4 months

At 4 months, my sweet little girl weighs 13 pounds, 13 ounces, is 24.75 inches long, and has a head circumference of 41.5 cm. (Why is length measured in inches and head circumference in centimeters?) All of her measurements are in the 60-something-th percentile, meaning she is perfectly healthy and about as average as can be. They rechecked her head 3 times because apparently it has grown a lot. When she was born, it was only in the 6th percentile! (Sure didn't feel that small.)

She has just found her toes in the last week and likes grabbing them almost as much as she likes grabbing my hair, my glasses, my necklace, my shirt, my lips, etc. I think the real reason why women lose hair after having a baby has nothing to do with hormones and all to do with babies' hands. Moving on...

Libby is still a very sweet, good natured baby. She is generally happy and fusses very little. However, you try to put her down for a nap or suck her nose clean, and that girl can make some serious noise. She is a smart little girl and will start thrashing her head in protest if she even sees the nasal aspirator.

Nights are getting better. Twice in the past week Libby slept 7 hours straight. But she likes to keep me on my toes and sometimes only sleeps 3 hours at a time. Average is about 5. Now that I've finally mastered nursing lying down, I don't mind the nighttime feedings as much though. She's so cute when she falls asleep next to me that sometimes I don't want to put her back in her crib.

Libby's Michael Jackson pose

Now that she has better control of her hands, she is finally interested in some toys. Her favorite is definitely this rubber thing that looks like an electron.

I love how her feet are always in the air when she's on her tummy

She also likes books of any kind, and especially likes to hold them. She even tries to hold the hymnbook at church.

I feel so grateful to be Libby's mom. I am still astounded at the miracle of her life - that I got to grow her inside of me and that I get to have the awesome responsibility of taking care of her and teaching her and watching her develop. It truly is a privilege.