Tessa @ 4 Months

Our baby girl is 4 months old.  I always feel like 4 months marks the point where the baby becomes less of a newborn and more of a little person.  It seems like around the 4 month mark is where they begin making so many new discoveries and accomplishments at such a rapid pace that I can't keep up with them all.  My case in point - Tessa rolled over for the first time (that I saw - I think she's done it once at Grandma's) last night.  She was lying on her play mat on her belly (which she really isn't crazy about) and rolled right over to her back.  Both Brandon and I happened to be in the floor with her, so it was a great moment for us. 

She weighs 14 pounds and 7 ounces, putting her in the 55th percentile.  She is 26 inches long, which puts her in the 96th percentile for length. She's officially in size 6 month clothing.  Some 3-6 month still fit, but are becoming shorter and shorter.  We've also graduated to size 2 diapers.  We haven't started any solids yet, but we will probably start cereals this week.  I know a lot of people wait until the 6 month mark - I don't.  I started at 4 months with my boys and it worked well, so we'll just stick with what works for us.  She takes 5 ounces every 3-4 hours (closer to 3) and 6 ounces before bed.

She has hit a rough patch with her sleep this month - she got her first little cold about a week ago and it really messed with her sleep.  Because she is so congested, she has started crying out in the middle of the night.  I have to go in and clean her little nose out and get her calmed down.  We don't feed her, we don't turn the lights on (except her lamp).  She goes back to sleep with no problems until her little nose becomes stuffy again.  We have elevated her mattress, used the humidifier and vapor plug ins.  She has the vicks rub on her chest and feet.  It's just one of the many annoyances of being an infant I think - a stuffy nose and not much you can do about it :(  She also had her first fever and bout of pink eye this month, a lovely gift from her brother Brooks.

She is still being swaddled for bed and doesn't try one bit to break free.  I think she knows that once she does, she'll be forced to sleep unswaddled. HA!  I know that's something we'll have to tackle shortly and I seriously DREAD it.  She is still "happy happy happy" for the most part and continues to be my most easy-going child. 

Acheivements this month include:

• Rolling over (from tummy to back)
• First fever :(
• First trip to the mall (& Toys R Us, which she apparently hates as bad as I do because she cried the whole time)

A Few (Christmas Buying) Suggestions

When you have 3 kids, you become "seasoned" in lots of areas - how to feed a baby without slowing down, the best way to calm a coughing child, and how to give a gift to a child among many others.  When I have time, I like to browse other mommy blogs and I'm always amazed at the gift suggestions or wish lists that they post for children.  I'm always thinking Ha!  That will never be used. or That will break in five minutes.  or ohhh their momma is going to HATE you for that! 

So just in case a small child is on your Christmas list this year, I have a few (Rutledge) kid-tested, mommy-approved suggestions.  These are all items that we personally love, play with, and abuse on a daily basis.  Some are inexpensive and others are more costly.  One thing that my mommy friends and I can agree on is that we would rather have NO gift at all than a gift that will break quickly or not get played with.  

Let me start by saying that if the child is less than a year old, no matter how much you want to believe that the child will love and adore whatever gift it is that you're buying, you're wrong.  The child will not care one bit about opening gifts.  If the toy feels good on their gums or lights up, you might have a winner, otherwise you will be better off buying things that the child needs like gift cards for clothes or shoes, diapers, bigger car seats, things for their room, etc.  I know that's no fun, but I'm just trying to be honest.  

On to the things I can attest for:

Fisher Price Little People Farm

This was given to Will on his first birthday and BOTH boys still play with it on a daily basis.  It still looks brand new.  We have misplaced most of the animals that came with this set, but they put any and all of their plastic farm animals in this barn.  Seriously - best toy ever. 

Anything by Imaginext

I guess this is the "big kid" version of the Little People sets.  We already have several of these sets, but Will has asked for both the Batcave AND the Castle this Christmas.  These are virtually indestructible and come with lots of available accessories to keep the kiddos engaged.

Pottery Barn Anywhere Chair

There are lots of varieties of this type of chair out there, but this is the only one I can speak for.  The boys use these on a DAILY basis in their playroom.  Obviously to sit and watch movies in, but other uses currently include fort building, and tumble mats (think turn upside down and jump off of).  They've survived the test of Rutledge time.  And that says a LOT.  This is a great gift for those under 12 months old because they won't be disappointed that it's not a toy, and they WILL use it.  I would imagine a 4 year old would be upset to find this under the tree, although it's still completely a great gift - just not a toy.  Our boys were given these by their dad and me on their first birthdays.

Automoblox

These are great.  Our boys love them.  They don't make noise or need batteries (2 parent points) and they keep the kids engaged for a LONG time switching the tires and other various parts around.  They're made of wood, so they're sturdy too.  I would suggest waiting until at least 2 1/2 for this toy (smaller parts and all).  But totally awesome.  They also make the girl varieties in pink and purple.

Other things that have made great gifts in our house include books, movies, train table, Mobigo game system, Melissa & Doug floor puzzles, flashlights of any fashion, and rain boots (ALWAYS a hit here for some reason).

These are just our tried and tested suggestions.  I would gift any of these to either a boy or a girl but at this point it's fair to say that I have more experience with the boys.  I would also suggest asking the parent for ideas.  Each child is different and the parent would know what they want/need.  

I hope this helps!