Hazel Jane, 5 Months

Wow! Time flies -- this post is late! I've been pretty good about a monthly update, but with our recent trip down south, time got away from me.

Hazel was 5 months old on March 17th. Five months seems pretty accurate -- doesn't seem like time is going by too fast or too slow. But when I think about her almost being 6 months, it scares me to death! Now that seems too old! I'm just not going to think about it for now.....

Hazel can sit up now. At some point, she tumbles over, but she can usually sit up for at least a few minutes. Often she leans forward and touches the floor for some support. Almost looks like she's folding herself in half sometimes. You would think her being able to sit up would make taking her picture a little easier, but it's quite the opposite in fact. She is rarely content to sit back anymore, so she's always bobbing all around. I'm still thankful that she hasn't started moving around yet -- just for the sake of the floor maintenance it's going to require of me.

She has a pretty set schedule now. She wakes up about 7-8am and eats, then plays in her exersaucer while I do some chores. (I know she's awake when I hear her talking to herself in bed -- so cute.) We do some more fun morning-time activities, and then when she starts to get a little fussy, she has her second breakfast followed by a morning nap. She will eat 3-4 more times in the day with an afternoon nap thrown in there somewhere. And then she usually falls asleep somewhere between 7 and 9pm. She sleeps in her crib downstairs, which took awhile for me to get used to, but it's great now (she was previously in the bassinet upstairs down the hall from us).

Some of her favorite activities include playing in her exersaucer or playgym, reading books with mama, "donkey rides" with dad, talking to people (loves this a lot), playing piano & singing with me, taking stroller rides, looking at groceries in the store, and watching her mobile. The books say 5 month olds are supposed to be over their mobiles by now, but she still loves it -- especially if she's a little tired. She loves-loves-loves to have fuzzy fabrics in her hand, but doesn't have a preference for a particular blanket or animal. She seems to really enjoy diaper time, and sometimes we'll talk and play at the changing table for quite awhile.

This fifth month has also included some not-so-pleasant happenings. She's gotten sick a few times -- a cold, throwing up, being constipated. She's also continued to spit up quite a bit, and always seems to do it right before I get the burp cloth up in the right spot. She wants to put everything in her mouth, but hasn't quite developed the coordination to get things in there correctly, which is one reason I think she favors cloth so much -- she can just bunch it up & stuff it all in there. She's also still quite a drooler. I guess it's possible she's teething, but the doc doesn't think so and I haven't seen any visible teeth trying to push up yet.

She eats really well. Well, she eats well from me. But boy, try to get her to take a bottle and you would think someone was pinching off her nose. She hates it! She gets sooooo mad. She was taking them for awhile there, and then just stopped. I've tried different bottles, different nipples, different positions -- nothing seems to work. It's not really a big deal because I'm available to nurse, but it makes it pretty much impossible for me to leave her for very long. We have a wedding & reception on April 4th, so I'm not sure what we're going to do for that. I'm just going to keep trying! (Funny: if I take a phone call when she is nursing, she will stop eating to look up & talk to me -- she thinks I am talking to her I guess!)

Hazel is starting to move into 6-12 month clothing. At her last doctor's visit (in Feb) she was 14 lbs 11.5 oz (75%), so she's a little ahead of the game, but not too much. It seems to me she's starting to lengthen out a bit and become more proportional, but maybe I'm imagining things.

She has started really laughing, and it's fun to see what will get her going. She's only really up for silly business, though, when she's really relaxed.

She seems to be amicable with almost anyone, and is quick to smile at anyone who smiles at her. I think her smile is absolutely amazing -- I'm sure this isn't the first time I've gone on about it. But it really is delightful, charming, gleeful... I mean, the girl is just HAPPY.

She does get unhappy from time to time. Mostly in the evenings in environments with too much stimulation. This doesn't bother me at all -- I suffer the same calamity. I know everyone says she looks just like Tory, but on the whole she really reminds me of me. I look back at my baby pictures, and the spirit seems identical.

It has been interesting to watch her relationship with Tory grow. He has a very different parenting style than I do (surprise, surprise), and at times I think that if I were a baby I wouldn't care for it. :) But she is so comfortable with him, and when he is in the room she watches him with awe & wonder. They cuddle a lot and I know Tory is looking forward to really introducing her to the outdoors when it gets just a bit nicer out.

Aaaannd she continues to lose hair after hair after hair. So I continue to buy hat after hat after hat. Vanity, thy name is motherhood.

We love her so much.