5 Months: The Inside Scoop

Anna Reaghan is FIVE months old! One more month and we're halfway through her first year.  It's still FLYING by.

• clothes: mostly 3s, 3-6s, and some 6 month clothes.  You definitely had a little growth spurt a few weeks ago and gained over an ounce/day!
• diapers: you can fit in 2s, but we are finishing up a package of 1s that we have :)
• hair:  your front "swirl" is long enough it doesn't swirl so well and often dangles down across your forehead.  When stretched, it reaches the tip of your nose!  You need your bows, girl! :)  Still some reddish highlights mixed in.
• I *was* working hard at waking you between 7 and 7:30, but you've been wanting to sleep closer to 8 or 8:30 and it's hard to argue with that, especially after a difficult night. ;)  Your morning nap is the most reliable.  You are *starting* to sleep through the light sleep phase in the middle and take some "whole" naps instead of half naps.  It's glorious. :)
• still desperately needs to be swaddled!  You've broken an arm out of the top of the swaddling blanket at handful of times, so we tried a nap without swaddling.  I couldn't even put you down in the crib!  You woke up and cried every time I started to set you down.  Then I swaddled you and you fell right to sleep.  Please don't start regularly breaking out of the swaddle as you obviously rely upon it quite heavily still!
• You are a rolling machine, especially in bed--even though you're swaddled! I have not seen you roll back to tummy during play time, but I DO put you to bed on your back and find you on your tummy when you wake up.  I can't imagine how hard that is to accomplish while you're swaddled!  One time you even steam rolled yourself RIGHT OVER the side of the sleep positioner (it provides tummy pressure when you have stomach rumbles.  Amazing!
• Because of your bedtime rolling, we removed your crib bumper.  You're not proficient at rolling any way you want at will, so it wasn't safe to have the bumper in where you could get your face stuck against it.  Sorry.
• You are sitting up!  You can't sit indefinitely, but you can sit by yourself (not even doing the tripod!) for several minutes and/or play with toys in your lap.  When did you learn to do that?!?
• You still enjoy baths, but honestly we're a smidge stingy with them as you have super dry skin.  You have Mommy's family's skin that gets incredibly dry and eczema-y with the dry winter air.  We lotion you up with Aveeno Baby.
• Having some stretches of 3.5-4 hours between feedings if you are distracted with lots of activity going on or napping past the 3 hour mark, but 3 hours is your general time between daytime feedings
• At night, you do best getting in bed between 6:45-7:00.  You have stretched your night time feedings to sometime between 2 and 6, often between 4 and 6!  You had several nights in a row you ate at 6:45 PM and then not again until 6 AM!
• Once you started reflux meds after you 4 month appointment and started eating better, your gas improved even though it's not subsided entirely.  There is hope! :)
• You are LOVING toys and kicking and batting. You like holding things and squeezing them.  We need to set up our kicky toy.  I think you will love it, and I know Asa will. ;)
• We brought the exersaucer up from the basement!  You love the little puppet toy the best. :)  Asa likes the exersaucer, too. :)
• All naps and nighttime sleep are in your crib in your room.  You made the big switch rather seamlessly.
• We switched you to the convertible car seat before Thanksgiving.  You kept trying to sit up straight in the bucket, and it wasn't safe to have your head bobbing around as a result.  You settled right into the convertible car seat though.
• You still love the Beco carrier--yea!
• You have had a few rides in the regular seat (although reclined b/c you're still a little baby) of the double stroller.  I am excited for you to be big enough at some point for Asa's seat and yours to face each other. :)
• You are a drooling machine and gnaw on your fingers a LOT.  We do not see any teeth on the verge of popping through, but you sure seem to have begun the teething process.
• Your tummy and neck are ticklish.  Tickling them is part of our bedtime routine. :)

Pics to come!