Adventures in Mommyhood: 5 months (and 10 yrs for the furry one!)

I think I'll start off by writing a letter to my first daughter...the furry one
Dear Luci,
You are 10 years old today! There have been many times in your life that I was pretty sure you weren't going to make it.....and no, it's not because you are old and decrepid or because you have serious life threatening health issues, it's mostly because at 10 years old, you still act like a puppy sometimes....and not in the good kind of way ;-) Since we moved into the new house, you seem more relaxed. You enjoy rolling around in the grass (which you are, of course, allergic to) and then trying to scoot inside before I can brush you off. But I think your favorite thing is scratching at the door, and not necessarily because you need to go out or are ready to come back in....I'm pretty sure you are just trying to see how quickly i come running. Rest assured, my response time has improved dramatically....thanks for keeping me on my toes.
You are getting more and more curious (and slightly annoyed) with your sister. It's funny because when she was younger and cried, you would immediately get up and go to her crib or her swing and act genuinely concerned. Now, the odds are better that you will get up and go into Dad's man room to get some peace and quiet! When she's not crying now, you like to sneak up to her room and fall asleep behind the rocker....it's really pretty sweet.
It's hard for me to believe that you are already 10, I still remember my 20th birthday when you were brought in to me with a huge ribbon and the cutest little puppy face :) Just so you know, I still think you're pretty cute.

I love you baby girl! Let's try to hang out for another 10 ;-)

Love,
Mom

Now to the less furry daughter.....

Dear Amelia,
You are just shy of 5 months old now! Today is your big sister's birthday, and it's amazing to me that in 10 years, she's hardly changed at all, yet from month to month, I can hardly keep up with all the new stuff you're doing! It's hard to know where to even begin....
You have definitely proven to be a Jones this last month. Predictability is definitely our strong suit. You wake up around the same time every day, take a 2 hour nap that starts between 8-9 sometime (this nap will determine how the rest of your day will go....less than 2 hours makes for a rough day for mommy!) then you eat about every 3 hours-ish and take about 2 other short naps until the evening time. Around 5 you have been taking one last long nap, you know, so you're rested for bed time (I wish I had your life) and then you're FAST asleep by 7:30. You don't like to be bothered with things like being rocked or snuggled....you prefer to be put in your crib with your paci, and you take care of the rest. Recently, however, you like be to stroke your face lightly with my hand while you doze off. I think it's your sweet way of compensating for me not getting to rock you anymore :) It's one of my favorite times of the day.
You have now graduated to the high chair! You are still eating rice cereal....but now you are ACTUALLY eating it. Before you mostly just spit it out with a certain amount of force, but you actually chew and swallow these days. When I started spoon feeding you, I put you in the bumbo chair and it seemed to suffice, but now that you have gotten so much more curious, I had to have you more restrained so I could actually find your mouth and have any chance of getting the cereal to it. I wouldn't say you LOVE your highchair, but you tolerate it, as long as you have your own spoon to play with while you wait for me to mix up your grub. You have about a 5 minute attention span when it comes to eating....after that, you're over it. But so am I, so it works out pretty good ;-)
When we play now, you generally spend some time in your exersaucer, and seem to really like it! You get a big kick out of getting all the noise makers going at the same time.....you're furry sister is less than amused with your new pasttime. We also sing (and by 'we', I mean 'I') and dance to some of your favorite songs that your little stuffed pink "learning" dog play. You are still not rolling over, and honestly, seem perfectly content with it. I guess that means I am too ;-) I feel like as soon as you do that, then it's all downhill from there. I'm enjoying you being stationary while it lasts ;-) Well, I say "stationary", but you sure can scoot yourself around on your back like a pro! One new thing is that you can sit up now!! You are a little unstable, but you sure want to do it on your own. You're so independent...it's adorable. You are still in the 'everything that you put in your hand, goes into your mouth' phase and I hear that lasts for years....so I guess I just need to get used to it.
You go in and out of teething, but still no teeth to show for it. The only reason I can tell that's what it is, is that you drool so much during those weeks and you chomp down HARD on anything you put in your mouth (namely, my fingers). This is another phase that I understand can last for months....I have to admit, they are not my favorite weeks. On Fridays of those weeks, mom needs a DRINK! ;-)
I remember when you were younger, it was so easy for us to take you out and about. You slept 80% of the time, and were attached to my boob the other 20%.....that is no longer the case. Your Dad and I have boycotted taking you anywhere at night. It's not that we don't enjoy you screaming at the top of your lungs for no apparent reason in restaurants, it's just that we vowed never to be "those parents"....so, we've sort of put our dinner outings on hiatus. we are getting better at remaining calm when those moments of hysteria arise, and generally they don't last longer than 15-20 minutes, but it may as well be hours when you're unhappy.
One last thing....and my most favorite thing....your smile and laugh :) You truly are one of the happiest babies I've ever seen. When you smile, it's with your whole face! Your little nose squints and your eyes light up and your little gums show.....its the highlight of every one of my days :) And now you laugh....it's the funniest thing I've ever heard. You and I sit on the couch and just laugh at each other every day. I do something funny to make you laugh (you don't give any sympathy laughs, you make me WORK for it!) then as soon as I hear it, I crack up....and then we start all over again. Gosh, I love you. :)

Well, I guess that's about it for this month....you will be 6 months next month! Where has the time gone? Just keep doing what you do....smile, eat, laugh, sleep. Below are a couple of pictures of you this month, but none of them do you justice....

This was one of the first times in your exersaucer...you were a lot happier than this picture leads you to believe.

Just before bathtime....mommy likes to amuse herself at your expense. sorry, baby ;-)

19 Weeks old

This is what you do every time you drink your bottle....its adorable :)

Every morning Daddy gets you and puts you in bed with me, so this is the smile I wake up to every morning :)

just hanging out in the kitchen like a big girl

in honor of our dear friend, Patti Bedford, a lady who you will hear lots about later, we dressed you in leopard print. something every lady should have in her closet.

(RIP Patti, you will be dearly missed, but never forgotten)