4 Months Old!

Somehow, another month has passed in a flash right before my eyes. I can't even believe it!
Marin was 4 months old on Monday, and aside from going to battle with her first little cold, she is doing great!

Here are some of Marin's 4 month developments:

**She is rolling over a lot more now, which means that we have finally witnessed it actually happening, instead of just discovering her in the opposite position in which we left her. Last week she really surprised me when she rolled from her back to her stomach and to her back again! I applauded this as if she scored the winning touchdown, and beamed with pride the rest of the day. Of course, we have yet to get any of the rolling over on video. Every time we get out the camera she becomes more interested in it, than rolling over, and all activity halts.

**She still loves to "stand". She props her little feet up on your thighs and wants to bounce or dance. With our aid, of course. :)

**Marin continues to love music- We sing every day and read a book that features music played by pictured "baby" musicians. So far Vivaldi is her favorite; I think mostly because she recognizes the violin from daycare. She really perks up when she hears it.

**Marin has made her first two little friends. They are Shelby (11 months) and Sloan (14 months) from daycare. They tell us that Marin sits and "talks" and laughs with them like a couple of girlfriends.

**She doesn't hate tummy time quite as much now. Probably due mostly to the fact that she can hold her head up about 90 degrees, which allows her to be able to look around better. Sometimes she moves her legs back and forth like she is swimming.

**Marin is reaching out a lot and grabbing for things with her hands- including my hair, and recently, Jason's lower lip.

**She is definitely more interested in toys than she ever has been. She doesn't have a favorite yet, but loves to play on her play mat. She becomes very engaged with toys that are bright colors, and if they make noise it is an added bonus.

**We have ourselves a little extrovert in Marin! She loves looking around and wants to constantly be part of the action. When Jason and I eat dinner we usually put her in her swing, and she talks to us the whole time as if to say, "Hey guys. Don't forget about me! Whatcha' talkin' about over there?"

**I have been reading that Marin should now begin to better understand the role of communication. She babbles away and we have a lot of conversations like this:

Marin: (aaaah. daaaaaa. aaah! ahh! aaaaa!)

Us: "Oh, yes. I see. Can you tell me more?"

Marin: (aaaaah daa)

Us: "Do you see Norah?"

Marin: (aaah)

Us: "Norah is a dog. Norah is a brown dog."

Marin: (ahhhh aaaaaayyyyyy aaaaa!)

Sometimes I imitate her sounds and see if she can say them back to me. I say things like "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma" or "da-da-da-da-da" and "ba-ba-ba-ba" to see if she can say it back. So far she mostly just stares back at me blankly, but someday maybe she'll just surprise me! :)

**Marin loves playing with her feet. She puts them together like they are little praying feet. One day when she pulled them up to her head, we marveled at a baby's flexibility and I tried to see if I could do this too. Take it from me- it wasn't as cute.

**She loves to look at bright colors on the pages of books, even more this month. We read colors and shapes in Spanish as well as English, and numbers in Spanish and French (they are written in the book). I don't know how to pronounce much more than these though, so hopefully she's not too curious about another language.

**She is blowing a lot of bubbles with her mouth, and lately she has taken it to the next level by making an even bigger sound while trying to blow the bubbles. It's probably good for her motor development, but sometimes she ends up almost spitting at you.

Marin remains the number one greatest joy in our lives. We absolutely marvel every day at the rate and method in which she learns. Even with congestion, she is a happy, delightful little baby. And the complete love of our lives.