4 months old (tomorrow)

J and I have been worried about the future weaning of the swaddle. It's such a prominent part of Ellie's sleep ritual that I'm scared she won't be able to sleep as well without it. However, I'm sure she'll adapt as all babies do!

Anyways, a couple of weeks ago she started arching her back a lot more and sometimes we'd even find her asleep in that position. She wasn't crying out in pain, so we knew it wasn't from gas or reflux. She was on her way to rolling over.

If I'm behind her when she's lying on the ground, she'll arch her back and throw her head way back and look at me. She'll even swing one arm over to try to get momentum.
Unfortunately, she's not fully aware of her legs and the farthest she'll get is onto her side. Then she turns her head into the blanket she's on and grunts and grunts until she gives up. I can see she's getting so frustrated! I've even helped her along and turned her legs so that she ended up on her stomach. She then smiles for about a full minute while she takes in the new vantage point. And here I was thinking she hated tummy time...

Another thing we constantly see is drool. See the bib in the next picture? It's not from feeding her, it's because once she's in the Jolly Jumper the drool just starts pouring from her mouth. I'm assuming it's because she smiles more and since her mouth is more open it just comes out! She's chewing on lots of stuff: plastic rings, fuzzy toys, fingers...this is another way for her to explore different things.


Lastly, she's discovered her vocal chords and lungs. Specifically that combination. She'll take a deep breath, pause, and then screech. Over and over again. And again, and again. You'd think she's upset, but she's not. She's having fun...especially since we have high ceilings in our family room and her screeches echo a bit. It's like the room is full of babies!