Beautiful baby girl!

Our beautiful baby is almost four months old, can you believe it? We hardly can. Early this week a co-worker of mine brought in her daughter who is four weeks old and weighs about 8 1/2 pounds. I kept looking at her thinking, I know Bria was once that little, and even smaller, but I can't even fathom it now! Speaking of work, I returned to the hospital on December 8. Thankfully things both at work and with Bria's babysitter have been fantastic. I still would never choose to work and be away from her if I did not need to, but we are blessed to be able to manage with me working two 12-hour shifts a week and home the rest of the time. Ryan has been fantastic with getting Bria ready to go the the sitter's home and picking her up, and I really think he enjoys the time he gets to be alone with her. Bria has also adapted very well to alternating between a bottle and nursing when she needs to. It seems she has become quite the pro at it as she is now weighing in at a whopping 14 pounds 5 ounces, and probably more by now!





The developmental milestones have been flying by, as Bria is now laughing, grabbing things with both hands and pulling them up to her mouth, sitting up quite well with very little assistance, and rolling over from her belly to her back. She gave us a wonderful early Christmas present when she rolled over while we were in Indiana. It still takes quite a bit of effort for her to accomplish this independently, but she seems to be getting the hang of it. Her determination to roll over depends on how content she is laying on her belly. I think rolling over has definitely given us insight into her stubborn streak. I wonder where she gets that from?

We rang in New Years by going to bed at 11:00. I worked New Years Day, and although my brother was visiting, we all were exhausted and crashed early spending New Years Eve in bed! Ryan and I discovered that we desparately need to find a new mattress soon, as we both woke up from sleeping on the futon mattress in Bria's room on the floor much more rested than we had been in weeks! We have been researching mattresses and visiting stores since looking for a great mattress as well as a good deal!





This week we visit the pediatrician again for her four month check-up and of course more vaccinations! We will both have to be very brave! I will leave off with hopes of updating our blog again soon, but no promises as life has become suddenly busy in the midst of basketball season, returning to work, and most importantly being a wife and mother!

...a sleepy mother! This was after a 12-hour shift, and what we usually look like when I get home!