Oh My Gish: 5 Months Old!

Oh boy are you lucky. I've been working on this post for a while so it's nice and long ;)

Wow! Our 5th month was a really big and busy one! Abby's first Christmas was so exciting, even though she will not remember it. We gave her way too many presents, took a ton of pictures, and shared her with our family and friends. We did lots of fun things this month like driving through the neighborhood holiday light display, meeting friends for brunch, and of course decorating the tree and the house for Christmas. We also had some firsts this month. Other than Christmas and New Years, Abby sat in her highchair and tried solid food for the first time. She also started holding her own bottle and she discovered her feet! And finally, at the end of her 4th month, she started daycare.

It has only been a week since she started so we are still adjusting. Her sleep schedule is completely out of whack. She is taking naps but they are small but she is sleeping through the night (and then some) because she's missing naps during the day. Fine by me... I really like her teachers and her school and I'm confident she's in good hands. But of course I still hate that I can't be with her all day. And she has a full class so it's hard for her to get the undivided attention that I wish she could have. I am beginning to think daycare is more difficult for the mom to get used to than it is for the baby... She has been having fun playing with her new friends, reading stories and doing arts and crafts.

Abby's first "artwork".

This next month is going to fly by, between work, daycare, busy weekends, and our upcoming trip to Disney where she will turn 6 months old. (This wasn't exactly planned on purpose but it totally works.) So, it's time to start planning our first post-baby Disney trip. To say I'm excited about this is a complete understatement. Not because I think Abby will know or care about being at Disney World, but because WDW is my (and my husband's) happy place and having a baby is a big deal and kind of all I could focus on for a long time. Our next trip seemed so far away and unreachable and the fact that it's time to start packing means that I made it through the delivery and recovery and I'm a mom now (all things I really wasn't sure I'd be able to do,..haha). But enough of that mushy stuff.... let's get on to the 5 month update and I'll be back later to talk about the things I am buying, making, packing, reading, doing, etc. to get ready for our trip.

How many? F-I-V-E

Recent Stats No appointment this month. I'll see if I can remember to stick her on the scale. She is getting so big!!!

Clothes size Into the 6 month size we go! Pants are officially 6 month, and she kind of but not really fits into 3 month onesies, although the sleeves are a little short. The 6 month onesies are a little baggy but she will grow into them in no time. I'm sad because there are some 3 month outfits she won't get to wear. It's just too cold. The problem with having your shower in the summer is that the clothes in the stores are all summery. I've done a pretty good job of getting everything on her at least once, though.

The point of this picture is to show you that her eyes are still blue!

Diaper size Big girl is in size 2 diaper. Before I had a baby I knew NOTHING about diaper sizes. I didn't even know there were diaper sizes. I was reading an article about how overwhelming it is to make a baby registry because you don't know what anything is and I can TOTALLY identify with that but I want to say that even if you don't think you will, you learn as you go. It's amazing what I know now that I didn't a year ago. And I didn't really try to learn anything, it just happens. So, if you are panicking, don't.

Feeding Formula strong! I'm feeling better and better about our decision to do exclusive formula. It's fattening her up nicely ;). We do 1 scoop regular and 1 scoop of the "AR" (rice based, made for spit up but we use it to keep her tummy full). She does about six 4oz bottles per day, except her last bottle at night is 6 oz to try to help her feel full for longer. She has started holding her own bottles, reaching for the bottle with her mouth open, etc. She also has started reaching for anything that looks like a bottle (see below picture). We started on the rice cereal and she made the most horrible face and moved away from the spoon. I tried it and I have to say, it tastes awful. I was talking to a friend who is a pediatrician and she said to toss the rice cereal and to give her some fruits/veggies. So next we tried Sweet Potatoes and that went over MUCH better. We aren't doing solid food more than 1x per day, but we will slowly build up over the next month or so as she gets used to it. I have no idea what I am doing so I'm just giving her tiny bites until she decides she's had enough and moves away from the spoon. That's the scary thing about parenting. Nobody knows what they are doing.

Rice Cereal FAIL. This face says "This stuff tastes like crap."

No, Abby. That's Daddy's "bottle"...

Big girl holding her own bottle (still needs some help though)

Despite the face, we liked the sweet potatoes!

Sleeping Abby had been waking up once per night for several weeks before she started daycare. Four month sleep regression is a thing and it happens for many reasons. For Abby it was because 1. she was waking up because she was hungry and 2. she is becoming more aware of her surroundings. I'd take once per night (and she goes right back to sleep) over what some other friends are dealing with so I'm not going to complain. Once she started daycare she went back to sleeping through the night. Poor thing is just exhausted. On her third day she fell asleep at 6 and I woke her up to 8 to eat and she didn't even open her eyes. I put her in her crib in her clothes, blue paint on her fingernails and all. She slept all night like that. Must have had a big day ;)

Personality Abby is continuing to be a very cool and calm baby. She's very easy going and very very smiley. She's laughing out loud more often (omg it's so cute) and working on her vocalizations. I've heard "mmmma!" a few times but I doubt she's talking about me. She does have the "MA! THE MEATLOAF!" thing down pretty good when she's in her crib and she's hungry. She's also super interested in the dogs. She has been reaching out for them and we have "petted" them a few times together. They are tolerating ;)

Milestones
Can sit unsupported for a few seconds at a time (before she topples over)
Is rolling back to front and front to back more often. Most of the time her daily reports say she did tummy time for a total of 2 minutes because she just rolls back over when you put her on her tummy. Doesn't like it.

Sitting up by myself

Can pick things up, transfer hands, hold with both hands, etc.
She has not dropped her 3rd (or 4th) nap by any means.
Is starting to babble a little bit and I've heard her string a few consonants together but it's mostly just yelling...

Mom's Corner
New this month! Just a little corner where I can talk about how I'm doing, what I'm doing, etc.
So a while back I wrote about my post baby body and my plans to get back into shape. Well, I'm about 1 week into my official half marathon training and while I haven't seen any physical changes, each run is getting easier for me. The first several runs after baby were less than comfortable. Over time it has slowly gotten better. While I hate the act of running itself, it feels good to get exercise and accomplish something.

Some more fun pictures from our 5th month: