5 Months

Little Pumpkin butt, you are so darn cute and crazy. You have quite the personality. You are such a happy baby, so easy. You love to talk, rather squeal. You are blowing lots of bubbles. Your chin and neck have a rash quite often, sometimes worse than others from all the spit and drool. You are such a "big" girl now. You're eating lots of solids, you sit up on your own but fall to the sides. You've become a content eater again, we're not having to walk you around to eat. I'm not sure what that phase was about, we're just glad it's over. As soon as you can balance you're golden. You don't like to be laid down anymore, you pull your chin up and try to sit up. Your core is getting strong and you can almost pull yourself up from a pillow. You don't roll all that much, but I think it's because you're content where you are at the time. You tolerate belly time much better, for longer and longer. You love to stand in your exersaucer and play with your toys that are attached. You are grabbing at EVERYTHING and you hang on tight. You are a very social baby. You're now aware if you are with mommy and daddy and when we pass you off you stare at whoever is holding you, acting shy for a minute. You'll look at mommy or daddy for reassurance and before long you're smiling and chatting with whoever has you. You're ticklish and love to laugh. It's so easy to get you to smile, giggle, and even crack up. Daddy eats your belly which always works, I tickle you under your armpit or get your upper thighs and you giggle up a storm. Just talking silly with you or playing with you with one of your toys can get you to laugh. Daddy and I cart you around everywhere, and you go places with your babysitters on a regular basis, you're such a content baby.

You love to play with anything near you, toy or not. Your favorite toys right now are your Pooh book that crinkles, your elephant, my jewelry and a little sun that has a mirror and a crinkle edge. You play in all your "stations" we have for you. You're always happiest for the longest on your back under your dangling toys still but you're there less since we are keeping you on your belly and sitting up in your bumbo more.

You're a good sleeper, I guess, it could always be worse I'm sure. Since you're no longer eating at night you sleep less sound. You are in your crib most of the night, but after you need your pacifier too many times Daddy or myself just bring you in bed with us. It's easier for us, we get a lot more sleep. You don't need us but we can get some better sleep when we don't have to get up and walk to your crib. I swaddle your body at night and both arms are free now! That probably has something to do with you waking more. You hang on to your bunny nunu which is the blanket that's attached to a little bunny's head, you have many of these and like holding on to them. You still like to bury your face and nuzzle to sleep so when you wake up in the wee hours  and don't have anything to put your face into you toss your head back and forth something fierce and that's when daddy and I grab you and put you in bed on your side on a pillow and you sleep much better. From 7-8 when you go to bed until anywhere from 12-4 you sleep pretty sound on your back but once the morning hours come you need some help staying asleep. I think you sleep worse than when you needed to get up and eat in the night because then all you did was eat and go back to sleep and you slept through until morning. I'm hoping in your next month you're able to find your paci on your own which will help you sleep and self soothe without our help. I lay you down for bed if you're awake, asleep, or in between and 9 times out of 10 you go/stay asleep on your own, even for naps.

You are good for your babysitters, even daddy on Wednesdays. I look so very forward to my weekends with you and this next week, my spring break! I will not want to go back to work. You like to take baths but don't like when I wash your hair, mainly when I rinse because I have to pick up the back of your head to get your hair rinsed and you just like to lay and kick. I am excited for you to sit up on your own. 

You can be excited, restless, and calm. You are gentle when you drink your bottle and stroke my arm with your tiny fingers. You're restless when you get tired, you fight sleep hard. You are excited and happy most of the day. When you're tired or hungry you get sad or upset, it's easy to distract you. You are able to sit and listen to books and you enjoy your educational videos. You love when daddy and I give you attention but it's rarely necessary. You love to grab your toes, they almost go in your mouth. You don't take everything to your mouth just yet, only sometimes.

Daddy and I just ooh and ahh over you all day and night together. You give us so much joy every day. You make our lives complete. We love you so very much!