"Wonder Weeks"

I recently learned about something called the "Wonder Weeks." According to this website, "research has shown that your baby makes eight major, predictable, age-linked changes during the first year." And during those eight big leaps, baby's personality apparently changes temporarily--because they are so interested in discovering their new world. Among patterns that change because baby is going through this big leap? Sleep!

I was kind of relieved to learn about the Wonder Weeks, because Elizabeth, at 19 weeks, is apparently in the middle of one, and it explains a lot. On the positive side, she's just about hitting a big milestone--rolling over! She can roll from tummy to back, and is working on back to tummy. We put her in her crib, and if she's awake, she "practices"! The fun stops when her arm gets caught under her--she's not sure what to do with that, and then gets ticked. However, Craig checked on her in the crib the other day while she was down for a nap, and found her on her tummy! That little sneak must have rolled over on the sly, with no one to see her! We are eagerly awaiting viewing it ourselves. In related news, Elizabeth finally tolerates tummy time and probably even LIKES it--because she can now raise her head high enough to see the world!

Anyway, the downside of this Wonder Week is a newly-crappy sleep schedule. For the last couple weeks, more nights than not, her sleeping is like a newborn's--up every 2 to 3 hours! I've been playing around with whether or not to feed her or just comfort her; I'm a bit paranoid about her weight, so I often just feed her in the middle of the night when she rouses, although I'm probably starting a bad habit. And consequently I'm a zombie--I got spacey and started nodding off in front of my computer at work last week, and this morning I almost started nodding off IN THE CAR. Yikes! The good news is, is that I only have 2 more weeks of work before a glorious break for summer.

Despite how frustrating this Wonder Week is, we just love watching our daughter absorb the world like a sponge. She is amazing in what she is learning and how she is changing.