with her eyes. She just grins from ear to ear whenever she sees him. She also loves, loves, LOVES the bath. She could be freaking out, but the minute her bare little tush hits the water, she's all smiles, giggles and coos.

She's still a sensitive little soul, however. A couple of weeks ago, Mark and I went to a Halloween party and Michelle babysat. That's when we found out that Jillian will no longer take a bottle from anyone except for me. Poor Michelle... she said Jillian was up every 10 minutes from 7:00 until we got home at 1:00. :( The minute I got home though, Jillian sucked down 5 ounces and went right to sleep. I'm thinking this could be a problem. She won't even take a bottle from Mark. I'm flattered, but still. ;-) But seriously, even when I feed her, it has to be in the same chair, held the same way, with almost near silence. If Matt is talking or she hears the TV or Mark walks in, she spooks and starts crying.

Naps are still pretty rough. On a good day she'll sleep almost two hours in the afternoon, with two 30 minute naps - one in the morning, one around 4:30 or so. A more typical day, though, includes at least 30 minutes of hysterical crying (on her part, not mine, although sometimes I've come close! hehe!!), and me trying to sooth her to sleep. Then she'll sleep for 30 minutes and wake up still tired. Repeat 5 times throughout the day. Meantime, Matt's getting into who-knows-what-mischief downstairs. Lately I've been "cheating" and letting her take one nap in her swing (during Matt's nap). This way, she gets a solid 2 hours of sleep, I don't have to worry about her waking Matt up, and I get a much-needed break. ;-)

I've learned to watch her cues VERY closely and the minute she turns her head away from a person or toy I know she's had enough and take it away. Also, the minute I read a tired or hungry cue, I act on it. I really don't mind the extra work I have to put in to make her happy because I just want her to be that - happy. I want her to be a well-adjusted, independent, confident - and happy - little girl. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get her there.

Please don't get me wrong, I am not complaining at all. She can be such a little sweetheart. When she grins at me from her crib in the morning and "talks" to me as I'm getting her dressed, I melt. Her smile lights up the whole room. I just worry about her sometimes. I want to help her feel more secure in her environment as she gets older. And I'm so afraid people are going to label her, you know? I'm so afraid she's going to keep that label of being "difficult," as compared to her brother, whom everyone says is "easy."