five months

Micah Elisabeth,

I think I say this {or at least I feel it} every month, but I cannot believe you are already 5 months old! I love you more today than I did when you were born, and I never thought that would be possible. You are every bit of a miracle, and I am so thankful to watch you grow every day. This month has been so much fun with you, and I love all the new things we get to experience together.

I think you have gotten even sweeter this month, and we are constantly hearing people tell us what a good baby you are. You rarely fuss {only when you are really sleepy}, and you love to smile at people. You crack me up when you see someone new because you get such a serious look on your face at first, just studying them, then you'll crack a little smile. I love that you are friendly with people, even if it does take you a minute or two to warm up. As your daddy says, you have to make them work for it. You definitely smile the most at men. Do I have a little flirt on my hands?!? It's pretty cute to watch grown men get silly with you just to get a big, gummy grin. You still give your daddy the biggest smiles, but I think I am a close second :) You smile at us so much, and I melt every time. I especially love the pacifier smiles...so precious!

You are blabbering so much! When you are awake, it is a rare moment that you are completely silent. You will talk and talk, and sometimes scream, to us or Wrigley or your toys. We just love hearing your sweet voice. My favorite is when I am driving and hear you talking away to your "friends" that hang from your carseat. Too cute. You definitely have a "happy" talk and what I like to call a "complaining" voice! We know when it switches over to complaining that we better jump into action! You blew your first raspberry this month for me, but your daddy still hasn't seen one. You try really hard to do it, but I know it's a little bit difficult for you. You'll get it soon baby girl! You are laughing so much now, and your daddy and I will do whatever silly thing it takes to hear it over and over.

You really enjoy playing with toys and are always grabbing for them. We keep the diaper bag stocked with your favorites so that we can easily entertain you when we are out and about. I love watching you play and seeing you begin to learn how to manipulate your toys. You are pretty incredible! I think your favorite toy is probably your giraffe, whom we lovingly call Rafi. He goes everywhere with us, and you really love playing with {eating} him. You are pretty partial to your feet these days too, and you have finally figured out how to put those cute little toes in your mouth...oh boy! You love your exersaucer, and you will stay in there for a good 30 minutes just playing and playing. I love it!

You are SOOOO interested in food and drinks! You tasted lemonade, ketchup, oreos, and many other things this month. We tried to put off starting rice cereal as long as we could, but we gave in on April 26. You stare holes through us when we are eating, and if you get anywhere near our plates or drinks, you try to dive right in! I can't even hardly hold you in one arm and a drink in my other hand because before I know it, you have your little hands and mouth all over that cup. You are still trying to decide if you like rice cereal very much, but you definitely will eat some of it. It makes you seem so big to sit in your bumbo, getting fed with a spoon. You are already exerting your will with that spoon to. You much prefer to feed yourself rather than mommy and daddy feeding you. Yes, already!!!

You have a great schedule and are still nursing every 3-3.5 hours during the day. After that, you play for a while and then take a nap. Naps have been another story. You have decided that sleeping more than 30 minutes at a time is overrated! I am hoping this phase will pass quickly because we both need those naptimes :) Your sleep at night is getting better, and you are almost back to waking just once in the night to eat. We are transitioning you to your crib at night, which sort of makes me sad. I don't know why, but I think I secretly love to have you in the room. I sleep better when you are in there, but we are both learning :) You still love to be swaddled, and I love my little burrito! Your daddy and I have developed a bedtime routine for you, and we love that time--bath, jammies, Daddy storytime, songs, prayer, rocking. Some people say it's a bad habit to rock you, but you will only be my baby once. So, I will rock you for as long as you will let me!

You spent your first whole week away from your Daddy this month while he was in Ghana. You and I went to College Station and stayed at Mimi and Pappy's house. We visited Grandmommy and Pops a lot too. You went to your first t-ball game to cheer on Cade and even got your first taste of a grape snocone. You got to meet some friends from Mommy and Daddy's old church in Bryan, too. You got plenty of loving! We definitely missed Daddy like crazy, and you let him know how happy you were to see him when he got back. You gave him the biggest smiles, and he could hardly talk to anyone without you blabbering at him. That was so precious!

Your fifth month was pretty incredible, and I can't imagine my life without you! You bring a richness to my world that I cannot even begin to describe. You have taught me the true meaning of selflessness, patience, and love. I cannot imagine any better job than being your Mommy. You get more and more precious with every passing day, and I cannot wait to see what the next month brings. I am so thankful to be your Mommy. Happy 5 months, Micah Elisabeth!

I love you, to the moon and back!

Your Mommy