sheer joy

I can't believe Stella is already 4 months old - and how HUGE Hudson looks sitting next to her. She has been such a joy to our lives, and it's been so neat to watch her and Hudson grow in their relationship also. At four months old she is eating between 24-35 ounces of sensitive formula a day, and still taking her medicine twice a day to help with her reflux and difficulty eating. She has been much better about eating the last month, and we are believing that it will just keep getting better and better. She is fitting into 3 month clothes now, and still seems long and thin in most things. She has the thinnest, cutest little feet! She has been sleeping 7-10 hours at night, and is off and on with her naps during the day. Some days she will sleep 2-3 hours straight, then only take a couple 30 minute naps otherwise, and other days she will take 4-5, 30-45 minute naps. It's pretty easy to tell when she is hungry or tired though, because all other times she is usually very happy and content. She is easy to smile, and just recently has started giggling a lot. You can bounce her just a little bit and she will break into a huge smile and laugh  (see picture at the end of this post). Her laugh is the sweetest sound - and the deep dimple on her right cheek is priceless! She talks a lot these days, and loves to make those rasberries and bubbles. She's started drooling more this week, so we are thinking teeth might be coming in the next few weeks, as she is also trying to put EVERYTHING within reach into her mouth.

Right now she LOVES to sit up, and prefers to be facing out when you're holding her, so she can be looking around. Hudson is her favorite thing to watch, of course, and he doesn't waste a single minute entertaining her. They are already two peas in a pod - and she doesn't seem bothered at all by his energy (which he is always full of!). She is still more shy and reserved than he ever was, and can be easily startled and cry if something surprises her or is too loud. She doesn't seem to adjust as easily to new settings, and we notice this mostly with her eating. New places = bad eating. So she has certainly traveled less than Hudson (he has already gone on 3 round trip flights by the time he was her age!), but part of that is because we are pretty much broke now that we have two kids! :)

I never thought i would love having two kids as much as i do already. I LOVED having Hudson, and before Stella came i wasn't sure how i would feel about balancing and sharing time with both. Though there are certainly times it's difficult to give both of them what they need/want when they seem to want mommy at the same time, for the most part i love having them both so so much. Hudson is such a considerate, kind, sweet little boy - despite his crazy energy - he is a doll, and the best big brother I could ever have imagined.