5 months

On February 4^th, Brooke was 5 months old. I truly feel the days go by so fast. It seems like we just brought her home from the hospital. The restless days of 3 hour feedings, tiny little diapers, and standing in the hallways singing made up songs while rocking her to sleep seem so long ago. I miss her infancy but I also adore watching her grow. It is amazing to know that Michael and I created this beautiful angel and after 10 months inside my tummy, she entered this world. Since then and with each passing day, her eyes get bluer, her smile gets bigger and her desire to learn continues to grow. I am absolutely smitten and blessed to call her mine. Some days I just stop and think “How did I get so lucky?” Brooke is such a good baby. I fall in love with her more and more everyday. 

On a typical day, Brooke wakes up at 7:30 and drinks 8 ounces of milk. She goes to Grammy and Grumpy’s Monday thru Thursday, and Fridays one of us is usually home with her. She sleeps for about an hour in the morning, a couple hours in the afternoon, and one more hour nap before the evening. She eats 7 ounces every 3 hours, with an extra ounce or two in her last bottle. At about 7 o’clock, we begin her nighttime routine – bath, bottle, bed. She isn’t to the point of playing in the bath just yet, but she knows her bottle and bed are shortly thereafter. Often she has trouble keeping her eyes open during her bath and tries to sneak a thumb in her mouth! She sleeps through the night and is in her crib for 12 hours straight! She may wake during the night but she “talks” herself back to sleep. She also falls asleep on her back, but at some time during the night rolls to her tummy and sleeps that way until morning. Like I said, we are blessed with a very good baby. I love her to the moon and back!

She is not blowing raspberries quite as much as she was a few weeks ago. Still no teeth, but drooling like crazy and will put anything (her fingers, your fingers, toys, blankets, etc) in her mouth. She tries to roll over during diaper changes, but that surely beats the way she used to scream when she was a newborn. We are still supplementing with some formula (5 ounces breastmilk, 2 ounces formula) and she is doing perfect with that. She is growing like a weed! She is in between 6 month and 9 month clothes and wearing size 3 Pampers Swaddlers. She has outgrown her size 1 shoes and hates socks! She still loves putting her toes in her mouth; socks and shoes just get in the way. Her skin is still a little dry; I put baby lotion on twice a day and try to keep her naked for a little while to let her skin breathe. We are not sure if eczema will be an issue her whole life, but for now we are doing our best to keep in under control, especially in the cold, dry weather. We are not surprised, as eczema runs in both of our families; I struggled with it severely throughout my childhood. Due to those troubling memories of my itchy skin, I pray that Brooke's get better soon!

She loves seeing people make silly faces, blow raspberries and “talk” with her. She has recently started hugging too. I am not sure if she completely comprehends what she is doing, but when her arms swing around my neck and she buries her face into my chest my heart just melts. Either way I know it is her way of showing her trust and love in me, and it’s the sweetest thing. She is capable of holding her own bottle and putting her pacifier in her mouth. She sits up unsupported very well, lifts up her entire head and chest during tummy time and loves to stand (with some assistance, of course). She is so strong! Her latest trick is riding the horsey; she moves back-and-forth when propped up on your leg. She looks so eager to move; I think she will be an early crawler, unless she skips that completely and goes straight to walking!

My entire world has changed from the life I once knew and I love every moment. I adore my daughter more than anything in this world! Being a mother is the greatest gift and I am blessed to call her mine. She has stolen my heart. She easily brings tears to my eyes just thinking of the joy that we endure daily because of her. Nothing in this world compares to the sound of her laughter, the grasp of her tiny hand around my finger and the warmth of her body as I hold her close to my heart. She is only 5 months old and I am trying to hold on to every moment and memory, as we all know how fast time flies by (I may have already started looking at 1^st birthday party ideas…)!

When it's just the two of us, nothing else in this world matters. I no longer live to work, but merely work to provide for her. It makes every bit of my job and every action I make even more fulfilling, knowing that she is the motivation behind everything I do. She is my world. I can't imagine my life with out Michael and Brooke. 5 years with Michael and 5 months with Brooke - I can't wait to see what the next 5 have in store for us!