4 months!

Four month old Esther is FUN!

Her vocalizations are very conversational - she has something to say, and she is telling you! Love those little baby noises :)

She is a very chill baby, and almost always happy. She has thankfully evolved into the famed "easy" third child - I had my doubts early on, as she was a bit of a high-strung newborn. But these days she's super easy going, very low fuss.

On the move
She started in the middle of her mat, and wiggled her way right off!

She loves to be down on the floor and explore the space around her.  She seems to be very intentionally reaching for things and then studying them. She will also kick and feel around her with her feet. She wiggles and scoots and spins all around (and occasionally right off!) her play mat. At night, she usually migrates down to one end of her crib. She rolls front to back, but not back to front yet.

I'd say most nights, she wakes once to eat - but in the past month we've also had a handful of 11.5 hour, all night stretches...as well as nights where she wakes three times to eat. Typically, she wakes for the day about 12-14 hours after initially going to sleep - my first "late sleeper". Naps are going well, but still short (30-40 minutes). Sometimes she'll have one longer nap (2-3 hours) in the middle of the day (when the other kids are also napping - bonus!).

Esther is a big fan of Jonah. She lights up whenever he slows down enough to lay and talk to her a while. Cora likes to hang out with her on the floor, too, and still occasionally asks to hold her. Cora, my big helper, loves to get me diapers and wipes when I'm changing Esther, then disposes of the dirty diaper - what service!

Our big girl is squeezing into size 6 month, but also wearing some 9 month clothing. Looking at pictures, she seems to be wearing the same size Cora was in July, August or September the year she was born! (Both January birthdays). Esther is not particularly chunky, but she's pretty long.

She's still sucking her fingers. It seems to help her ability to nap anywhere - she always has them with her! She has fallen asleep on the floor, in the middle of the chaos that is Jonah and Cora, and easily falls asleep in her car seat when we're out and about, even if we're not in the car/moving. I've also discovered that she will reliably nap in a swing at the YMCA childcare, so, if I time it right, I can spend her nap working out. Multitasking!

Overall, I'd say the transition to three has been a bit easier than going from one to two. Maybe because the "crazy-level" around here was already pretty high - what's one more? But I also think living in a third-floor apartment with two under two and having a newborn in January during the coldest winter in Iowa I can remember may have also contributed to my stress when Cora was born :) Love our mild Kansas winters, haha!

We love our sweet Esther girl, and she daily brings JOY to our family. Each new age is my favorite. I don't wish away these days, but I also don't mourn their passing. It is fun to watch these babies grow!