Bits About Brynley: 16 Weeks!

Oh Brynley,

January 3rd, 2012

16 weeks old

 You turned 16 weeks old today, and for the most part have been like this all day. Which in turn made Mommy do this all day too! So much for it being a restful day back with Ryder in preschool again, because you fussed on and off all.day.long. Eventually I caved, and gave you some orajel and immediately you were all right with the world again. Poor little thing! I only wish I had tried this on you before all the tears were shed, but now we know you are officially teething! I should have known by your low grade temperature last night and being so fussy, but with a baby you just never know.

Another sign.. the hand constantly balled up in a fist crammed in your mouth as far as it will go! I feel like a bad Mommy for not realizing all this fussing was because of teething, but I'm at least glad to know you aren't sick. Teething we can fix with a little orajel. And a lot of Mommy kisses and hugs. (and non-stop walking around, which is a great workout too by the way ha!) I'm loving all these chubba wubba rolls lately! I kiss on them all the time and blow raspberries on them. I just can't get enough of them ha!

 I can not believe that my sweet little baby girl will be four months old next week. I have seen her act so cute with her toys this week and has really taken to her Sophie giraffe, her light up stars that stack, and pretty much every other baby book and toy that I offer up to her. I love playtime, and all of the smiles that I get. That's why today was so hard with a fussy baby because even I couldn't get her soothed for more than a few minutes! Whew..

 Brynley got her baby quilt in the mail this week, that Scot's Aunt Sandi made for her. I think it goes without saying how much she loves it! The minute we laid her down on it she started smiling and squealing in delight!

 I love having different blankets to use for Tummy Time and play time so that she gets different textures and not the same thing everyday. Well that, and the spit up that takes place now everyday too!

 I am so proud of Ryder lately, as he has been such a BIG helper and such a BIG brother! I was reassured that I was happy we waited to have the kids further apart in age, so that he would be more of a helper rather than a little baby himself. He truly loves his baby so much, and tells her at least a dozen times daily. He goes over to her and still wants to be right.in.her.face, but for the most part he's really gentle with her, and she loves him dearly. I'm so glad that they love one another so much already, as this was one of my prayers while I was pregnant with Brynley. He still tries to hold her, and I have to make sure he doesn't when I'm not looking. He also tries to help by feeding her bottle and I have to remind him not to shove anything in her mouth. He is so smart and has watched us soothe her so many times that he too says the same things we do and tries to soothe her if she's upset or hungry.

 We still try to figure out who Brynley reminds us of the most. Most days I think she looks like Scot, but lately she reminds me of me and definitely a lot of Ryder too. I just love those big blue eyes and long blonde lashes! Her hair continues to change too, and I am starting to see some strawberry blonde mixed in with all the blonde. It will be funny to see who she ends up looking like as she gets older, but my hopes are to be my "mini-me". We get comments so often on how much Ryder favors Scot, so I wanted my little look alike too!

 There's been a lot of leg grabbing this past week, and a lot of exploration! Brynley is just so alert to everything now, and I am continued to be amazed with how much she takes in each week. Like a little sponge! She was so excited to discover her legs and feet that she kept pulling on them again and again. Then she would grab them and roll over to her side. I keep saying every week that she's getting closer and closer to rolling over from her back to stomach, but she's not there just yet. I went back to look at Ryder's baby book and he was already sleeping through the night by around 7 weeks. Blah.. I don't know if it's because he was in daycare at that age or not, but it sure made me wish Brynley would do the same! Again, it may all be related to her losing her birth weight when she was battling her Billirubin, or the teething lately.

Another game Brynley likes to play is pulling on blankets and playing peek-a-boo. She loves cuddling up with them and hiding her face. She is just a doll!

I also started giving Brynley a bath with me in the tub this week. I mostly give her one in her baby bathtub, but also did this with Ryder when he was her age. She loved it! At first I had her just laying on my chest as the water started filling up, and then I let her feel the water and I let her sit in it. She was so relaxed and happy afterwards, and I loved every minute of it!

 I'm also happy to see her interact with Scot too! She is a Momma's girl but has lately been very into her Daddy, which makes me so happy. I love the way he talks to her and she just lights up! I have always heard boys love their Mamas and girls love their Daddys, but I was beginning to think our house was the other way around. I can't wait for the days when the two of them play baby dolls together ha!

We've traded hiccups and being so sleepy that it was hard to wake her for feedings, for drool and more spit up! She continues to go through many outfit changes a day, but it makes it all the more fun to dress her up!

Happy 16 weeks my sweet girl!

Love,

Mommy