We want to share Kiley’s four month pictures with you today. She continues to grow, albeit slowly, and her acid reflux problems are really starting to taper off. We are so thankful that she is able to enjoy herself more during the day, either because her medicine is keeping the reflux at bay, or because she is growing out of that phase. Both may be true, but a happy baby makes for happy parents. She smiles a lot, especially during the day.

This month included a lot of firsts. She discovered her toes last month, but now wants to taste them. Her big right toe must be extra tasty because she sucks on it the most. Even though we missed it, she rolled from her back to her belly for the first time. I walked past her on the floor and asked Laura why she laid her on her stomach and Laura said that she laid her on her back! This is also the first month to be sleeping in the nursery, even though she is still in her bassinet to help with her reflux.

We’ve noticed that she is noticing a lot more these days. She will look at us a lot over her shoulder as we hold her and give us a big smile. She will take her pacifier in and out of her mouth with her hands. She also grabs at things that are in our hands, like the medicine dropper or the phone. In a little while, we’re going to have to be careful what she can grab! She has also taken great interest in her thumbs constantly sucking on them. We want her to suck the pacifier because it can be taken away more easily than her thumbs!

The best blessing from month four is the fact that at the end of this month she can go all night without eating. Laura will feed her around 11 pm and she can be held off until 6-7 in the morning. That’s awesome! She is so tiny, we don’t want to deny her food, but we also want her body to learn that we eat during the day time. She still is not sleeping through the night, but she will usually only wake around 3 am for a wet diaper change, and then she will fall right back to sleep. This is really great news for Laura, who lives with her night and day and doesn’t have a chance to gallivant around the world and get rested up in peacefully quiet hotel rooms.

We took her and Gus to a park near our house for a quick two-mile walk through the woods. Gus and I love this trail, and we wanted some pictures of Kiley there too. Yes, one of the pictures looks like she is floating. No, it was not a photoshop production (at over $700, I don’t own Photoshop). Yes, she is safe at only about 18 inches from my hands. No, my hands are right there but were cropped from the picture. Yes, she loved it and was smiling while mom snapped the pictures.

We are so glad we purchased the BabyTrend Jogging stroller because it actually has inflatable tires that can navigate rougher terrain with ease. The large tires are the best part of the stroller and make for a nice, smooth ride for Kiley inside. If you are in the market for a stroller, we suggest a jogging stroller because other kinds, even three times the price, have cruddy foam tires that do not tolerate asphalt, nature trails, or parking lots very well. Foam tires are for shopping mall tile, that’s it. The jogger does so well on all our walks, and Kiley even joined us last night, bundled up in the 45 degree air, for a walk around the pond next to our house. She loves the ride, and Gus and I love the walks.

Hopefully in our month five update, we will be able to announce that she is sleeping through the night. If we are lucky, she might even say a word — here’s to the fingers crossed. Pictures are linked from the photo above.