5 months old!

Five months...wow. I don't think the first 5 months of Brenden's life flew by this quickly, but with Lauren it feels like I just had her. It seems like every day she changes or does something new. I'm sure most parents feel this way, but it still surprises me.

She is definitely asserting her independence in what she wants. If she is hungry she is HUNGRY. Although if you start shaking a bottle in the kitchen she can hear you in the living room and will start wiggling like a happy little worm. It's hilarious to see! She used to spend a good amount of time rolling around on the floor but in the past few weeks she decided that was not okay anymore. She preferred to sit in her exersaucer or walker. If we put her on her playmat she would flip herself onto her stomach and yell at us until we picked her up. In the past few days even that has become unacceptable. What changed? She realized she can STAND. She will sit in my lap, hold onto my hands, and pull herself up. She can even stand there for a few minutes with me steadying her. This...is scary.

Eek!

She is still a chatter box when she wants to be and sometimes she squeals so long that she makes herself cough. She has started to smile at strangers, but her favorite person to watch is still Brenden. She's also content to watch the dogs play or try to grab the cats' tails as they wander by. Most days she's super happy as long as we don't wait to long to feed her, change her, or put her down for a nap.

He's my favorite!

She has tried several different "first" foods, like rice cereal, oatmeal, applesauce, carrots, squash, sweet peas, green beans, and sweet potatoes. She's become a wonderful eater, opening super wide when she sees the spoon coming. She hasn't quite figured out that the food on the spoon will take care of her hunger. The only thing she has had a problem with is rice cereal. She definitely inherited her dad's skin problems. Poor thing breaks out all the time but we're getting better at treating it.

AHHH!

Every morning I walk into her room to find her grabbing at her feet and smiling like I just promised her a new puppy. Some days I won't hear her but when I go check on her she's just playing, content to talk to her baby doll. She is definitely a "blanket" baby that absolutely needs to have some fabric in her hand when she falls asleep. Sometimes she'll even pop her pacifier out and fall asleep chewing on her blanket instead. (Just like her brother does now with his bibs!) She's also fallen asleep with a piece of paper at Walmart or the strap from her carseat in the car. She's no longer sleeping like a baby, on her back with no moving during the night. She usually falls asleep on her side with an arm thrown over her forehead and a leg over her blanket. Most mornings I find her with her head at the other end of the crib or on her tummy.

Happy girl!

One of my favorite things is her obsession with grabbing at our faces. I know that sounds kind of crazy, but when she does it she pulls our faces towards her and gives us big, sloppy kisses. She also grabs at Brenden, which he is finally starting to enjoy. We "chase" him from couch to couch and he lets us "catch" him so she can "tickle" him. I'm excited to see how their relationship changes as she becomes more mobile. I think I'm going to have my hands really full!

Every day is something new, and I wouldn't change a thing. Happy 5 month birthday, Lauren! We love you!

5 months!