Hello sweet Cami G! I’m sitting on the couch right beside the baby monitor, where every now and then, I hear you making little noises in your sleep. It’s a chilly night, but you’re snuggled under a warm blanket so I hope you’re comfortable. I know, blankets are forbidden – but this one is tucked tightly around the mattress so it’s not a loose blanket. That makes it okay.
Sweet Cami, it’s hard to believe you are 4 months old! In this last month, you have grown so much. Not just in size, but in ability too. In fact, I think you may be a genius.
Before you were born, I never quite understood why parents would get so excited when their child accomplished some new feat that nearly every child will eventually accomplish. Why get all misty-eyed when a baby learns to hold up her head? Millions of babies before, and millions more after, will also learn to hold up their heads – so why the celebration?
But Cami, now I understand. I think the impact is clearer when you see a baby evolve from basically a tiny (adorable) lump, to a little person who is beginning to interact with and respond to her world. It’s also personally affirming, because as you learn and grow, I take pride in every little achievement. I know how lucky we are to have you, and each milestone is meaningful. Here’s a rundown of some of the new things you’re doing.
Until recently, your arms nearly always flailed with no purposefully directed movement. But now you’re beginning to get control of them, and like to bring your hands together and let your fingers play with each other. It’s SO CUTE! You sometimes remind me of either someone who is praying, or a worried old lady wringing her hands. But either way, it’s precious.
You like to chew on your fingers and are drooling a lot, and some people believe you may be teething. I can’t even begin to imagine you with teeth because the only smile of yours that I’ve ever known has been your gummy smile.
Cami, yesterday your Daddy called me to tell me you said your first word. And guess what it was? Mama. Now, I don’t think you knew what you were saying, but he says you were fighting sleep as he was trying to get you to nap, and twice during your crying you yelled out “Mama!” How sweet is that? Super sweet.
About a week ago, I was astonished when I placed you on your changing table on your tummy, and you did not do a face plant into the cushion! For months, we’d been trying to encourage you to spend some time on your tummy, which you detested. Your arms weren’t strong enough to support your upper body, so you often just fussed with your face down, arms swimming in a desperate attempt to somehow move. You were like an upside-down bug, stuck and unhappy about it. Everyone told me to keep putting you on your tummy for as long as you could stand it, because you’d never develop the muscles to push up if we didn’t give you time to practice. But I was shocked at how quickly we moved from face-plant to push up! When you did it, I yelled for your Daddy to come look, and I grabbed the camera to get this adorable photo.

And you seem pretty happy on your tummy! You still get aggravated if we leave you there for long, but for a while you’ll laugh and smile and talk to us.
Now that you can push up, you are really close to rolling over. This morning, Grammy and I were playing with you in bed, and you flipped to your side. While she pushed on your feet, you completed your roll. Any day now, I think you’ll be able to roll all the way over unassisted.
I have missed so many things by being at work, but at least your Daddy is sweet enough to call me anytime you do something to tell me all about it. You have such a great Daddy, Camille, and he loves you very much. One day, when I got home from work, I took this picture. I like to think it’s always like this when I’m away – you snoozing peacefully while your Daddy types with one hand. I know better, but it’s nice to have this picture in my mind.

While you still like kicking on your Gymini, you have a new favorite toy. It’s an Exersaucer, but Nikki (who gave it to you!) calls it an ADD Center because it has so many crazy toys on it, there is no way you can focus on anything at once. You couldn’t get in it before because you have to be able to hold your head up well. But now you love sitting in the contraption, knocking all the toys around. Your Daddy keeps it next to his desk, and you’ll play in it long enough for him to get a few things done.
The first day your Daddy put you in it while I was at work, he was amazed by how well you were able to manipulate the toys – so of course, he grabbed the video camera and got this video of your first Exersaucer experience (press the play button to watch):

While you’re quite good at holding up your head now, you are still working on the “sitting up” thing. You want to sit up SO BADLY. If I try to lie you down, you’ll often pull and strain with your neck as if touching the back of your head to a hard surface will surely burn you. When I pull you to a sitting position, you can teeter there for a second, but eventually you start to fall like a tree and I catch you.
The other day, I was trying to get a photograph of you in a dress your Nana bought, so I propped you up in the corner of your crib for the picture. Only, you didn’t want to sit back – you wanted to sit up! You tried in vain so many times, and I finally had to get the video camera. I hope DFACS isn’t watching this video clip:

Sweet baby girl, you are so much fun. I enjoy watching you grow and discover your world, and I want to make sure I’m always a safe and loving part of it. Sometimes, when we’re hanging out and chatting together, I’ll list for you everyone who loves you. The list is long, but your Daddy and I are always at the top.
Sweet dreams Camibear. I love my baby genius.