Dear Zahara: 4 Months

Dear Zahara,

Happy four-month birthday! I can't believe another month has already gone by. This was a jam-packed month for us. We spent a lot of it traveling--a whole week in south England, and an overnight trip to London. You did so well on both trips. It is remarkable what a difference it was from our last week-long trip to Scotland. This time we could actually drive more than a few miles at a time without having to stop and change you or feed you. We still stopped pretty often, but you were much more content than before.

Note: while driving Zahara is always in her car seat!

We also had some fun seasonal activities. We visited the Masham Sheep Festival where you met your first sheep, and we had an early Halloween celebration at a pumpkin patch.

This month you've continued to build muscle strength in your arms and legs. Though you're probably a few months off, it looks like you're preparing to roll, and even crawl! You move your body all around and are starting to get some traction. You really love standing on daddy's lap while he holds your hands. This is daddy's favorite thing to do with you because he loves how proud of yourself you are when you stand. You smile and giggle and melt our hearts.

You are very inquisitive. You are happiest when you are interacting with the world--whether it's seeing new things on our trips, or watching the cars go by from our window. You love being in the Moby now that you can hold your head up and look around.

Are you teething? You are drooling a ton (that's an understatement!) and putting anything you can reach into your mouth. Current favorites are Sophie the Giraffe, muslin squares, and fingers (yours, mine, daddy's...it doesn't matter).

You're turning into quite the swimmer. You love kicking your little legs and are getting better at going underwater. We've had a few opportunities to swim with you while on vacation and at our regular class. Hopefully next month you'll get to swim with G-mom and Pop-Pop in Dallas.

Your very favorite activity is still singing. You love any song we sing, but are especially fond of "Wheels on the Bus;"  and "Itsy Bitsy Spider." Funnily enough, you go crazy for some songs I learned in my high school Spanish class. We sing the Spanish alphabet and Central and South American capitals.

I think this month has been my favorite so far. Daddy and I love you very much and can't wait to see what the next month brings!