This was a big month for Collins and included her meeting more milestones, meeting more family, her first Christmas, first trip to Alabama and the University of Alabama, and first New Years.
We'll start with the milestones.
Sitting! This is big folks! C can rock the sitting position for 15-20 seconds with no assistance before toppling to the side or falling backwards. It's best achieved when putting objects or flashing toys in front of her. I'm confident she'll be sitting full time by 6 mo.
Collins is tolerating tummy time more these days and can generally hang out for as long as 20 minutes if she's really got a toy (or watching sister) she's interested in. During tummy time, she no longer stays put. She's in the same general area, but definitely spins around and inches along.
Grasping with two hands and passing back and forth between hands is new this month.
Exploring with the mouth is also a big thing this month. Everything goes in the mouth!
Hair is really sprouting these days. She's had peach fuzz from birth, but it's really beginning to grow. We definitely have a blondie.
Her favorite things still include her paci (which she's getting really good at putting in her mouth by herself these days) and bath time (this kid loves the water!!). She also loves watching Hannah, being held above your head, and being talked to. She loves grabbing anything that makes a crunching noise.
First Christmas and first snow also took place this month!
And by first snow, I mean flurries that didn't stick... I'm sure if you blow this picture up, you can spot a few flakes. It was really coming down, I promise!
We took C to Alabama for the first time this month. We were there for over a week and she got to meet more cousins and family. She was loved on and enjoyed the attention, even from the doggies :)
We were able to get out and experience a lot of fun things, including a trip to Tuscaloosa and a basketball game (which she slept through).
So far, no stranger danger. Our biggest hurdle this month came during our trip to AL. We discovered that C doesn't sleep well at night away from her house. She was up multiple times every night, with some of those occasions begin up to two hours some nights. She wasn't hungry, sick, or needing a change, but rather looking for comfort and familiarity. When I'd pick her up, she'd immediately bury her head into me and relax. The hardest part was getting her back into the pack and play without starting the comfort process over again. H was always so adaptable, so we weren't expecting this glitch. C is such a cuddly little baby and loves to be held. I was thankful for the advice of a well-seasoned SIL who explained that C may just have a hard time with new sights and smells. I was worried that this trip would start a trend of waking during the night again... even at home. Thankfully, that was not the case and she went right back to sleeping through the night when we returned home.
Collins' first time in a baby swing happened this month! Hannah was itching to put C in a swing and push her. Of course, I had to run with this. I was so excited H expressed the interest! C enjoyed it (although, the picture shows two lackadaisical looking kids. Ha!)
