Happy Leap Year! Our baby girl is four months old today. Here she is pictured at her well-baby checkup this morning…this is before the four shots and oral vaccine, so she still has that pretty smile on her face! She did NOT like the poking this time around and she was very vocal about it. This afternoon she was pretty fussy, but by bedtime she was back to being our smiley little princess.

Her stats at four months are:
25″ tall (75-90%)
15 lbs. (75-90%)
40.5 cm head (25-50%)

So, she’s obviously been very busy growing! I just took a peek back at Tommy’s measurements at the same age…Annalise is just a few ounces lighter, but already an inch taller than he was (24″). Considering she started out over an inch shorter at birth, she’s on her way to towering over him! Well, probably not, but a girl can dream!

In other news, Annalise rolled from back to tummy for the first time this evening. Both James and I MISSED seeing her do it! James was upstairs getting Tommy ready for bed and I had ducked into the laundry room for a few seconds while Annalise chilled on her blankie in the family room. When I came back from throwing the towels in dryer, there she was on her belly, looking more confused than accomplished. We tried to convince her to do it again but she wasn’t up for a performance this evening. I’m sure it will be all she wants to do come morning.

p.s. A great big welcome to Roman Thomas Heuser! Our friends Tom & Serena welcomed their baby boy in Albuquerque this afternoon…a leap baby! Big sis Carissa is surely thrilled.

Slap some mouse ears on this girl and she could stand in for Minnie Mouse, right? Here she smiles laying atop one of the new blankies Auntie Jess made for her. I’ve really been a fan of pink and purple outfits until now, but I think I’ll be dressing our little lady in red more often…she’s so darned cheerful!

Annalise enjoys time on her tummy more and more each day. Now that she can hold her head up really well the prone position offers a great new perspective on the world. She’s particularly happy when we help to prop her on her elbows as shown in the pictures.

Annalise posed in her adorable little church clothes before we went to mass. This little ensemble was a gift from Auntie Amy and I’m so glad she got to model it at least once before she grew out of it!

Annalise graduated to playing in the exersaucer this week. She LOVES spending time upright and really was all smiles for the duration of her play session. Big Brother Tom gave her a detailed orientation on how each toy functions, so she has a good start on hand-eye coordination training. Just kidding…we’re not that rigorous!

Annalise is fascinated by the mobile hanging above her crib. She stares at it constantly and watches it go ’round and ’round as long as Tommy keeps pressing the button. She’s such a content little girl…we are a very lucky family!

Annalise is fascinated with her own hands. She spent most of her waking hours today wiggling and stretching her fingers in front of her face. She had a look of surprise and glee when one hand would “catch” the other. She’s full of smiles, as usual, and she is SO close to laughing…we can get “heh-heh-heh” out of her, but no “ha-ha” or “hee-hee” just yet.

She is transitioning out of her 0-3 month clothes and moving into the high-fashion duds we have for months 3-6. Future supermodel in the making! Here she shows off her very first pair of jeans while taking an impromptu snooze on the family room floor.

Annalise is tolerating tummy time a little better these days. Her neck muscles are getting stronger, so now that she can look around at more than the blanket below her she finds it somewhat entertaining.

“I…can…almost…reach…it…”