five months old.
hard to believe.
time has always been such an interesting phenomenon to me, but even more so since becoming a mama. I am much more keenly aware of how quickly the weeks and months go by... the changes, learning, growth and development in Leah magnify the time zipping by so much. However, I continue to be in awe of how difficult and long many of the days can be, even while the months are flying by. strange.
Littlemiss is still the light of our lives and somehow I manage to fall in love with her just a little bit more each day. She never ceases to delight me and I still feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
She survived her first cold this month and it was bug that wasn't kind to anyone in our house. She was pretty miserable for about a week with a terrible cough and loads of congestion. We spent lots of time snuggling in hot, steamy bathrooms and breathing over the top of the humidifier. It was the first time that she's ever been really clingy, wanting me over anyone else. It was equal parts sweet, humbling and terrifying. The fact that she looked to me for comfort both made me feel good and also terrified me. Moms are amazing, I know a little somthing about having a mom that somehow seems to make everything better. It is scary to know that I'm the mom now, and sometimes I can't make everything better. :(
Other than being sick, she is still sleeping pretty good at night. She goes down between 8 and 9pm and wakes up anywhere between 6 and 8am. Naps are still pretty iffy and inconsistent. Usually we get an hour-ish morning nap and the rest of the day, we fight for anything we can get! :)
We're starting to think about starting solid foods (rice cereal and maybe some veggies), but have no immediate plans. We've decided to wait until closer to the 6mos side of 4-6mos! She's still nursing great and I don't want to rush her. She seems pretty content!
She loves her hands and has improved so much with her dexterity. She grabs toys, moves them from hand to hand, drops things, picks them up again. I love watching her figure new things out. She still loves to suck on her hands and has now found her favorite fingers...
Sometimes it's just one finger...
usually it's both!
She's also recently discovered her feet and is pretty enamored with them. She's realized that she's limber and catch actually reach her toes, unlike most of us!
She still loves to take baths
She squeals happy sounds most of the time and has the cutest giggle ever. Mama and Daddy will do almost any ridiculous thing to coax it out of her.
She is learning to be a bit more manipulative with her cries. She has a new one that's kind-of whiney and totally fake. She uses it mostly as a warning cry.
She has a temper. She can go from really happy to really mad
really fast.
She is very social. Other than when she was sick, she has smiles for most people these days. She especially loves babies and other little people.
She's still a big fan of her cute little friend in the mirror. She always has a smile for her. It's ridiculously adorable.
She loves music and definitely has her favorites on my ipod. We sing lots and lots of songs throughout the day and lots of times, she's starting to try and join in. She likes both mom's versions and dad's versions of her favorite songs, which coincidentally are very different. (Chris doesn't actually know the words to most songs, just the basic premise. His latest Popcorn Popping version went a little something like this...
"Oh I think my eyes did decieve me so, popcorn was popping on the apricot tree".... HUH?
He's sick of me correcting him, so we've decided that he'll sing his way and I'll sing the right way.
She loves books and loves sitting on my lap in the rocking chair going through all of her favorites.
She drools like crazy!!
She seems to know her name and turns and looks at us when we say it. She also goes by a few nicknames... most commonly
ellejay, as in LJ... (a little something her daddy picked up from his endless episodes of LD's
Curb Your Enthusiasm) She also goes regularly by
littlemiss, (of course) and also
lovey (we got that from her pediatricians office. Her New Zealand born nurse always calls her either lovey or a cute little possum??)
Peek and Boo, Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, Little Bunny FooFoo and Tiny Turtle are among some of her favorite games and songs.
She is still a swaddled only sleeper. At this rate, I feel like we'll be swaddling until she's 3
She's not even close to rolling over and seems to have no desire to go anywhere. She'll wiggle and twist and turn while on her back, but doesn't seem to have any desire to push herself, which is fine by me. I'm really loving her as an immobile little cutie!
Every morning, I tell her in awe, that she's managed to get even cuter overnight. Because it's true. And somehow my heart keeps growing too... even when I feel like it couldn't possibly swell anymore... it does.
Just like Big Nutbrown Hare in one of our favorite stories...
I love her right up to the moon.... and back!
This is my amazing niece Briana.... one of the strongest, most incredible women I know. Interesting how I can be 10+ years older and yet still look up to her so much. She has taught me much about dealing with trials, adversity and grief these last 7 years.
