5 Months Old

People weren't kidding when they said time would start moving fast once we had a baby.  I'm not sure where the last five months have gone, it seems unfair that so much of the precious beginning stages of parenthood are spent in a groggy haze.  Although on the other hand, it could be a blessing that you barely remember some of the rough first weeks or else no one would subject themselves to that kind of sleep deprivation again.  Even in the frustrating moments, motherhood is without a question the most wonderful thing I've ever experienced in my life.

Let's take a quick look back on how far we've come this year:

From a skinny, slouchy babe to a smiley girl with thighs so chunky that she gets stuck in her Bumbo seat these days!  She's also getting closer and closer to sitting up unassisted.

I feel like we've hit a sweet spot right now in that our routine is fairly predictable, our nights are manageable, and our baby is super fun to watch. She's fascinated by everything and keeps us laughing as she discovers how to make new noises or scoot and roll all over the floor.

Favorite activities: rolling, rolling, rolling- Kate never stays still, she barely lets you hold her before she starts squirming and wanting to explore her surroundings instead of being held captive.  She also loves gnawing, chewing, and slobbering on everything.

Diet: 100% breast milk, but probably changing soon!  I think we will start introducing some bland solids later this month to see if she's interested.  She almost grabbed a pineapple chunk from me the other night, but she will grab and pull anything to her mouth, it just happened to be food that time.

Bedtime: 6:30 p.m.  I selfishly wish this was a bit later, it means we barely get one hour with her in the evenings during the week, but her "I'm sleepy!" cues are undeniable.  If we can catch that first eye rub or glazed over expression and whisk her off to bed she goes down drowsy without a peep of protest and falls asleep instantly.  I dream feed her around 10:00 and then she wakes up only once in the night usually between 3:00 and 4:00 to eat.  This routine is working well for us right now.

Dislikes: having her sharp little fingernails trimmed, the snot sucker, and being confined to her car seat (sometimes)

Goals: crawling.  She acts like she might take off any day, flailing and flapping her arms desperately.  She's even successfully lifted her bum and scooted forward a few times on accident.

Nicknames: Snuglet, Baby Girl, Snuggle Bear, Velociraptor (you should hear the way she attacks her teething toys- ferocious!), Trumpet Buns, Squirmy

I know I keep saying this at the end of all my monthly posts, but it's true... I can't wait to see what this next month holds!