Stella Bella,
You are starting to show your personality a bit more this month which is fun to see. It looks like we've got another laid back, easy going girl in the family! That makes 3 easy going girls . . . oh, wait. To use one of Linnea's lines "that isn't true"! So maybe two laid back little girls and a laid-back daddy. Maybe that is why mama isn't as laid back ;p.
1 Week to 4 Months Old
You are often referred to as Stella Bella or Stellu (because Linnea is Neenu (nicknames are weird) so naturally, you would be Stellu).
Stats
At your 4.5 month well baby check up you weighed 5.782 kg (12 lbs 12 oz) and in the 14th percentile. You were 63 cm (24.8 inch) long which is in the 52nd percentile. Your head was 41 cm (16.1 inches) around which is the 52nd percentile.
Eating
You are eating 4-5 times a day. According to the Baby Sleep Solution book, you should be eating 4 times a day every 4 hours. But in the evenings you like a little bonus feed and you are pretty convincing. In fact, it seems you sleep better with the bonus feed than without and it only takes a few minutes so it isn't that big of a deal.
You are starting to get distracted while you eat. If you hear a loud noise, someone talking or singing you stop nursing and look around. It is cute but also leaves me a little exposed. Sometimes I have to remind your dad and sister to be a little quieter while you eat.
Sleeping
You sleep through the night about 50% of the time. The hardest part is that you wake up between 3-630 and since you are still sleeping next to the bed in the bedside crib I wake up when you wake up. You aren't fussing or crying you are just awake which means I am as well. I tried feeding you hoping that would get you to fall back to sleep but you weren't actually hungry. Towards the end of this month, I realized it was time for you to move into your own room.
You sleep with one arm swaddled and the other arm out. I've also tried leaving both arms out which seems to work okay. We bought blackout curtains and hung them up in our room because I was thinking maybe the sun was waking you up since the sunrise was around 4 am! It helped for a few nights but then you started waking up again. I'm anxious to get you into your own room. We moved Linnea into her own room at 4 months and it was really helpful!
Clothes
You are wearing size 62 clothes (with a few 56 and 68 mixed in). You are outgrowing size 3-month clothes and can wear some 6-month clothes. You've worn way more warm weather clothes than I thought you would. We had about 3.5 weeks of perfect (65-80 degree) summer weather and that was all before June! May in Stockholm is usually gorgeous and this year was extra nice! You are in size 3 Libero diapers (size 2 Huggies).
Playtime
You are slowly coming around to tummy time. I've been putting you on the couch on your belly and you seem to like that. You are elevated a little bit so you can see more.
You love looking at books and reading books with me just like your sister! You also like it when Linnea reads books to you.
You started grabbing toys this month and putting them in your mouth. You love the rings that are hanging on your stroller.
Your favorite toy has lots of curved pieces that fit into your mouth very nicely! I love watching you figure out how to play with something.
You love to swing your right hand at the rings on your stroller.
You've been playing in the bumbo while I do dinner prep or work in the kitchen. You seem to like it.
You went down your first slide on my lap and seemed to enjoy it. Linnea thought it was super fun and she also thought you were ready to slide down on your own!
Chewing on your hands and sitting in your bouncy seat are definitely favorite activities.
Our Days
We are starting to get a pretty good rhythm going. I will say I was much more strict with Linnea's eating and sleeping schedule. She was pretty much down to the minute which was nice because she was predictable. You think you need to eat at 7:15 and then again at 10:45 instead of waiting until 11:15. I've been lazy flexible with you and it seems to work but I've realized if I want to leave you it is harder to give someone your schedule since you get more freedom.
We've been keeping busy with grocery shopping, lunch dates, going to the park after we pick up your sister and doing other odds and ends.
Linnea was 3 months old when we moved back to the US so she doesn't sleep in her stroller as well as other Swedish kids. My goal is for you to be great at sleeping in your crib and your stroller. So far you rock at both! I can put you down for your nap and then run errands while you sleep. It is great!
You had another cough for a week or two this month but it didn't seem to bother you. You did spit up more but I think that helped clear everything out.
Activities and Outings
You turned 3 months old while we were in the US so we spent the first week of your 4th month hanging out with friends and family.
Playing with cousins
This is my Aunt Susan and Uncle John's family (my dad's sister). My cousin Danielle just had a baby 6 weeks after Stella was born. It has been so fun talking about all things baby in the middle of the night with her.
We spent some time at Jake's parents' house and my parents' house.
We had a roommates reunion with my college roommates and their families.
Walking to the park with our crew. In total, we have 8 adults and 9 kids. Emily's 3rd kid made us officially outnumbered!
I have tons of pictures of the girls but not many with me and the girls so I love when I have one!
I LOVE these girls, their hubbies and their kids. We had a great time. And the kids are actually old enough that all of us adults hung out outside while the kids were watching a movie and playing. Long distance friendships are hard to maintain but we've found a good groove and it makes me so happy to reconnect whenever we are home.
Then we headed back to KC for two days before heading back to Stockholm.
Stella did a great job readjusting to the timezone in Stockholm.
We had a great time staying with Jan's family. So thankful for her hospitality and her friendship.
The girls did a great job on the flight back. They both slept the majority of the flight. This baby bassinet is definitely a lifesaver with an infant.
Jon and Liz came to visit us from the US. We had a great time hanging out with them and thankfully you are easy going enough that we could still play tour guide with them.
We took Jon and Liz on a boat ride. This was Stella's first boat ride which was around 3.5 months old. Linnea's first boat ride was at 6 weeks when we went to the archipelago.
Firsts and New Skills
Month 4 is one of my favorite months. You can sit up and hold your head and body pretty well and you are perfectly content looking around. I don't have to try to entertain you much but you also doesn't try to get away. This is such a sweet spot in my opinion.
Sister Moments
I know I've said this every month but Linnea is so sweet with Stella. Still no jealousy at all. Linnea is caring and interested in Stella.
Linnea will read to her or sing to her. She also is repeating what we say to Stella. "Stella, do you like that?" "Stella, it's okay, Stella. Mama is coming back."
When we were shopping for double strollers. Linnea wanted a side by side one so she could sit next to the baby and she LOVES it!
Linnea New Skills
There is a park near us that we call the Owl Park because it has two big owls with slides coming out of them. The park has several sections with age suggestions. The owl part of the park with the big slides is for 6 year olds. Linnea can now climb all the way to the top of the owls and go down by herself. There is also a mushroom slide with a really tricky ladder and she can do that one by herself as well. Which only gives me a mild panic attack!
Linnea Funnies/Quotes
A few of Linnea's phrases:
"I love you wittle bit" while holding her thumb and pointer finger close together.
"Can I look at that on the puter?" = computer
When we are talking to Linnea we will often ask her "Do you know what ____ is?" or "Do you know what we are going to do?" and she responds with "Yeah, what is _________?" Or "Yeah, What are we going to do?" So she says yes but doesn't actually know. We are working on her saying, "No, what is ____?"
We were at the playground the other day as a family and Linnea wanted me to slide down with her. Another kid was blocking part of the slide so she told him, in Swedish, that her mom was going to sit down and slide. She's already fighting my Swedish battles!
It has been so warm recently that Linnea has been playing in the splash ponds around the city. It seems that kids in Stockholm either swim naked or they swim with long sleeves and sometimes long pants. Linnea would prefer to swim naked most days but I try to at least get her to wear bottoms.
This pink dress belonged to Linnea's Aunt Annie when she was a little girl. I believe Annie's Grandma (Janet's mom) bought it for her in Stockholm.
Mom, I'm ready to run!
Remember
I want to remember your little hand holding onto my fingers.
Happy Mother's Day to me!
I didn't know this picture was taken but I love it.
I want to remember how you already look up to your big sister.
I want to remember how you are my little buddy and oh so very happy!
Stella,
Time flies when you are meeting friends and family for the first time! Most of your 3rd month took place in the US. This month you were on an actual schedule which just makes our days less chaotic! I tried to take notes on what you were doing this month but to be honest when you jump from place to place visiting friends and family it all blurs together!
There's my happy girl!
On your actual 3 month birthday.
At 3.5 months when we finally took your picture.
Stats
At your 3 month (and 1 week) appointment you weighed 5.21 kg (11 lbs 7 oz) which is in the 14th percentile. You were 62 cm (24.4 inches) long which is in the 76th percentile and your head was 40 cm (15.7 inches) around which is the 55th percentile. Long and lean just like your sister.
Stella LOVES this little bird above the changing pad at the BVC. This was right before she got shots which she did not love.
Before our trip to the US you dropped a little on your curve (apparently it is normal to drop around your 3rd or 4th month but not at 2.5 months) and your midwife was worried. I told her you had started sleeping through the night and she had the audacity to tell me to wake you up once to feed you. Thanks but no thanks. I knew we would be going to the US and you would probably wake up again in the middle of the night and if you did I'd feed you but I sure as heck wasn't going to wake you up. If you were hungry you'd let me know and I like my sleep so that was a hard no.
Eating
You started to eat on a more regular schedule this month. With Linnea she was on a strict, almost to the minute schedule (#firstkidproblems). You are on a more flexible schedule but still with the main goal of eating every 4 hours in mind. You usually eat between 6:45-7:30, 11:15, 3:15, 5 and 7:15 give or take 15 minutes. According to our sleep training book you are supposed to eat every 4 hours but you really think you need a bonus feed in the afternoon/evening which you get because I want to make sure you are gaining weight and it hasn't seemed to affect you not sleeping through the night so you get to keep it up for a while.
That little hand while nursing is so sweet.
Sleeping
We started 'sleep training' you around 8 weeks which meant we used the Baby Sleep Solution book and started following step 1 out of 4. Step 1 is to push your daytime feeds to every 4 hours. Then step 2 is to start eliminating night time feeds by offering a paci instead and then decreasing the number of minutes (milk) you get so that your body adjusts to not needing any milk at night. After about a week and a half of doing daytime feeds every 4 hours guess what you did? You slept through the night at 9.5 weeks (on April 9th)!! My very favorite milestone! There are lots of definitions of 'sleeping through the night' so to clarify, you slept from 7:10-7:00 without waking up to eat! You woke up a few times but went back to sleep with your paci. On April 13th you slept through the night without any fussing at all. Woohoo! During the newborn days, it feels like I will never sleep again all night and then when it happens I feel like a whole new person!
Before we went to the US you slept through the night 4 out of the 7 days. It was glorious! I was worried we would totally screw it up going back. You woke up the first few nights back in the US to eat but then you slept through the night several nights and then you woke up again. I'd say you slept through the night about 40% of the time which wasn't too bad considering how many different beds and houses you were sleeping in.
Your little hand has been creeping up out of your swaddle. If it didn't wake you up I'd think it was super cute.
You still sleep in our room at night but I think that will change when you get closer to 4 months old. We swaddle you for naps and bedtime. You sometimes take your paci and other times you don't want it. To get you to sleep I swaddle you and lay you down in whatever room I'm in (living room, bedroom, etc). You will sleep through lights and noise. I am so thankful you are a flexible baby.
Clothes
You are growing out of size 56 and are now in size 62. You can wear size 3-month clothes and 6-month sleepers. It seems that your torso is pretty long. I had to find some 3-month and 6-month summer clothes for you since Linnea did have many to share with you. Thankfully one of my best friends has 2 girls and lots of cute clothes that she is letting us borrow.
I also had a blast shopping for new clothes and matching shirts for you and Linnea while we were back in the US.
Playtime
You are starting to be much more responsive/interactive during your awake time. You still don't care for tummy time and honestly neither do I since you usually spit up after just a few minutes but we are trying to get you to like it.
You like to watch your sister play or watch me doing random things around the house.
You've played with a few toys and Mr. Googley eyes in your bouncer.
Your Pa (Grandpa Ken) does a great job holding babies and showing them different things. Your little head/neck got a workout while we were back in the states. You love looking at all the interesting things!
You LOVE ceiling fans! There aren't many in the US so you definitely took advantage of staring at as many as you could while we were in the US.
Our Days
Our schedule is about the same as it was last month except when we were in the US we were kind of all over the place. The constant in our days was your nursing schedule (7:15, 11:15, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 - give or take 15 minutes) and thankfully as long as we are together it wasn't a problem. The rest of our day was varied especially in the US. I did run errands and go to dinner with friends leaving you with Jake or the grandparents which was great!
Coffee date with a sleeping baby!
Activities and Outings
We went to the US this month and it was BUSY! Here is a rundown of the things we did and the people we saw!
Wed April 18th - Fly Stockholm, Chicago, KC
On international flights, some airlines have bassinets you can use for free. We used one with Linnea at 3 months old and booked one for Stella. It worked great and gave us several hands-free hours while she slept so we could also sleep.
We bought Linnea a pair of headphones for the flight and gave them to her on the airplane. She was pretty excited. This was the first time she watched something on the tablet as well!
We would have had the whole row (all 4 seats) to ourselves because our flight was pretty empty but the guy in the striped shirt asked to sit in our row. I was annoyed. Who would want to sit by a family with two small kids on an international flight? It turns out he was headed back to the US to meet his new (3 week old) grandchild and see the older sibling (about 3 years old) and his son happened to be on the flight across the aisle from us. He was AMAZING with Linnea. They talked and laughed and it was really sweet. Plus the seats on the other side of the aisle were open so I sat over there and left Jake with both girls ;).
The black thing on the wall is the bassinet.
Stella meeting Grandma Debbie
And Papa Larry
My parents picked us up at the airport around 11:45 pm. Our flight from Chicago to KC was delayed. We seem to always have bad luck with the weather in Chicago but it is still the best flight option back to KS so we take it.
My parents also loaned us a car for our time back which was great!
We finally got to Jan's house around 1:45 am and went to bed around 2:30. Stella woke up to eat at 6:45 which seemed like a win to me!
Avery, Jan's little girl, slipped this note under our door. "Hi Linnea, Are you awake?" So cute!
We hung out with Jan and two of her kids all day on Thursday, It was great! So fun that I apparently forgot to take any pictures. My parents also came over that morning to see us before heading back to Wichita.
On Friday morning I got to hang out with this beautiful girl! I love that no matter how long it has been we pick up right where we left off and now I actually like drinking coffee so we got to sip some coffee while the kids played. Love you Faltermeier!
Fun playdate catching up with these girls, their mamas and the new little sisters (and soon to be little brother)!
We met up with Brad, Victoria, Zion and Okalani at the Johnson County Museum. It was SO great seeing them. I envision lots of fun adventures together with the four girls, the two adventure-loving dads and Victoria who I just adore!
We drove to Wichita on Saturday during naptime and Stella got to meet her Grandma Janet and Pa (or Grandpa) Ken.
Hanging out with Uncle Bob
On Sunday, Aprilt 22nd we drove to Hutchinson for church at Jake's Grandpa's former church. They were dedicating a stained glass window in honor of his Grandpa Lindeblad who was a pastor at that church for
Jetlag is rough!
We spent Monday at Jake's parents' house. We went on a lunch date and stopped by our high school where we met and fell in love ;).
Once a Redskin, Always a Redskin
Naptime with Grandma
Ceiling fans are the best!
Stella got lots of head control practice with Pa while we were in Wichita.
Botanica
Wearing her daddy's bathrobe.
We left Linnea in Wichita for 3 nights while we went to KC with Stella. We stayed with Erin McGonigle in her new condo downtown. It was awesome! Staying with friends is SO MUCH fun!
My parents drove Linnea up to KC and we had a staycation with them. We had a great time visiting Deanna Rose Farmstead and Wonderscope.
Game night with my parents
(The rest of our US trip was after you turned 3 months old so it will be in the next post.)
Firsts and New Skills
Lots of firsts this month! You flew on your first flight (which was an international 9-hour flight - go big or go home, right?), met both sets of grandparents and lots of friends and family.
You love to talk to me. I hope that never changes.
You started giggling this month and it is just the cutest thing ever!
You found your hands this month and they are the toy that just keeps on giving . . . since they are always there for you!
You LOVE ceiling fans! There aren't many in the US so you definitely took advantage of staring at as many as you could while we were in the US.
Sister Moments
Linnea saw lots of other kids holding Stella this month and she got a little jealous because she also wanted to hold Stella. I love seeing how much Linnea loves Stella.
Jake hanging out with two of her girls!
Linnea New Skills
About 2.5 weeks before we left for the US we started potty training Linnea. Not the best plan but we didn't know we'd be able to go to the US. I think it made potty training a little more difficult since we were moving from place to place so often she didn't always know where the bathroom was and all the new toys were hard to leave sometimes to go pee. Overall she did well but she was/is NOT a fan of toilets that flush automatically which I don't blame her.
Proudly carrying her new underwear through the mall.
Walking through the metro station during rush hour.
This isn't a new skill but something I want to remember is the way Linnea can transfer from one place to another at bedtime. We like to go to friends' houses to play games at night after the kids go to bed which means we have to put Linnea to sleep at someone's house and then move her back to our place. She does a great job falling back to sleep when we move her. She has only stayed asleep once that I can remember when we have tried to move her from our friends' house to our place. It is usually about a 45 min to an hour bus, metro and walk back to our apartment. One night, in particular, it took a long time to get home and Linnea did a great job falling back to sleep once she got home.
Linnea can spell! Total coincidence but I was surprised!
Linnea Funnies/Quotes
One evening Jake and Linnea were reading together on the couch. Out of the blue, she says "I swallowed a rock at preschool today." Jake and I looked at each other in disbelief. We asked her more questions and apparently, she swallowed a rock at naptime. We couldn't get a straingt answer from her as far as how big the rock was. A few days later she spiked a fever and had a bad cough. So the day before we went to the US Jake took Linnea to the minor emergy room for a blood draw and a chest xray. No rock in ther lungs but I think she learned a vaulable lesson.
Linnea has been figuring out new bedtime stalling techniques especially when we were in the US and switching houses so often. Sometimes it took her a long time to fall asleep and there were more tears involved than normal because she was overly tired. For several months now whenever we go in to help her with her blanket or whatever she needs help with if she was crying she'll say "Can you wipe my tears?' with the sweetest little voice. It is cute and sad all at the same time.
Linnea goes to a fully Swedish preschool. They speak Swedish all day long so Linnea's play language is definitely Swedish. When she is at home she will talk to her babies in Swedish because that is what she does at school. When we were in the US visiting family and friends she would speak to them in Swedish and we had to remind her that they don't speak Swedish. I love that she can speak Swedish so that when we go to playgrounds she can speak and play with other kids and understand the parents as well. We will have our very own little translator ;).
Linnea needed help with something and said, "Mama, can you do me a favorite (favor)?" She is so funny.
When we tell Linnea we love her we started saying "I love you, too" and then she's day "I love you three". Other common phrases: "I love you green fruit stick", "I love you chocolate chip cookie" I love you ice cream" and then she'll add "that is a lot!"
Linnea was wearing Leighton's sunglasses in the car while we were in KC. She said "when I wear sunglasses I look nice. When I am not wearing sunglasses I look bad." I have no idea where she got either of those ideas from. Ha!
We sometimes whisper in Linnea's ear and most of the time we say "I love you" so now I think she is pretty convinced when you whisper you always say "I love you" which means if we tell her to whisper something in someone's ear she will tell them she loves them and it is just the cutest thing ever.
While driving to Wichita: "Linnea, you don't have to say my name everytime you want to say something if we are already talking. You can just talk again." Aka, I was tired of hearing Mama, Mama, Mama while we were in the middle of a conversation together.
Remember
I want to remember how sweet you are. When I talked to you and you get excited you turn your head to the left a little and stick your right hand in your mouth with a cute grin.
You are so happy. You really only cry when you are hungry or overly tired. Thankfully now that you are on a schedule it is pretty easy to know how to fix it.
