Sunday, January 23, 2011

4 months!!

Wow! It has been a long time since we last updated this blog!! So much has been going on with Charlotte and Team Wagoner in general! Charlotte is 4 months old now. We had her 4 month check-up on Friday and the pediatrician said she is perfect! She is 13lbs 10oz, 24 inches long, and has a perfectly round head. This is a good thing since at our 2 month check-up there was discussion about her possibly needing a helmet. She had a flat side on her head but we worked hard to even it out...she worked hard! She is doing really well. She is sleeping great - usually through the night. She is eating well and growing right on track. In 4 weeks we are going to start rice cereal and maybe begin to introduce a sippy cup! I cannot believe how fast things are going. The first 8 weeks of her life we wanted her to go on ahead and grow up - be self sufficient. Now, we want her to be like Benjamin Button! Where did my little nugget go!?! She is a little lady now :(!! I am going to post a picture of Charlotte at 1 week next to Robbie's lap top and a picture of her at 4 months next to the same lap top. The difference is insane!!

Charlotte is not only developing physically but she is also becoming much more aware of her environment and is interacting with us more and more each day. She laughs, squeals (new), smiles, babbles, and shoves whatever she can find into her mouth! She is wonderful. We bought her a bouncer and it has turned out to be the best purchase yet! She absolutely loves it!! She can be sooooo tired, I mean fussy and tired, and she will still want to jump! She is hilarious!! I never thought a bouncy would be that big of a hit. With that said, I have compiled a list of the things I think new parents should buy and the things they can pass on:

Bouncy chair - really not needed until 3-4 months
Swing - I would wait on this until you know your child. We have a swing and she doesn't really like it. I think she likes the side to side movement more than front to back.
Pack n' Play - definitely! Get one with a music player and you will be golden!
Diaper Genie Elite - PASS!!! This thing looks fancy and it works really well but after a couple of months it smells awful!! We have bleached it, pine sol'd it, lysol'd it, stopped using it for poopy diapers and it still smells!! We finally tossed it and bought one that uses regular garbage bags! So disappointing!
Sleep Sheep - LOVE this!!! Charlotte loves it too!
Gerber cloth diapers - we use these for burp cloths and would be LOST without them!! They are so great as burp cloths! Charlotte loves to chew on them too!!
Bouncy seat - how handy has this been! It's a portable seat. I can put her on the kitchen counter, not in danger of falling off of course, and do the dishes while she plays with her mobile or listens to music! I love this!!
Batteries - just go ahead and buy stock in duracell. We go through so many batteries it isn't funny!
Diapers - buy when on sale. I get so irritated when I have to pay full price for diapers. I stocked up while pregnant but now I wish I stocked up even more!
Expensive crib mobile - wait to see if this is something your child will like. I bought one that claims to prepare them for college from birth (jk) and we NEVER use it. It is laying next to her crib. Not even attached anymore!!

For some reason that is all that comes to mind right now. We have bought so much stuff and seem to accumulate more and more each day. I am finding that the basics keep her entertained just as much as the expensive stuff.

All in all she is doing great. We are really enjoying our time with her and we can't wait to watch her continue to grow and develop. She is so amazing!! We have her in a really great daycare at the Jewish Community Center and she is making some great friends there. It really is wonderful!

Regarding the Wagoners - we are in the middle of the philosophy job market. It isn't panning out so well but we are hopeful. We have a back-up plan, which makes me feel great! Robbie is a little (A LOT) frustrated with the way things are going but we are trying to stay positive. I'm not great at this (surprise!) but we are trying. We are still applying to jobs but we are preparing for the future. We have to. We have a little one to care for and she is our priority. Things will work out. Between you and me, I like our Plan B better than our Plan A. We are hoping to know what the future holds for us by April!

Well, that is where we are at right now. Hopefully I will keep this blog more updated...we will see!!