Josephine is 4 Months Old

Dear Josephine,

Each new day with you, you grow smilier and more you than the day before. You are finding your voice, your ears and your hands. Oh those sweet hands mesmerize you. You just seem to get lost in them. And we get lost in you. Your giggles and your gummy smile make everyone's day. You seem to make every day more joyous than the last for all of us.  

Here's a peek into your world at 4 months old

• Remember  when you used to hate tummy time??  Well, now you only want to be on your tummy!  I'll lay you on your activity mat and a second later, you are rolled over and just hanging out on your tummy!
• Speaking of rolling over - you are mobile now!  You can roll over tummy-to-back. You have tried and tried and when you finally did it, I actually caught it on video and you can just see the pride in your eyes. And you definitely heard it in my voice!
• You are starting to discover your voice and play around with different sounds.  The sounds are more complex and even louder than the month before.  You still remain a very quiet and mellow baby though. I think that will always be who you are.  
• You are starting to reach for things, bat at your toys, play with the toys on your baby seat and react in delight to their sounds. Your very first sounds of play. 
• You enjoy reading with you and your sisters in my lap. I think mostly you enjoy the snuggles and trying to turn the page. 
• These days you reach for everything - your favorites are my hair and my dinner! And everything you do get your hands on, goes straight to your mouth!  Most of the time though, you are sucking on thumb, your dress or your blanket.  
• You are now eating 4 8oz bottles a day.  
• Naps are all over the board, but we have made huge progress this month!  You take 3-4 naps a day - a morning, afternoon and early evening nap.  The first nap is usually an hour, the second is somewhere between 45 min - 2.5 hours and the third is usually 45 minutes.  If we are out and about you usually snooze in the car either coming or going.  You nap 2 hours almost exactly after you have woken up from your last slumber.  You know and rely on your eat, play, sleep routine these days and that makes my job so much easier.  
• Bath time for you is pretty fast and furious. Not because you don't love it, just because we have 3 babies to bathe! You are very relaxed in the bath and enjoy it, but your favorite part is when I scoop you up and dry you off. You give me the biggest smiles then. 
• After bath is of course story time.  We get you all snugly and fresh and we all go into Emeline's bed.  It's family time, with all of us snuggled in her bed to read you a story or two (or five!) before we kiss you goodnight and wish you sweet sweet dreams. 
• Bedtime is at 8pm and you sleep soundly through the night until I have to wake you for school for Emeline.  You haven't always been such a good sleeper at night, but you are on a roll right now. Daddy and I are so grateful!  

Our little Josie Bear. We adore you. Each roll and dimple grow more precious by the minute. You started filling out nicely this month and we just can't stop kissing your sweet cheeks. 

Thank you for being the easiest, most patient baby on the planet.  The grace you give me as a mother is more than I deserve. I love you my angel baby.

Love, 

Mommy, Daddy, Emeline and Giselle
(Oskar and George too!)