Nora at 5 Months

(Technically 4.5 months here, but close enough)

Personality:  She is a charmer, no doubt about it.  I don’t think anyone can resist her awesome smile.  She is so funny—she usually smiles at absolutely everyone.  Like some total random person walks by at the grocery store not even really paying any attention to the baby and she gives them a big smile.  Then they usually do a little double take and have to come chat with her (and me) for a bit.

She also loves to “chat” and makes sounds such as “ma ma” and “da da” all the time.  It is very adorable!  She also discovered coughing and sometimes does it to get attention.  She also has started squealing and uses it in the same manner, which can be a bit much.  She tends to squeal more then she cries…

Physical: Almost everyone comments on her size—all the same “you must not feed that baby” comments I got with Joseph.  We had to bring her in to the doctors a couple days ago and she was almost 19 pounds, 18.13 I believe.  She has so much chub all her creases and folds collect moisture and get irritated. 

As soon as I said I thought her eyes might stay blue, she proved me wrong.  They—somewhat sadly for me—seem to be changing now.  They are more grey then blue now, with green and brown.  I really have no idea how they are going to end up.  She has a tiny bit more hair and it is bound to be curly—it tends to frizz up already.  Sometimes it looks light red to me!

Her skin is still a total mess.  This week we visit the allergist to see if they have any answers.  Fighting the excema feels like a losing war…

She can roll and move quite a bit, but doesn’t always feel like it.  Plus we tend to be on the go so much she probably doesn’t get enouph time to practice.  But, in the right mood, she can move quite far just by rolling.  Every once in awhile she starts to get her butt in the air a little bit—preparing for crawling.  She is very close to sitting; she can sit on her own for probably half a minute or so before tumbling.  She also is constantly doing little “crunches” when put in a reclined position (she has been doing this for quite some time).  

Her dexterity and control over her movements is probably what has changed the most this month.  She can reach for anything she wants, she picks things up and moves them around in her fingers.  This means she is much more dangerous—I have to be careful what is near her because she is going to check it all out!

Eating habits: Still loves to eat.  A lot. I doubt that will change.  Still nurses every 2-3 hours day and night.  Kind of wish she would slow down a bit, but don’t see it happening.  I also backed off solid foods.  She had a little here and there, then one weekend she ate a lot more and it really seemed to effect her digestion.  I am also kind of interested in incorporating some of this new idea of “baby lead weaning” but don’t really know much about it (want to share some info. Meredith?).  We are also seeing an allergist this week.

Nora did take a couple bottles when she stayed with grandma once this month (while I worked at the library).  Pumping for the day was a huge pain, but she didn’t appear to have any problem with it.

Sleep: A tad bit better.  She is waking 3-4 times a night, but that’s way better then the like 8 times.   She starts out in the crib, sometimes spends some time in her Rock’n Play and often ends up in bed with us at some point in the early morning. Her daytime schedule has also become pretty consistent—she typically naps at about 9, 12, and 4 in her crib if we are home or in the car.  The nap in the middle of the day is the longest 1-2 hours, the other two are about 45 minutes.  I love having a good schedule, however I have also discovered it is challenging since I tend to plan lots of outings and activities and they are all at different times.  So currently I am working on how to balance the getting out and about with maintaining her best nap schedule.  Plus I hope to try and improve her night times and am considering some sleep training. 

 Nicknames: Noranator, Baby, Norabelle, Stinkerbelle, Noni

Mom stuff: I think I am starting to settle into the whole parent-of-two-stay-at-home-mom-again thing.  A job opportunity came up and, after lots of thought, I ended up deciding not to go for it.  I am still on the look out for something eventually, but am really appreciating the opportunity to be home for now.  Especially given all the sickness hitting us this winter.  First Joseph’s step, now Nora has the flu.  It’s been horrible and very scary for me, but she is getting better quick.  I am rethinking the extent to which I have toted Nora around, both because of her sleep schedule and illness. Up to this point I kind of thought to myself that I could do all the same things despite being pregnant or having a baby.  But, maybe I now need to be a bit more responsible and not drag Nora everywhere…primarily I am thinking about going into Joseph’s school.  I have brought her tons and love spending time at the school, but maybe it’s not the best place for her.  We will see!  Oh I also had a bought with a clogged duct which was very unpleasant and my first major nursing problem.  It did clear up quickly tough.