Our Marathon to a Family: Elissa 3.5 month update

Im so slacking on every single part of life right now.

A lot late - but an update finally.

Elissa is 16 weeks now - 3.5 ish months. She is such a little sweetie and getting more go with the flow by the day it seems. Overall she is usually happy now. I am much more receptive and able to notice her cues. She is rather predictable and nurses every 2-3 hours usually for 6-8 minutes. Once in awhile she will throw in some random 20 minute nursing session. She isn't consistent on naps but some days will take 2, 3+ hour naps but then other days we struggle to nap more than 30-45 minutes. I usually try to lay her in my bed to nap. Soon I want to move her to her crib for naps at least. Sometimes when she's really fighting it I will try the swing. That works to get her to sleep about 50% of the time. At night she typically wakes 0-2 times at night to nurse. I lay her in bed around 9 and she wakes sometimes at midnight, then sometimes around 5am. She does go many days till 7am before waking to nurse. I just feed her when she wants/ needs it. She knows what she needs.

The past month she has really been taking to sucking her hands a whole lot more. Specifically her thumb. I have also seen her take the same two fingers that Owen sucks.

Ellie can roll from her tummy to her back pretty easily now. She has rolled from her back to her belly a few times but she really doesn't try very often. She swats at toys on her play mat and loves to sit in the high chair while I cook or eat. She pulls herself to standing a lot more lately as well. No jumping just yet but she's strong on her feet. She's getting pretty good in the sitting position too. She can sit easily in her boppy and likes the bumbo.

So just like Leiland, Ellie is a hot body. She sweats just falling asleep on me, when I baby wear her, while she sleeps at night, etc. One night I put her in a fleece sleeper - and it was kinda warm in the room. She woke and was so fussy that night. So I took her sleeper off and she went right back to sleep in just a diaper. She just can't stand to be hot - just like me.

Elissa weighs around 13 pounds, wears 6 month clothes, and is moving into a size 3 diapers (Huggies).

Elissa laughed for the first time the day after Christmas. It was the cutest thing ever. I even got it on video. She's getting easier to get laughing now too. She is ticklish all over but especially just behind her shoulders and neck. She laughs most when the boys are there laughing with her. She just thinks they are so funny all the time. Most day even if she's fussy we can get some smiles and giggles out of her.

She still doesn't like the car but she is doing a heck of a lot better in the britax carseat instead of the infant seat. I miss the convenience of just carrying the seat, but it is what it is.

Dec 9 - wearing 6 month cloths for the first time.