Letters to my Baby: Month Five

Hey little one,

We keep reflecting on a popular quote this month. It's one that sums up parenting perfectly, that we relate to so well now that we have you in our lives.

The days are long, but the years (or months) are short.

Some of the days are almost never ending. You occasionally skip your naps, or the weather is too wet for us to leave the house. Mama loves getting to spend so much time with you, and feels so very lucky to be a stay at home mom. But it is sometimes a lonely job, when the only adult contact during the day is a quick interaction with the cashier at the grocery store. But each day is still so good, and filled with so many sweet moments. The months are flying by, and your mama and daddy are trying to savor every sweet cuddle and toothless smile. We know all too soon you'll be running off to play, starting school, and not needing us nearly as much.

This month has been such a fun one! We've had multiple visitors come to town, and took you on your first real vacation. We're trying hard to balance naps and bedtime with getting out of the house. We took you to a few restaurants, walked around the neighborhood almost daily, and savored the warm days at the end of summer. You got to see three of your grandparents this month, and you even got to meet your great grandpa when we were in California! 

In terms of milestones, you're really working hard on holding up your sweet head. It's bigger than most, and a bit of a challenge, but we're so proud of how hard you're working. After your doctor mentioned your muscles were a little tight (it's 'high tone' in medical terms), we have requested an evaluation from an Early Intervention team. We hope you qualify for some physical therapy, so that we can help you to move easier. I have a feeling by the end of your sixth month you're going to have made some major progress! Mama is trying so hard to be patient, but is also already showing that she's not afraid to push and make some noise to help you get the best care possible. We would do anything for you, baby girl!

You're still eating only breastmilk, but we've played around with letting you taste a couple simple foods. You've sucked on some watermelon and cucumber, and seem quite intrigued. We're so excited to start feeding you some purees, but want to wait until after your six month appointment, since you're doing so well with eating only breastmilk right now. You are really interested in watching us eat, and I have a feeling you're going to love "real" food when the time comes! We're taking a little break from cloth diapers for now, because you seem to move a lot easier in the disposable ones. But hopefully once we get some PT going, we'll get back into the cloth. You're still spending lots of time on the floor with your play mat and toys, but we're also experimenting with sitting you in the Bumbo and your frog chair. And tummy time is a lot more exciting when we put a Boppy under you. We love watching you develop, and can't wait to get the PT going so that you can continue to grow stronger. 

Here are some of our favorite pictures from the last month. An excessive number of them, of course!

You don't always love tummy time, but you're getting better!

Baby exercises... laying on your side while smiling for Daddy.

Look at you! You're getting really good at holding your head up!

We are so happy that you love reading books.
We promise to read to you every single day,
and to fill your bedroom with more books than you can handle!

Baby's first airplane ride!

Silly selfies at our hotel in California :)

You're not entirely sold on the beach at this point...

You loved spending time with Great Aunt Anne.

Meeting Great Grandpa

You loved meeting mom's friends from college-- Chris and Elena came up from Texas, and Danielle and Daniel came down from Toronto. You did not suffer for lack of attention when they were visiting! We also went out to dinner without you for the first time while they visited. We knew you were in good hands, since you had FOUR capable adults babysitting! And you ended up sleeping the whole time :) We're lucky to have so many good friends, both in Chicago and around the country!

It's been another great month, little angel. We love you so much, and are so thankful to have you in our lives. Keep those sweet smiles coming, ok?

Love,
Mom and Dad