5 Months Old

Emmeline is 5 Months Old Today!

September 26th, 2011

I know I say this every month, but it really is true -- life with Emmeline just keeps getting better and better. She is growing and changing so much every day. I feel like she is learning and doing something new all.the.time. I want it to slow down a little, but Rob is ready for her to "do something new". "When will she start talking?" Ha. I am really finding myself enjoying her more at this age. People say there are fun things about all the stages.

The main thing I can say about Emmeline is that she is just a happy baby. All you have to do is look at her and she smiles, laughs, squeals or talks to you. She likes to make noise. She has figured out how to make a shriek, squeal, and also a funny little cough thing which she does if you stand her up. She also figured out how to blow bubbles and make funny noises with her mouth. (probably from all the ones I make to her.)

She has started to pay more attention to our dog, Brinkley. She just smiles at him or makes noise when she sees him. Often when we are in her room doing some tummy time, I'll call Brinkley to come lay on the floor in her doorway so she can look at him. I say "Look at Brinkley, he's doing HIS tummy time too!" Speaking of which, she still really dislikes being on her tummy. I assume it's because she spits up a lot, especially when there is pressure on her tummy. Also, her noggin' is LARGE and is probably hard to hold up. She has rolled from her tummy to back before, but not lately and she hasn't rolled from back to tummy. I am not too concerned about this... yet. :) I am trying to just be thankful that she isn't very mobile and typically stays in one place. She can move herself around just by lifting up her legs and flinging them forward. I often find her in the morning scooted all the way down to the bottom of her crib. Silly girl!

For the past few weeks Emmeline has really enjoyed being held in a standing position. She always gets this goofy/proud look on her face when she does it and squeals. LOOK AT ME!! I put the Johnny Jump-Up in the doorway (Thanks Aunt Courtney!) because I assumed she would like the position. At first, she just kind of sat in it and looked around, but then a week or two later, I put her in it and she figured out how to push her legs up. Big girl!

She enjoys just laying around and chewing on/playing with her feet, especially when I'm trying to change her diaper. I also put her on a blanket in the guest room while I'm blow-drying my hair. She lays so still and just stares at me during this time. I don't know if she's terrified or just being very observant of what I'm doing. It's pretty funny. She is ticklish under her arms and chin and lets out a great little chuckle and squeal when being tickled.

Emmeline's schedule is still great and she is sleeping 11+ hours at night and having 3 naps a day -- two long and one shorter one. (And sometimes another catnap in the evening in her swing if she's not napped well earlier.) I say it everytime, but Moms on Call http://www.momsoncall.com/ is just the best thing in the world for our family. I think the best thing I can say about it (besides all the sleep she gets and we get) is that it just makes me feel more confident as a mother. I know I am meeting all of her needs. Rob's parents kept Emmy one night so we could go out to dinner. They asked us what to do if she woke up. I looked at Rob and paused... since she's been sleeping through the night, she has not woken up and need anything, ever. I wouldn't really know what to do? Ha!

She is still getting 5 bottles a day and some rice cereal. Sometimes she doesn't eat much in those afternoons bottles, so I am thinking of switching her to the 4 bottle schedule. She'd eat at 7,11,3, and 7.. .so she'd be going to bed earlier too. I figured I'll do this once she is better at eating solids and once I am incorporating them more into her day. She appears to be liking the rice cereal more... she whines when I go away with the spoon to get her another bite. I can't decide if she is really hungry and wants more cereal... or... if she just wants to chew on the spoon. Either way, more cereal is going in her and less spit out. It still gets all over though, as she sticks her hands in her mouth and then rubs her face. (note to self: your child will cry if they get rice cereal in their eye) She does love her "baba" (bottle). Even if she's not starving, when she sees the bottle she'll start whining and wants it immediately. She will often cry when you take it away to burp her... especially at her final bottle of the day. ( I think this is due to tiredness as well as hunger. ) She also started doing something funny when she's doesn't want anymore of her bottle. She starts making noises and blowing bubbles into the bottle... or just chews on the nipple. Maybe it's teething? Who knows. I haven't seen any teeth yet, but she is fond of chewing on her hands.

Emmeline does well in her carseat now. I try to plan ahead for when we need to run errands so we can get them all done during one trip out. She really only fusses or cries on the way home from errands when its getting close to nap time. I try to make it home before she falls asleep, because if not, she'll wake up when we get home and act like "Okay mom, that was my nap, I'm ready to play."... no ma'am, naptime is more than 15 minutes! Speaking of naps, I try to tell the truth on here. While Emmeline is a wonderful sleeper, she does NOT like naps. (until she's asleep) She is getting smart about her schedule and will cry when I take her in her room to change her for nap. I mean, she will WAIL. Once I put her in her crib, she calms down and by the time I turn on her noisebox and leave the room she is asleep. She does wake up and cry sometimes in the middle of the nap, but will go back to sleep.

She is growing so fast and I feel like has hit a little growth spurt recently just from looking at recent pictures. She is still in 3 month clothes, so I guess she's "small" for her age. That's okay little chunk!

One of her favorite times of the day is when her daddy gets home from work. I am typically feeding her "supper" bottle when he pulls in the driveway and I'll say "Daddy's home!" She just looks at me and looks around for him. When he walks in the room, she gives him the biggest smile (And of course, milk pours all out of her mouth.) It melts my heart. I love how much she loves him.

I could go on and on about all the things she does and how much I love every single second (well, maybe not EVERY, but most ;) with her, but I won't.

Dear Emmeline,
Thank you for teaching me how to love more than I ever thought possible. You make me smile and laugh constantly. I am so thankful that God chose me to be your momma. I can't imagine my life without you in it. You are so adorably sweet and fun to be around. I pray everyday that you grow up to be a happy girl that loves Jesus. (Because you know, He loves you!) Your Dad and I will always do our best to give you everything you need and deserve. We love you so much!
Love, Momma and Daddy