Julia || 5 Months

Sweet, sweet Julia,

Here we are, staring down yet another month. Time sure does fly, and I so desperately wish it would slow down. Long gone are the newborn days and ways.

Just a few weeks ago I caught your first, real belly laugh. My heart about burst. Ever since then I've done everything possible to make you laugh. I'm sure I look and sound crazy, but you love it and those giggles are worth looking like a fool. More often than not you oblige and laugh that sweet little laugh. I could listen to that all day long.

You've discovered your toes and I die every time your little fingers grasp those chubby little toes. This may be one of my favorite infant discoveries.

You are to Marcus like a moth is to a flame. Whenever he is near you gravitate towards him. He has solicited a few laughs from you, and seeing your interaction is what dreams are made of.

A favorite of yours includes talking with your dad and me. Your little eyes just light right up when ever we hold a conversation. And your smile, oh Julia, your smile is infectious and can brighten any mood and any room. You are genuinely a happy baby, and I love that people outside our immediately family pick up on that so quickly.

Your personality is really starting to shine, and my goodness, you are quite the little ham. If you are giving us any indication of how you will be years from now, my guess is you'll be full of jokes and have the greatest sense of humor. I also have a feeling your dramatic moments won't be stopping any time soon.

I'm pretty sure eating still ranks quite high on your list of favorites. You nurse every 2-4 hours. And, I'm so thrilled that we are still about 95% nursing. This journey hasn't been an easy one, but it's a journey we're still on, so for that I'm thankful.

Bath time is forever your favorite time. You could probably spend all evening in there if we let you (and if the water stayed warm). Watching you kick your legs and flail your arms about, all while squealing with delight is downright adorable. I'm itching for warm summer days when we can get you into a pool.

Sleep. Let's just talk about the four month sleep regression that hit us, and hit us hard. For the longest time you'd go down at 10pm and wouldn't wake until 7am, sometimes later (there were even mornings I would have to wake you at 8:30 so we could bring your brother to school). But, this past month you've been like clockwork, waking at 2:30/3, and sometimes again around 4:30/5. I know one to two wake-ups a night isn't terrible, but it sure takes some getting used to after the great sleep we were having. Naps are pretty consistent - for every 2-3 hours you're awake you require a cat nap of 20-60 minutes. Rarely do you nap for longer than an hour... I wouldn't mind if you changed this habit and added a 2 hour nap somewhere in our day.

You continue roll from your back to your front (left side to right side, only). But, if you're on your stomach for too long you let us all know how much you don't appreciate your position. One of these days you'll figure out just how much fun you can have with your toys if your not in the prone position.

It is amazing at the amount of drool you are able to produce. You are a slobbery mess and chew on literally anything you can get into your mouth. I keep thinking we are going to see a tooth pop up. But, so far, no dice.

You're still not a fan of your car seat. That's something you're just going to have to get over. We live in L.A. We are resigned to our cars for ridiculous amounts of time. Sorry.

Sweet Pea, the joy you have brought to our lives is indescribable and immeasurable. Each day with you is such a blessing, and I cannot believe I'm so lucky to be your mommy.

Here's to month five.

We love you to the moon and back, twice.

Love,
Mommy

Stats (unofficial - the next well checkup is in February)
Height: 25ish inches :: the online calculators are all over the place, one says 20th percentile while the other says 50th.
Weight: 15ish pounds - this may explain the nightly feedings, as you've gained two pounds in a month :: again, roughly 50th percentile
Clothing: Still squeezing into some 6 month clothes, but 6-9 and 9 month items seem to have a better fit
Diapers: Pampers Swaddlers size 2
Teeth: none