T also saw her pediatrician just 2 days before she officially turned 4 months-GK and I were both pleasantly surprised to learn that she was 11 pounds 4 ounces! This still places her in a low percentile but this is almost a 3 pound weight gain since her last check-up two months ago. I also sadly packed up her first box of clothing she has outgrown but held on to a few items that I'm not quite ready to part with just yet.
And a photo dump from my phone highlighting some of our favorite T moments:
T is also spending more time in her Bumbo seat to work on her posture.
T was also paid a visit by Jamie all the way from Australia. Jamie came bearing gifts that included adorable outfits that originally belonged to his daughter (and my goddaughter) AM including one jumper covered in weiner dogs that T can't wait to wear.
T had her monthly meet up in Oakland with her Bradley Method friends. Here she is pictured with her BFF-Lola. As soon as T laid down next to her they grabbed one another's hand but Lola was not yet ready to hand over her Very Hungry Caterpillar toy. Me & Lola's mom made a promise to arrange many play dates in their future. 
T and I started attending a support group for new mothers in Berkeley. As you can see-T was pretty much indifferent about attending the weekly meetings.
The group lasted a total of 6 weeks and I found it to be pretty helpful-especially as I prepare to return to work. Here she is pictured above with all the other babies from the group. From L to R: T; Max; Ruby; William; Rafi; Willa; and Nico. T & I both really appreciated that she wasn't the smallest of the bunch for once.
And that sleeping thing..... yeah.......
When I don't feel like walking in the late afternoon-T and I lay down for a quick nursing session that turns into an hour and a half nap for both of us. T is excellent at forcing me to contort my body in some of the most uncomfortable positions so that she can nap soundly.
This is what T thinks of co-sleeping.
Lastly-T contemplating her next move to throw us off our game and rock our world.
T has been wondering-What does the fox say?
T on her exercise mat in the living room. T continues to spend more and more independent time on her mat playing. Besides play being integral to her development-this is awesome as it allows us to get a few things done while T entertains herself by kicking and grabbing at her toys. T loves looking at herself in the mirror attached to the gym and grabbing the beads on her red bird. She can also pick up a toy with one hand, grab it securely with the other hand, and bring the toy to her mouth.
We were all lucky enough to be paid a visit by Soumya. She brought us a home cooked Indian meal for lunch. Soumya had a great time catching up with T about all things girly including the bikini that she plans to purchase for T this summer.
Uncle Joe also stopped by (before and after) on his trip to Tahoe. He was a great help and carried T to Nick's Pizza to get us dinner, helped with T's bath, and attempted to put T to bed for the night. During their quality time with one another T let it be known that she would really appreciate a cousin as soon as possible.
T received a very special gift from her Great Aunt Bonnie and Great Uncle Bobby in New York. It's called a "Tzedakah box," and it's made by artist Gary Rosenthal who specilaizes in Judaic art. He often using metals such as copper, brass, steel, and his inspiration is from the rich history of the Jews. The Tzedakah box not only holds coins and cash but hope for a better life. Giving Tzedakah is a traditional way to commemorate special occasions and events. Placing the box in your home is a reminderthat we are obliged and capable of helping the less fortuate. Perfect gift to represent T's heritage.
T is still challenged with napping alone. GK & I both continue to take her on daily walks in the carrier so she'll nap. Occasionally GK is successful in transferring her to her Rock & Play to finish her nap. But more often than not-she promptly wakes up as soon as we set foot back inside the house. On a good note-I've shed 2 more lbs. of baby weight and GK's legs are sore from so much walking.
One of the few things I said that I would never do as a parent while I was pregnant was co-sleeping. After a few months of multiple wakings each night to feed T I knew that something had to change especially since I'll be returning to work soon. I did some reading about cosleeping and learned that it is a common practice in many countries and also for mothers of babies who are exclusively breastfed. As I am strongly opposed to any sleep training method that includes "crying it out" I decided to give co-sleeping a try.
I first had to learn how to best position my body with the pillows suporting my back, neck, and arm. Occasionally GK will get the boot from our bed. Now T typically sleeps a 3 to 4 hour stretch when she first goes down in her bassinet between 8-9:00pm. Then once she wakes up she's in our bed to nurse-I'll quickly pass out within 10 minutes. If we wake before she does, either GK or I will place her back in the bassinet. After her first stretch she will nurse an additional 3 times but never cries-I wake up to her rustling in the bed, get her latched on and fall back asleep. While fragmented-I usually get about 8 total hours of sleep this way. I'm not really worried about creating bad habits since T starts out her sleep for the night in her bassinet and usually is returned to it once. Perhaps one of these days we'll get her a crib...
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