four months.

This month flew by, partially because I was late to acknowledge her at three months. But, for once, I was on time and took these pictures the day before. Mostly because I wanted to take pictures of her in this insanely cute bonnet before her noggin got too big.

So here are pictures of my adorable baby with some strategically placed toys, and a strategically placed little hat chosen because it makes her cheeks look so deliciously scrumptious. But, even if I strategically styled these pictures, you can be certain that I scraped aside all of our junk with my forearm and placed her on my rug that may or may not have been vacuumed for quite awhile. You can also be certain that those are some genuine Sadie smiles. She is the sweetest.

Miss Sadie is still loving her midnight snacks, and keeping mama busy all night long. But, she is taking some longer naps during the day, and that makes a big difference. She insists on being a part of our daily lives now. She likes to sit in the Bumbo and watch us eat our meals, or snuggle into the sling to hang out while I clean the house. She LOVES when Eliza plays with her. Eliza can get her to laugh almost every time. Sadie's responses to Eliza have really lifted some of the tension. I think Eliza is starting to feel like Sadie is more of a person, now that she can interact with her. Although, she still gets pretty jealous and clingy when Sadie needs to nurse or needs my undivided attention. It's tough being a big sister.

Sadie is also starting to hold and "play" with things a bit! She mostly just loves to cover it in her slimy river of drool, but it is nice having more items in my toolbox to keep her busy and happy. It's that lovely age when you feel like you are connecting with them at whole new level, like a tiny human.

Little Miss Sadie:

"mama"- I know I mentioned this before, but it really makes me so happy. Sadie has developed a special "call" for when she is hungry, and it's quite literally "Mama." All the heart eyes! I know she is not saying it for real, obviously. But, I kind of love it. Sadie likes to eat right when she wakes up from her naps. So, she just lays in her bed humming, "Mamaammamamamama" until I come to get her and feed her.

the neck folds- I know most babies have the neck folds, but honestly, Eliza didn't have much of any folds. So, I sort of love Sadie's little neck folds! Like, when she wear her little blue sweater dress to church and I find blue fuzz lined up in the creases. Or, when she smiles really big and her cheek and chin all smoosh together.

post-nap- When Sadie wakes up from her naps, I feed her, unwrap her, and lay her on the bed. I then always try to spend a few minutes giving her all of my attention before taking her out into the craziness of Eliza's world. We chat and sing songs, and her face just lights up. I get her to giggle by lifting her arms up over her head, or brushing my fingers down her face. Those are my favorite Sadie times.

side by side- There are, honestly, very few times when we can't decipher Sadie's needs. I mean, she cries like a baby.. a lot. But, we can usually figure out what it is that she wants within a few minutes. Every once in awhile she gets pretty worked up and won't be comforted. When that happens, she doesn't even want to be held- I have found that she just wants me to lay down next to her. We lay side by side, me in my bed and her in hers, and she just stares at me until she drifts off to sleep. Sometimes, her little hand will sneak out of her swaddle and I will let it wrap around my finger while she falls asleep. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does it makes me happy to slow down for a minute and stare at my baby as her long eyelashes float and flutter.

high pitched scream- In the past few days, Sadie has suddenly developed this funny, gargly high pitched scream-talk. It's this sort of throaty, screamy chatter she uses when she wants to say something and we are not really paying attention. Like, "Get me out of this dumb seat." Or, "I've been staring at this wall for 30 minutes now." Or, "Guys, I've been super chill while you got ready, but now I want to get out of this little straight jacket." And sometimes the little high pitched scream-talk babbles out when she is just happily playing with her toys. It's so funny.

We love our Sadie Lee.

Also, these smiles and those cheeks, and the time it took me to write down a few words about my sweet girl, have made this exhausting week just a little easier. There is always light in this world, and my family will always choose love.