Alice Juliet- Five Months
Friday, March 11, 2016
Is it weird that this month has gone faster than any other since Alice was born? I don't know why, since it's been the hardest by far- RSV followed by the beginning of stages of teething, Heaven help me- but it's true. It feels like I just took her four-month picture and lo and behold it was time to pull out the monthly stickers again this week. (Everyone tells me that this dedication to documenting the minutia of my child's life will not last past my firstborn. We shall see.)
The good news is that Alice is finally better. The bad news is that she started teething and is really wanting to be mobile- two things that cause her (and me) great distress. I've been dreading teething and crawling basically since she was born so the coming months are sure to be a barrel of fun for both of us! =) Anyway, here's the latest on our little chunker:
Weight and Length- lest you remember her weight from last month and worry that Miss Leg Rolls has gone on a diet (you don't and she hasn't), I got two things wrong last time- she was weighed with her clothes on at the Urgent Care AND I wrote down the incorrect weight. She weighs about 14.5 pounds, probably a little closer to 15 now, and she's about 24 inches long.
Nicknames- Alice from the Palace, Love Bug, Squish, Little Girl, Pookie, Troll, Spitty (seriously, you guys, the spit up, THE SPIT UP!) and Al (but only by me because I gave her birth to her so I can call her whatever I want.)
Sleep- about 9-10 hours a night (praise the Lord, seriously... I have done nothing in my life to deserve such a blessing. I did stick to Babywise pretty closely from the time she was born, however, so I will give credit where it is due.) She has one long nap in the morning and a couple of shorter ones in the afternoon. (Currently she should be napping but is instead jabbering away in her crib.)
Eating- still every three hours. She's been getting hungry a little sooner than that actually, so I'm guessing it's a growth spurt and also we need to bump up the amount she gets in a bottle to probably six ounces. She only has one bottle a day unless we're out during a feeding time so that's not a huge issue but her one bottle is her first feeding so we're trying to figure out what works there. We tried a little rice cereal and she was not a fan (I'm not either, really- it looks like extremely unappealing Cream of Wheat) but I'm hoping to introduce some vegetables here soon.
Clothing- she's at a weird spot where almost all her three month stuff is way too small but 3-6 is still pretty big. But then again, her tops are 3-6 or 6 months because she has such a long torso that wearing her regular size means a lot of crop tops. Ha! We have a ton of 6mo stuff so I'll be set in another month or two. (She's certainly not going naked, people- this child has an absurd amount of clothes.)
Mood- hmm... still happy MOST of the time, but the teething is really doing a number on her jolliness. It's mostly in the evening and/or as soon as she wakes up from a nap. And really only at home- she still rarely cries when we're out. Oh, except in the car- her new least favorite spot.
Loves-
-hanging out with daddy
-trying to push/sit up/scoot (I'm so not ready for this mobility)
-napping on me (I'm essentially a body pillow at this point. Another reason not to diet. Haha)
-being outside
-her Disney songs
-grabbing anything and everything
-books- she loves to look at the pictures!
-stuffing her shirt/bib/blanket in her mouth (ew)
-her teething rings
-yanking my hair (seriously it hurts so bad. Thanks, Alice.)
-my singing (I know, it's a mystery. But she really does.)
Doesn't Love-
-being put down when she's upset. Or sitting down with someone when she's upset. Only walking around will do. Dance, puppet, dance! (I'm the puppet.)
-being in the car (I thought it was the carseat but she's fine in the stroller.)
-face planting on the carpet (not that I let that happen. #badmama)
What I Want to Remember/Milestones- well, for one thing, since I know this won't last, I want to document the fact that she is a total mama's girl right now. I know, it's mostly because I'm with her 24 hours a day and she knows I'm her sole food source, but it makes me inordinately pleased that I am the number one person who can comfort her and that she is full of smiles for me almost all the time. (Don't get me wrong, she loves her daddy too!) But one day when she picks her dad 100% of the time, and she will because he's the fun parent, I'll remember these days. =) Also she is becoming very... shall we say... opinionated and has developed a very charming pterodactyl-type shriek that she employs throughout to express herself. Make a joyful noise, indeed. (She really doesn't do it out of anger most of the time, thank goodness.) I'm trying to take as many mental snapshots of these moments as possible- her relaxing against her daddy on the couch, reading at night, cracking her up by singing and dancing to Disney Pandora, bath time, our first trip to the pool, shopping for her first swimsuit (pictures are coming soon!), shopping for her first little sandals... ah! So many things. It's such a fun time with her right now.
What I'm Looking Forward To- putting together her first Easter basket, her baby dedication sometime this spring, trying new foods, Gigi coming to visit. (Oh, and Alice's future best friend/potential husband Sawyer is going to be born sometime in the next few weeks and we can't WAIT to meet him!)
Me- this month has been draining on my already psycho-worrier mind. Since Alice was sick three out of the last four weeks, there was a lot of "Is she breathing? (at night) Should we go back to the doctor? Better go check on her for the 17th time tonight." Having a sick baby is hard but it's also given me a ton more empathy and compassion for those who have serious illnesses they're dealing with... I can't imagine her being in the hospital for a prolonged stay or anything like that. That being said, it's also forced me to be a little more flexible. It's hard to stick to your ironclad schedule when your baby is all snotty and grumpy and just wants to be held. Whatever you want, Your Majesty! Your congested wish is my command! =) I won't say I haven't been slightly stir-crazy in the past month but Jonathan has been good aboutsetting me free letting me go out a few times and honestly, when I see how happy and joyful Alice is despite being sick it's made me want to be more like her! (Of course, her only concerns are eating and pooping and figuring out to best scalp her mother one handful of hair at a time but still.)
The good news is that Alice is finally better. The bad news is that she started teething and is really wanting to be mobile- two things that cause her (and me) great distress. I've been dreading teething and crawling basically since she was born so the coming months are sure to be a barrel of fun for both of us! =) Anyway, here's the latest on our little chunker:
Weight and Length- lest you remember her weight from last month and worry that Miss Leg Rolls has gone on a diet (you don't and she hasn't), I got two things wrong last time- she was weighed with her clothes on at the Urgent Care AND I wrote down the incorrect weight. She weighs about 14.5 pounds, probably a little closer to 15 now, and she's about 24 inches long.
Nicknames- Alice from the Palace, Love Bug, Squish, Little Girl, Pookie, Troll, Spitty (seriously, you guys, the spit up, THE SPIT UP!) and Al (but only by me because I gave her birth to her so I can call her whatever I want.)
Sleep- about 9-10 hours a night (praise the Lord, seriously... I have done nothing in my life to deserve such a blessing. I did stick to Babywise pretty closely from the time she was born, however, so I will give credit where it is due.) She has one long nap in the morning and a couple of shorter ones in the afternoon. (Currently she should be napping but is instead jabbering away in her crib.)
Eating- still every three hours. She's been getting hungry a little sooner than that actually, so I'm guessing it's a growth spurt and also we need to bump up the amount she gets in a bottle to probably six ounces. She only has one bottle a day unless we're out during a feeding time so that's not a huge issue but her one bottle is her first feeding so we're trying to figure out what works there. We tried a little rice cereal and she was not a fan (I'm not either, really- it looks like extremely unappealing Cream of Wheat) but I'm hoping to introduce some vegetables here soon.
Clothing- she's at a weird spot where almost all her three month stuff is way too small but 3-6 is still pretty big. But then again, her tops are 3-6 or 6 months because she has such a long torso that wearing her regular size means a lot of crop tops. Ha! We have a ton of 6mo stuff so I'll be set in another month or two. (She's certainly not going naked, people- this child has an absurd amount of clothes.)
Mood- hmm... still happy MOST of the time, but the teething is really doing a number on her jolliness. It's mostly in the evening and/or as soon as she wakes up from a nap. And really only at home- she still rarely cries when we're out. Oh, except in the car- her new least favorite spot.
Loves-
-hanging out with daddy
-trying to push/sit up/scoot (I'm so not ready for this mobility)
-napping on me (I'm essentially a body pillow at this point. Another reason not to diet. Haha)
-being outside
-her Disney songs
-grabbing anything and everything
-books- she loves to look at the pictures!
-stuffing her shirt/bib/blanket in her mouth (ew)
-her teething rings
-yanking my hair (seriously it hurts so bad. Thanks, Alice.)
-my singing (I know, it's a mystery. But she really does.)
-being put down when she's upset. Or sitting down with someone when she's upset. Only walking around will do. Dance, puppet, dance! (I'm the puppet.)
-being in the car (I thought it was the carseat but she's fine in the stroller.)
-face planting on the carpet (not that I let that happen. #badmama)
Maybe my favorite picture of us yet! Her face!
What I Want to Remember/Milestones- well, for one thing, since I know this won't last, I want to document the fact that she is a total mama's girl right now. I know, it's mostly because I'm with her 24 hours a day and she knows I'm her sole food source, but it makes me inordinately pleased that I am the number one person who can comfort her and that she is full of smiles for me almost all the time. (Don't get me wrong, she loves her daddy too!) But one day when she picks her dad 100% of the time, and she will because he's the fun parent, I'll remember these days. =) Also she is becoming very... shall we say... opinionated and has developed a very charming pterodactyl-type shriek that she employs throughout to express herself. Make a joyful noise, indeed. (She really doesn't do it out of anger most of the time, thank goodness.) I'm trying to take as many mental snapshots of these moments as possible- her relaxing against her daddy on the couch, reading at night, cracking her up by singing and dancing to Disney Pandora, bath time, our first trip to the pool, shopping for her first swimsuit (pictures are coming soon!), shopping for her first little sandals... ah! So many things. It's such a fun time with her right now.
What I'm Looking Forward To- putting together her first Easter basket, her baby dedication sometime this spring, trying new foods, Gigi coming to visit. (Oh, and Alice's future best friend/potential husband Sawyer is going to be born sometime in the next few weeks and we can't WAIT to meet him!)
Me- this month has been draining on my already psycho-worrier mind. Since Alice was sick three out of the last four weeks, there was a lot of "Is she breathing? (at night) Should we go back to the doctor? Better go check on her for the 17th time tonight." Having a sick baby is hard but it's also given me a ton more empathy and compassion for those who have serious illnesses they're dealing with... I can't imagine her being in the hospital for a prolonged stay or anything like that. That being said, it's also forced me to be a little more flexible. It's hard to stick to your ironclad schedule when your baby is all snotty and grumpy and just wants to be held. Whatever you want, Your Majesty! Your congested wish is my command! =) I won't say I haven't been slightly stir-crazy in the past month but Jonathan has been good about
Happy five months, little one! We love you more every day and you fill our days with sunshine and spit up. What a life! =)
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