time warp.

Whoops, quite a bit of time has elapsed since I last wrote.  Let me try and see if I can catch you up on some "milestones" or, if nothing else, fun events that have happened over the past 4 months!  Cora first rolled from her back, over her right shoulder, at 2 months and 12 days old on November 30... then on January 5 she rolled over her left shoulder (from her back on to her tummy).  The past few days she she has been rolling from her tummy to her back.  She also is "log rolling".. starting off on her back and then rolling over and over across the room.  It's adorable.  Yesterday she started trying to sit up and sort of sits in a tripod (leaning forward).  She only lasts for a few moments without assistance.  In this photo (yesterday) she was 4 months and 7 days old.
                                                     
She has been trying to hold her bottle, or "bubba" as I call it and "bobo" as Dada calls it, independently for a while.  This week she was successful at it for a lot of the feeding. 

She also belly laughed out loud on Monday, January 23 -- I got a video of it.  Gotta love the convenience of cell phones!  She also has taken to constantly pulling at her toes and feet during a diaper change, and lately, sucking on them.  Hello, flexible, crazy, squinty-eyed baby!

 So, although I could type a novel for you, I'll wrap it up and try to sum up the first 4 months of Cora's life in 10 things:

1.  It's been hard.  So hard.  Overwhelming - yet amazing.
2.  The amount of poop she can produce is astounding.
3.  ...so is the amount of drool.
4.  She was never a great nurser and breastfeeding can kinda suck.  There, I said it.
5.  ...but, pumping sucks almost as bad.
6.  I'm amazed when Cora learns new things: rolling over, grabbing her toes, sucking on her toes, laughing out loud and more.
7.  I take a million pictures of her... and I'm creating an album with one photo representing each day of the year.  I think it'll be awesome to look back at her year and see how she changed along the way.
8.  She loves her nightly tubby and swaddling has been a lifesaver. (this was kind of a 2 for 1) ;)
9.  I don't know if I'll ever get her to sleep out of my bedroom - and this is because I'm unable to do it...

and finally...

10.  When she smiles, I forget: how tired I am, how mushy my belly is (as a result of stretching to the size of a watermelon!), how badly my hair is falling out, how "running to the store" will never be a simple task again, how I literally won't stop for a coffee anymore unless it's a drive through, and I forget about a million other difficult things.  Seeing her happy little face greet me whenever she wakes up makes every moment that seems impossible all worth it.  She is my most precious little baby, even if I feel I've been living in a time warp, not blow drying my hair or wearing make up and dressing in black stretchy yoga pants every.single.day. -  I don't care; I love her.