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| By the water and the Spirit. |
September 11 – October 11
Aisling’s 4th month was so busy!
Aisling met her Godparents Brandy and Jeremy and was
baptized on September 22 at St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco. It was a
wonderful weekend full of family and friends.
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| Lighting a baptism candle for Aisling |
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| 109-year-old Christening dress |
Aisling wore her maternal great-grandfather Sullivan's 109-year-old christening dress, and a blanket from her great-grandmother Webster's family.
The following weekend we had a nice getaway in Carmel-by-the-Sea with
some old friends of Sandi’s who live in Phoenix. Aisling was really waking up and becoming quite
fun and interesting. Since we don’t have an infant seat or stroller, we hold
her in our laps at meals, where she gets to watch us eat, interact, and
practice her balance and coordination.
It was our first trip to the Monterey area, including a hike
by the ocean at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. We saw sea lions, otters,
and harbor seals aplenty. Baby slept through most of it in her carrier, though.
I’ve learned how to nurse her in her carrier, so when she woke up hungry I just
made a few adjustments, latched her on, and kept walking while she ate lunch!
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| Packing! |
The next week was moving week. Since Doug’s company was
acquired he was making a long commute to and from Mountain View every day for
work. He was basically spending 10 hours a week on the train, which was
becoming very stressful for us since he’d leave each morning before baby was properly awake and come home
just before she went to bed for the night.
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| All packed. |
Sandi decided not to go back to work
until around/after the holidays so she could spend more time with the baby. Also,
Doug’s company provided funds to help us move. So we found a nice new apartment
in Mountain View and booked movers to pack and move everything for us. It was
incredible to have people swoop in and wrap and box everything in 3 hours! They
moved us into our new apartment on Friday afternoon. We spent Saturday
unpacking and stocking the refrigerator with fresh things from Costco and Whole
Foods. We got a Vitamix blender at Costco – we both need to eat more healthy green
raw things, and the Vitamix is incredibly versatile and durable.
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| Fitting bikes in the city |
On Sunday morning Sandi did her 10k race in the city
followed by brunch with friends. We then spent the day in the city, where Doug
was fitted for a new bicycle. He’s decided to bike the 4 miles to and from work
every day; his old bike is quite rickety and inappropriate for consistent
commuting, requiring lots of maintenance as various things come loose. Also
Doug loves biking as exercise much more than running, and so he decided to get
a bike that will serve both commuting and sporting purposes.
The next week was our first full week in the apartment, and
the last week of Aisling’s fourth month! She wakes each morning around 8 a.m.
while Sandi is out running and Doug cuddles and cares for her while making
coffee and smoothies. She goes down for a nap sometime between 10:30-11:30 and
sleeps for 1-2 hours, then again in the afternoon for another hour or so, and
down for the night between 7-8 p.m. She slept for a full 8 hours a few times in
the first week; usually she’s woken at 3 and 6 for light sleepy feeds, which is
normal and fine.
We are really enjoying our new apartment! It has 2 bedrooms, a dining area, and a wonderful patio that's essentially another room since the weather in Mountain View is so pleasant. Sandi spends lots of time sitting on the patio with Aisling, listening to the birds and the breezes rustling the leaves of the trees.
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| Patio Oasis Panorama |
Aisling is spending more time on her tummy, reaching and
grasping objects, laughing and squealing, standing in our laps with support, and
generally becoming very interested in the world. At her 4-month Dr. Appointment
she weighed in at 16 ½ lbs and 25 ¼ inches long; these are in the 87
th
and 76
th percentiles for full term babies! She’s basically the size
of an average 6-month-old. Very few 3 month clothes fit her, and some 9 month clothes
are perfect. How they do grow!!
The doctor was also very impressed with her strength and
coordination. At 4 months she seems to be just about caught up with babies in
her chronological age group, which is very good for a preemie. She hasn’t
rolled over yet, but the doctor wasn’t at all concerned with that, saying that
many babies don’t roll over until close to when they’re sitting unsupported,
which is closer to 6 months.
So there we have it! We love our silly sweet baby.
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| Bathtime baby! |
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