This post is late...almost coming at Magpie's five month birthday....but here is Ms. Magpie's four month photo. She's growing up!
She's got quite a personality now - very smiley, very interactive. She's fairly mellow, but she knows what she wants and will definitely let you know if you're not providing it!
Magpie still very small for her age. We were just at the doctor last week and she now tips the scales at 12 pounds, 3 ounces. Not much, especially considering she was born at 8 pounds, 1 ounce. She's at the 6th percentile now (down from the 45th). I try not to worry too much about this, but I do find that her weight continues to be on my mind. She's drinking approximately 30 ounces of breast milk a day now, so it should be enough. Not sure why she doesn't grow a bit faster, but alas. Perhaps when she starts solids at 6 months she'll pick up the pace a bit? Or maybe she is just going to be a wee lass. We shall see.
I don't have her measurements with me for her length and head circumference, but both are at the 25th percentile, which the doctor was happy with.
So enough of the numbers. The bigger question is, What is Ms. Magpie up to these days?
- She's smiling at everyone, including Moxie, even when you are across the room.
- She's looking at everything, everywhere we go, her head a constant swivel as she soaks in the world around her.
- She turns toward you most of the time if you say her name.
- She's grabbing for toys, for mommy's hair, for the placemat on the table when she's on my lap, for the paper on the doctor's exam table. Everything she can get her little hands on.
- She loves putting everything she can into her mouth - her hands, her toys, your hands, your arm, eeevvveerrything.
- She's rolling over front to back.
- She's rolling over back to front.
- She has great head control and likes tummy time for long stretches.
- She loves to bounce herself up and down in a standing position on mommy's lap...over and over and over.
- She coos and groans and gurgles.
- She makes bubbles and "spppttth" noises with her lips (maybe she's a future trumpet player?)
- She's drinking about 6.5 ounces at most feeds now and is using the Playtex Nurser Bottle. She seems to prefer the fast flow nipple.
- She grabs her feet with her hands and pulls them up toward her head.
- She loves to sit up if you help her balance.
- On a good night, she sleeps from 8 or 8:30pm until 3am. Then drinks another few ounces and sleeps until 6am or so.
She really enjoys her swing and also loves her Fisher Price playmat. Looooves it. Maybe I'll have to do a "Magpie's favorite things" post soon. She has a crinkly Winnie the Pooh book that she also loves (I think she loves the sound more than anything).
Little girl is a joy and is growing up! One day at a time. I still can't believe she's mine.
Mo
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She is so adorable!
ReplyDeleteShe sounds like she is doing great! I can understand the worries about her weight, and if it's any consolation, these don't go away, regardless of the child in question. I don't mean to scare you, but just you wait until little missy gets her toddlerish opinions about food in a year or so, and then you'll long for the days of milk only... I truly hope you don't ever get to know those days, but as far as I can say, they all go through that stage.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, she is a cutie and apparently quite the mover. Thank god she sleeps well. :-)
Adorable! So glad that she's doing well!
ReplyDeleteOh my, adorable!!
ReplyDeleteWow, what a cutie. And, is that red hair? Grayson has red hair and I love it. We'll see if it sticks.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I share your concerns about weight but on the opposite spectrum. At not quite 12 weeks, he is closing in on 16# (which puts him in the 97% for weight) and managing his hunger is still a work in progress (meaning, I am still caught off guard that he is hungry when he is and am sometimes too slow to react which means he is full out, red faced screaming). I keep telling myself that it is what it is, that I'm not force feeding him, that's he's growing and hungry and to let it be. But, since weaning early and switching to formula, I guess I do have some guilt. I try to remind myself that he's been this way since birth, HUNGRY, breast milk or formula).
I love reading her antics. Keep em coming, Mo, and I'd love to hear how you are Will are settling in as parents, and adjusting to being a family of 3. I also wonder if cycling for a sibling is on the horizon.
Such a doll!!!
ReplyDeleteMo, she's super adorable :)
ReplyDeleteI think she's like my Kendra - not into the milk so much but when she started solids, whoa, she hasn't stopped eating in 3 years :)
LOOK at that hair!
ReplyDeleteLOOK at that smile!
LOOK at those feet!
she is JOY personified...
mo and will, i am so happy for you.
thinking back- not too long ago- on all of the struggles you have endured to become parents, this post is just, well, it really warms the heart. look at her! she is really here!
thanks for updating...
Miss Magpie is fantastic. Don't worry too much about the weight thing. I think as long as she continues to follow her curve (whatever that may be), she's fine. My little boy has always been in the less than 5th percentile for weight and height. He is just little. Enjoy your sweetpea. She is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHey! I'm new to your site! We too, battled infertility with failed IVF, etc.
ReplyDeleteConceived on our own last March and have a 3-month old little girl now!!
Glad to know you're still swaddling. Trying to figure out when to stop!
Your newest follower.
XO
Dee
www.deestephensadventures.com
She is so precious. How can you get away from kissing her long enough to write a post? So adorable.
ReplyDeleteAs for the weight, a good way to tell if she is consuming enough is if she finishes her bottles regularly and/or if she spits up a lot. In other words, if she eats everything, but starts spitting up all the time - too much! If she eats everything and doesn't really spit up much more, there you go. Try going up a bit and seeing her response.
As for oz/day, I am sensitive to this because I thought I was feeding the correct range (like you), but DD wasn't gaining and was falling off her curve. I gave her more and more and more, around 40-45oz/ day and she gulped down everything. Long, long story short, my BM had too much foremilk, even though I pumped. I felt like a freak when I figured it all out, but glad I did. When we switched to formula, she ate SO MUCH LESS and back in the "range". And she has been steadily gaining weight and catching back up to her birth range (50%).
Hope that helps. And give her some kisses for me!
Goodness she is a cutie pie!!
ReplyDeleteShe is just beautiful. I am so happy for you guys x
ReplyDeleteHey, Mo. Thanks for the update. Sounds like she's thriving!
ReplyDeleteIf your ped isn't worried about her growth, don't worry about her growth :)
I say that as a mom to a kid whose weight has been <1%
I've heard in many places that birth weight has NOTHING to do with kids' weight as they go through their first year, and then beyond. LG was all over the map--as small as under 25th as large as maybe 80th--and she's been about 50th for both height and weight since about the age of 3.
Love the pictures! It sounds like Magpie is doing great. She may start to gain a little more weight when she eats solids, but it will probably depend on how soon and how much she starts moving around. If she starts to roll/crawl around, she's going to burn more calories.
ReplyDeleteBe prepared for the eating/weight gain thing to stress you for a while. Miss A had been a champion eater of solids (often 8-9 ounces per meal, plus milk and nursing), and still only weighs 18.5 pounds at her 1 year appointment. Plus, these past few weeks she's decided she wants nothing to do with anyone else feeding her - she must do it all herself. And she does not want purees anymore - it has to be what we are eating. And of course she suddenly dislikes foods she used to love, like avocado. Mostly she picks carrot or zucchini pieces out of her food. I'm glad she likes veggies, but I'm really wishing at the moment that they were full of fat and calories.
All those things translate into a really long mealtime in which half of the food ends up on the floor and me wondering how she can possibly subsist on a few veggie pieces and air. Her pedi says her eating behaviors and patterns at this point are typical toddler. I don't see the stress about it going away any time soon though...
Mo she's lovely and I enjoy hearing what she's doing compared to my 10/18 ivf baby girl. All I can day us smiles, smiles, smiles is our daily agenda.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, PLEASE tell us.....I'm dying to know....what did you decide? Are you doing donor milk, or pumping, or nursing from just the "good" boob??
Sorry!! I hadn't read your other post about the milk. AMAZING!!!
ReplyDelete