Letter to Nora: Five Months

Little Miss Nora,

You are five months old! Yes, the months are passing far more quickly than I would like, but we honestly couldn’t pack any more fun into our days.

You are such a sweet, happy baby girl. Strangers are constantly commenting on your contagious smile and big blue eyes.

5months2

You have become much more interactive and playful this month. You absolutely love to bounce in your jumperoo and play with the birds that hang from your activity mat. You have gained control of your hands and can easily reach for and grasp your toys — and Sam’s, too. Fortunately, he doesn’t mind if you grab his cars or dinosaurs. Unless you drool on them, of course, which almost always happens.

You are still content to accompany us on playdates and to the library or the park or the mall. Though you now prefer to be part of the action rather than snooze in your stroller. I often strap you in the Ergo, and we follow Sam on his adventures. We take hikes and play in the sand and throw rocks into the lake and sometimes the three of us hold hands and go down the sliding board. Just wait until you can run along right beside him!

5months1

You have learned to yell and can put up a pretty good fight to get our attention. You also sing and giggle and make funny faces as you explore new sounds. You cry if I put you in another set of arms, and I can only take a few seconds of that little lip quiver before I scoop you back up. I can’t help but love how much you love me.

You hold my fingers and grab my face with both hands and lean into me when you’re sleepy. You clutch your Wubbanub and like to cuddle with your blanket. You are such a sweet love bug!

5months3

You got your own seat at the table this month (and Mommy is happy to have her hands free again at mealtime!). And you have tried a few foods: rice cereal mixed with breast milk and bananas, applesauce, pears, watermelon, avocado, and sweet potato. If you don’t like something (avocado), you spit it right back out. And if you love it (pears!), you grab the spoon and beg for more. We plan to continue homemade purees twice a day until you reach six months, then we’ll follow the baby-led weaning approach.

You still nurse six times a day, and I swear your little legs are finally plumping up. Though you are still very long and lean. Your 3-month pants fit like capris, and your 6-month clothing is far too big around the belly. And we’ve had more diaper blowouts this month than I can count. I suspect it’s because the diapers aren’t snug enough around your itty bitty waist.

It’s become more challenging, however, to nurse you in public because you are too easily distracted. I attempted to feed you during Auntie Laura’s graduation ceremony, which resulted in a major meltdown in the middle of the president’s speech and a blushing momma with her shirt still unbuttoned rushing out of the tent with you screaming at me from under a blanket.

5months4

You only nap in 30-minute increments during the day — and most often in your car seat or in my arms. You refuse to be swaddled in your crib for naps, and as soon as I lay you down on your back, you roll onto your belly and just cannot get comfortable. (I’ve caught you resting your head a few times while playing on your belly, so I know you’ll figure it out soon.)

You don’t mind the swaddle at bedtime, however. Thank goodness! Though your little left hand always escapes. You sleep from about 8pm until 3am when you request a quick snack. And then I hear you whimper again around 6:30am. However, your eyes are often still closed, and so I just bring you into bed with us to sleep for another hour. We’ve had a few nights with multiple wake-ups, but I think we (mostly) avoided the dreaded four-month sleep regression.

5months6

You and Mommy have had some special girl bonding time this month, which I absolutely love. I often feel like our days revolve around Sam, and although you are content and cooperative, it’s so nice to have time with just you. We go shopping and out to lunch and sometimes we just sneak upstairs to play while Daddy takes Sam and Lucy for a walk.

We had a busy month of travel, but you handled it like a pro. We went to New Jersey to build Lauren’s playground and to Dover to celebrate Auntie Laura’s graduation. No matter where we are, though, you let us know that you are ready for bath and bed no later than 7:30pm.

Unlike your brother at this age, you are perfectly content to lay in the bathtub with minimal movement or splashing. You smile up at me while I wash you, and you treat it like your own personal spa! And when it’s Sam’s turn, you love to stand next to the tub and watch him play. He hides from you and blows bubbles in your face to make you giggle. You think he is hysterical!

5months7

Though you are tiny, you are so strong! You easily and gracefully roll from your back to your belly and vice versa. You can spin full circles in your pack’n’play, and you often try to escape from your bouncy seat. And you have even started to lift your booty and scoot across the floor. Slow down, lady!

Two more firsts this month: first dip in our neighbor’s pool and first time on a swing. You obviously loved both.

5months5

Sweet Nora, your personality is really starting to shine. You light up our days, and we couldn’t love you more!

5months

One thought on “Letter to Nora: Five Months

  1. What a sweet smile she has! I remember those dreaded micro naps, but I do miss those sweet itty baby snuggles. The Merlin sleep suit really saved daytime sleep for us and helped get Caleb to connect sleep cycles after he outgrew swaddles, although we retired it by 6 months.

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