Your fifth month

 

Dear Sweet Pea,

I fell even MORE head over heels in love with you this month.  You are blossoming into the cutest little beauty baby.  You're doing so many neat things and I've enjoyed getting you toys to further all of your new skills!  We've been doing lots of clothes shopping too.  I love to put you in cute frilly outfits, especially outfits with ruffles and what's better than an outfit with a coordinating bow!?!

You are doing so great with your tummy time.  I think you may be a tad behind but we're working on it.  You're really starting to reach for things and prop yourself up and enjoy tummy time instead of protesting it.  It's hard to excel at tummy time when you cry and just lay your head down!  Ha ha! 

 Father's Day was this past weekend.  We made it a special day for Daddy because it was his first Father's Day but his 35th birthday too!  We gave him a framed photo of you holding the letters that spell out "DADDY". 

He loved it!!!!!  You and I had so much fun making it...BUT...you did get a little feisty!  Here are the funny bloopers!

He (and I) especially loved the gift you made us at school.  Your tiny little hands were cut out of construction paper with a poem.  We both cried after reading this poem as it reminded us of how small you are. 

Then we went to brunch with Nana and Papa and over to Mimi and Marki's house for a short visit. 

That night we went to Jill and Papa's apartment.  What a busy day!  You were the star right along with your Daddy.  It was memorable and perfect.  Mother's Day and Father's Day seem like bonus holidays for us that we are so lucky to get to share with you.

We also went swimming this month.  You enjoyed your first time swimming but looked at the water the entire time you were in the pool.  We couldn't get you to look up for a picture!

You also went to your first Cardinals game!

We also celebrated July 4th with you for the first time!

BABY STATS:

Sleep:

You have slept through the night every night with the exception of maybe 2 for the past month.  You sleep for 11 hours generally.  I lay you down at 7:30 and you get up at 6:00 or so.  Last night you were really tired and slept from 6:00 to 6:00 this morning.  I can't thank you enough for being such a good sleeper!

Daily Routine:
Still taking 3 to 4 naps a day. We have been working on naps in your crib by using the Ferber Method.  This method is also called the cry it out method.  I hate to hear you cry but I think it's important that you sleep in your crib.  I place you in the crib when you show signs of being tired.  If you cry I let you cry for five minutes, then go in and pat your tummy and stroke your head to reassure you I am there, and then if you cry again I let you cry for 7 minutes this time and go in and the process is repeated over and over with the intervals getting longer and longer.  Luckily I never have to go in more than once or twice and most of the time I don't have to go in at all because you love your bed.


Falling asleep at night time with your singing light up seahorse-

Down for a nap (this one was two hours)

Awake and ready to play!

oh...and you LOOOOVE bath time!

Feedings:  Sticking to 6 ounces.  Occasionally I will make you an 8 ounce bottle before bed but you don't even really take all of it when I do.  Maybe 7 ounces tops.  However, there have been instances where I have fed you 6 ounces and just an hour later you seem hungry and you will take another 5 ounces!  We are waiting until 6 months to start feeding you solids.  Research is indicating that it's good for babies to wait longer than the 4 months that most start eating solids.

 

Weight:  

5 months: 17.8 lbs 

Length:

At birth: 20.25 inches

2 weeks: 19 3/4 inches (26th percentile) 

Not sure how you shrunk since birth!

2 months:  22.75 inches (67th percentile)

5 months:  27 inches (97th percentile)

Diaper Size:

Size three .

Clothes Size:

Some 3-6 months, some 6 month clothes and even a couple of 9 month outfits!  Still outgrowing your sleepers like crazy!!!  Your feet outgrow them first.  Our friends grandma cut the feet out of her babies sleepers because Samantha was outgrowing her sleepers feet first too!


Hair Color:

At birth: dark brown

2 months: light brown 

3 months: lighter brown 
4 months: dirty blonde - so beautiful!  Mommy is jealous!
5 months: it's getting blonder!

Eye color:

At birth: dark blue

2 months: blue

3 months: lighter blue
4 months:  the prettiest blue I have ever seen.  Your Daddy says your eyes are prettier than his!  Now that's something!
5 months:  light blue inside with dark blue outlines-so beautiful


Funniest Moment:

I love it when you mimic us and we mimic you.  The funniest moment for me this month was your grunting while consipated.  Sorry, I should probably be typing about a funny moment with a toy or something but I was feeding you a bottle last week and you were just pushing and grunting with all your might trying to make a poopy diaper.  Daddy and I both laughed.  We gave you prune juice twice in two days to help you out.

Milestones:
Your neck is still getting stronger. 

Tummy time is more enjoyable for you now as you reach and look at things with your neck up instead of laying your head down.

You rolled over for the first time!  Daddy laid you down on your play mat.  You were on your back when he walked out of the room and on your tummy when he came back!  You rolled over again while your Daddy and I were talking right next to you and I yelled "She just rolled over!"  I was so excited!

You sat in your bumbo for the first time and liked it.

You have a new bounceroo toy and a jumperoo doorway swing that you really like.  You are able to sit in them longer and longer each day.  I posted about this previously!  You just learned to bounce, you love your bouncer!

You learned how to blow bubbles with your little lips!  Often you blow bubbles while taking your bottle, while playing or even in bed.  I heard you doing it while listening to your monitor the other night.  

You smile and laugh ALL OF THE TIME.  It warms my heart to see you happy.

Anytime you get upset-ANYTIME-I just start singing "You are my sunshine" and you stop crying instantly and smile.  It doesn't matter how upset you are or what's wrong you will stop crying and smile and sometimes even laugh.  I can't blame you on the laughing part - my voice cracks sometimes during the high pitched parts!


Mirrors - Still love mirrors.  I bring you to mirrors around the house so you can see yourself.  You love to see yourself and Mommy.


Your first solid food!  I made pureed apples and butternut squash and you did really well!  It's hard using your mouth and learning how to push food to the back of your mouth and then to swallow but you are doing well especially for not knowing what a spoon is.

Your favorite toys:  books, activity mats, your singing stuffed dogs, bounceroo, jumperoo, anything you can put in your mouth and chew on

Firsts:

Noticed Wilson for the first time and really stared at him trying to figure out what he was.
First roll over.  I still haven't witnessed this but I'm putting it here because Daddy said you did it.

First reach and grab while on tummy.
First time in your bounceroo or jumperoo.
First time in bumbo seat.
First time you put your pacifier in your mouth by yourself.  Marki put the paci in your hand on Father's Day and I was expecting to help you put it in your mouth but you did it!  I was so proud and so shocked I interupted your Daddy and Mimi to tell your Daddy and he wasn't as impressed.  To me that was huge!  You looked at your paci, identified what it was by looking at it and brought your hand to your mouth, inserted it and even flipped it around once in your mouth because it was sideways!  I put your paci in your hand the next day a few times and you did the same thing.  You weren't 100% successful but we sure celebrated with laughs and claps when you got it in!

You also met your Great Grandpa John and Great Grandma Kay for the first time when they came to visit!

I'm so grateful for everyday with you buggy.  I love experiencing the world with you and celebrating every milestone.  I started singing "You are my sunshine" to you a couple of months ago because you really are my sunshine.  You make me happy when skies are gray.  I'm enjoying you and your Daddy, and being a family in general.  I'm enjoying seeing a side of your Daddy I had never see after ten years of being together.  He loves you sooooo much.  You have him wrapped around your little finger.  He tries to dispute it but he can't.  He adores you 110% and so do I.

I was also thinking last night on my drive home about how you fit so well with Daddy and I.  We love you so so much and we are so happy you are here with us.  You are so special and loved so much Madelyn.





Love,

Mommy