The sixteenth week

As Madeline reaches the four-month mark, I'll take the chance to run down her progress in several areas. It should be noted that four months is not a particularly busy time as far as acquiring new skills - there's a bit of a lull between three and six months, from what I gather by looking at development charts.

Talking: Madeline will talk for long periods now, and uses several different vowel sounds that rise and fall in pitch. She's mostly sticking to one syllable at a time and will occasionally come out with a hard "g" or "d" sound. Her words are directed at anything that catches her fancy - her parents, her mobile, the ceiling fan - and most often occur when she's on her back or in her chair.

Laughing: She's starting to experiment with laughter, and usually only during periods of high activity such as bouncing on daddy's knee or dancing with mom.

Hands: She's always moving her hands - studying them, sticking them in her mouth and grasping objects. She also will reach for objects and bring them to her mouth.

Legs: She's getting very strong and can support her weight with ease. She enjoys standing and loves surveying the room while standing in someone's lap. She also kicks with gusto when she's on her back and in a good mood.

Body: She can hold herself upright with little trouble these days, making her much easier to lift and carry. She can sit upright for long periods with slight assistance. On her tummy she can push up with both arms and holds her head at a 90-degree angle for extended periods. She can also look around and swivel her upper body if something catches her interest to either side. She's rolled over several times, but not consistently. She also kicks her feet in a crawling motion when she's on her tummy. But she tires of tummy time after only a few minutes.

Sleeping: She still naps frequently through the day, mostly for 30-50 minutes at a time with about 90 minutes between naps. At about 6:30 p.m. she goes down for the night, waking once at about 9 to eat and then sleeping until between 3-5 a.m. After that feeding, she'll go back down until about 6:30 or 7, making for about 12 hours of night sleep with a couple feedings thrown in.

Personality: She's a very good baby - she mostly only cries when she needs something, though it's not always easy to tell what she needs. She's very engaged and loves to study faces. She enjoys going outside but is very reserved when out of the house. She's also more quiet when guests are at our house, and generally opens up (or finally goes to sleep) when it's just us.