Five Months Old

I feel pretty good about only being seven days late on this post.  I considered giving up the monthly photos altogether.  It turns out, I am not a talented photographer.  I get frustrated very easily behind the camera.  Alas, once I'm done taking the photos, I am so thankful I have them.  Remind me that on May 6th when I'm once again cursing the camera lens!  Although, my frustration nearly got me a new camera today.  Maybe next month.

Enough complaining...let's talk BABY!

Some days I have a hard time calling her my baby.  She just seems like such a big girl.  Truthfully she is a big girl.  One of the biggest babies I know.  When we are asked how old she is we get a very funny look when I say "five months."  I think folks expect her to be much older!

We've had a ton of fun with Eleanor this month.  She is growing and changing every day.  While last month we announced she rolled over just once, this month we can't keep her from rolling around!  It makes our photo shoots even more difficult!

I can no longer leave her laying on her changing table for even a second.  The time is coming when she is going to attempt rolling right off.  When we lay her on her play mat it only takes seconds for her to scoot herself around in circles and right off the mat.  She likes to roll from her back to her stomach best, but can roll from her stomach to her back as well.  And low and behold...she actually loves tummy time nowadays!  She pushes herself up so far off the mat, and scootches her legs up...it won't be long before she figures out how to crawl!

Everything belongs in Eleanor's mouth.  If it's close enough, it's going in!  Our fingers, her fingers, the cup, the table, my hair, the toys, you name it.

With her fingers in her mouth she also makes "kissy" noises, mimicking the noises that Alex and I make to her.  It is really sweet and we say in a sing-song voice "Are you kissing, kiss, kiss, kiss!"

This month has literally flown by (and as I type this we are already half-way through April!)  I can't imagine that she will be six months old in just a few short weeks!  Where does the time go?  Soon she will be eating solids and sitting up on her own!  For now she sits up pretty well, just with assistance.

That smile brings so much joy into our lives each and every day.  I truly cannot get enough of it. Some days are harder than others, but when I lean over the crib as she wakes up from a long nap and see her recognize her momma and smile big and then turn away in a coy, shy gesture, my heart just melts.  I realize just how blessed I am! 

Speaking of napping, we struggled so much with sleep between four and five months.  She busted out of her swaddle which made sleep very difficult.  She would wake herself up so often that all her naps became 20-30 minutes long.  At night we struggled putting her down and keeping her asleep.  Many nights we were up every hour.

Throughout the month we have sought advice from books, articles, websites, blogs, and friends.  We have had many trials and errors.  We have found several things that work well for us: Merlin's Magic Sleep Suit and (dun, dun, dun) Crying It Out.  Uggh...the ugliest 3 words ever!  However, I am a convert (almost).  I don't think it would work for every child and every parent.  It's hard.  It's one of the hardest things I've ever done.  But as I mentioned above, when she wakes up from that glorious two hour nap, well rested and with a smile on her face, you can't help but wonder if "self-soothing" isn't such a bad thing after all.

We did many exciting things this month including a trip to the mountains for Spring Break.  We went on a hike and Eleanor got to ride in the Ergo on my back for the first time.  We enjoyed a visit from my dear friend Angie this month and we celebrated Easter with church and dinner with Vovvy and Grandpa Ron.  We have started regular play dates with some of our friends and I even took Eleanor running in the stroller for the first time (spoiler...she didn't love it!)  It has been a fun and very full month.

And we have loved every minute of it (ok, well except the 2am wakings!)

She is absolutely my favorite!  And I tell her that every single day.  And then I correct myself and say "You are my favorite little, and your daddy is my favorite big."  I must clarify.  You can have two favorites!

And just for fun, Penny wanted you to know that she is also Five Months Old!

One Month to Five Months

I love watching her grow!