5 Months

Each month brings so many changes and new challenges, but I think each one is more and more exciting as I watch my tiny baby grow more into her own little person. Lyla turned 5 months old last week, and it's amazing to think about what has happened in these four weeks.

The number of smiles in a day has grown exponentially, from a few for just me and Ray, to constant for whomever is around. They can be hard to catch because she's distracted by cameras, but all these grins show us what a happy little girl she is.

In the last two weeks we swapped the carseat adapter for the real seat in the stroller, and she loves it! Lyla much prefers to sit upright and look out of the stroller during walks, and she now spends very minimal time in the carseat.

I also spend a lot more time wearing her in a carrier or sling, especially when shopping. While awkward at first, the transfer from carseat to carrier has become pretty seamless.

The biggest change this month is that Lyla has begun sitting on her own. She can last up to several minutes, but still requires cushions on all sides because she will eventually topple over. The Boppy pillow is perfect for this function; I've very glad to be getting more use out of it since I haven't used it to nurse in a pretty long time.

Unfortunately she cannot right herself yet so a faceplant on a soft surface is preferable.

She plays in her crib more; I set her up in the corner with some toys and she is very happy- until she topples over and I hear a cry for help!

She has discovered that Mommy's keys are a very fun toy. . .

And enjoys holding a wooden spoon while I'm cooking. The days when she can sit in the Bumbo on the counter are numbered; she's getting too big and likes to arch her back and almost lift herself out! It will no longer be safe up here pretty quick!

We started sleep training at bedtime, and she still sleeps well through the night starting at 7pm. She wakes up at different times- sometimes 7am, most often 6:30am, and 5:30am on the worst days. Naps have been irregular for some time and continue to be a bit variable. A doze on the breast in the morning is typical, followed by a long nap in the middle of the day from 11am to 1:30pm or 2. Sometimes she inexplicably wakes up early, and I do what I can to encourage a nap later in the afternoon. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. While our pediatrician feels that 2-3 shorter naps throughout the day would be beneficial, I'm not sure I can make this happen since Lyla has always favored that long nap in the middle of the day. We will start sleep training for naps soon and see if we can give it a try.

Right now our bedtime routine consists of nursing, pajamas, stories, songs, and good nights. The only remaining sleep aid we use is the Sleep Sheep, mostly to muffle household noises while she falls asleep.

Lyla chatters and smiles for me all day long. She sleeps pretty well and enjoys baths and diaper changes. Lots of drool and finger sucking, but no hints of teeth yet. She prefers her right thumb and forefinger, but noisily sucking just the thumb has started to make an appearance.

Ray took this picture on a recent evening out to dinner. We had a nice time, Lyla was very good and the food was excellent. Lyla was complimented by a woman seating at a table next to us, saying she'd never seen such a tiny and beautiful little girl be so well behaved in a restaurant. I swelled with pride that my daughter was eye catching for being pretty AND well-behaved. :-)