16 Weeks Old

Dear Sadie,

You are now 16 weeks old and I just want to freeze time for a while. I want to hold on to the size and temperament you are right now because it feels like you are growing and changing so quickly. I can't believe another month is gone. You are getting so big! Already your 3 month size jammies are too small and I just got them out.

We went to a dinner party at Bob Lloyd's last night and you had fun smiling at the other guests. Bob in particular got big toothless grins from you. Unlike your friend Phoebe who went right to sleep in her carseat and slept soundly through the whole event, you wanted to stay awake and party. We got home about 10 PM and you still did not want to go to sleep. You wanted to laugh at your dad. I finally bounced you to sleep sometime after 11 and then you slept a WHOLE SIX HOURS without waking up. According to the books, sleeping a six hour stretch qualifies as sleeping through the night. I was even awake at 5 AM, astounded that you were still asleep and waiting for you to wake up and eat. I think we even slept better than your dad who wants to give the cat to a new home after having to let him in and out several times last night. So the lessons we learned are: 1. our baby likes to party and 2. Tom Fudge better shape up.





Sleeping in general is still a work in progress. Sometimes you have a hard time falling asleep, but other times I put you in your swing and you are conked out within 30 seconds. You are a long way from just being put down in your crib and falling asleep on your own. The only surefire way to get you to sleep when all else fails is to put you facing me in the Baby Bjorn, give you a pacifier, and bounce gently on the ball until you drift off. You usually take your afternoon nap that way while I work quietly on the computer.

We think the first time you rolled over from front to back at 11 weeks was a fluke because you did not repeat the stunt for a few weeks. However, yesterday you rolled over from front to back 4 times in a row. It makes you mad when you have just managed to flip yourself on your back and I put you on your front so you can entertain me by doing it again.



We got out the Johnny Jumper and you like to sit in it, but you have not worked out the mechanics of hopping around yet. You are getting better at holding things in your hands with the goal of getting stuff into your mouth. You have also discovered your feet. When you are on the changing table, you like to reach up with your hands and grab them. You like to be put in an upright position to see what is going on around you instead of lying down. You also like playing Superbaby (flying) and Stiff as a Board (you stand erectly in our laps and we tilt you in all directions).

Your vocal repertoire is increasing. You have added some squeaks and squeals as well as a droning "uhhhuummmmmhhhhh" hum that usually indicates that you are tired of whatever we are doing. Here's a video of you making noises:



We also like to read books together. We sit in the glider and read for as long as you are interested. Your favorite book is Where the Wild Things Are. You wave your arms and legs around excitedly at the line, "they roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws". I like that book a lot too. Every word is exactly right like a good poem, and the illustrations, of course, are amazing too. Our plan is to get you reading banned books as early as possible. After we finish reading, I cradle you in my arms and sing a song or two while you look up at the bird mobile I made for you. I'm glad now that all the birds on the bottom branch flipped upside down. It is like they are looking at you.




We love you Sadie June. May your fourth month be filled with giggles.

Love, Mama