Mila is 5 Months!

Dear Mila,

This month has been such a blur. I can't believe you're on the cusp of being half a year old already!

This month has brought so many new and amazing developments. You talk a lot more now -- you "ahhhh" and "oohhhhh" all the time. Especially when you're falling asleep. It's so funny to watch, and even funnier to listen to you. Sometimes you get really loud too! You want to make yourself heard! You smile so much more now and have even giggled a couple of times. Your laugh is the sweetest laugh we've ever heard! Your daddy and I melt whenever we hear it and we do all sorts of crazy antics to try to get you to do it again.

This month is also one filled with mixed emotions. You're so smart and aware; I love seeing how much you've grown, but you're almost 6 months old and that just blows my mind! How can it be that you've gotten so big? This month is also the last month you'll be exclusively breastfed. Next month, we start introducing solids, which I'm so excited about! I can't wait to see your expressions as you discover new foods. But I'm also kinda sad that I won't be your sole provider of food anymore. I remember when you were born and you started breastfeeding and how hard it was... I couldn't wait until it was over!! Now I look back and I know this is the beginning of the end of our nursing and our special bonding time. I hope to breastfeed until you're at least a year old, but I know every month it will be less and less as you eat more solids. I'll miss it. I know it'll be fun for you though... you already stare ate Mommy and Daddy when we eat and you seem fascinated with what we're doing. You look at the food we're eating and you watch us put it in our mouth and you really focus on us while we chew. You're so inquisitive!

For now though, you have so much fun while you nurse. You've taken to grabbing your foot and kicking whenever you're eating. It's so funny! Well, except when you kick mommy on the nose! You love your feet and especially your toes. I'll never understand how it is that you can't find your thumb, yet you can find your big toe to suck on. It cracks me up!

Another new and exciting, and somewhat challenging, milestone is that you're teething! You drool alllll the time - you easily go through three bibs a day. We can see that your gums are really swollen and I just know a tooth is going to pop through there any day now. We've given you a few teething toys for you to chew on, although these days, everything is a chew toy because you want to put everything in your mouth!

You're also sitting up so well! Now it's only with a bit of support from one hand while you play with something in the other. But if you let go, you topple off to the side. Oopsy daisy! So funny. You've also mastered the art of holding a toy in one hand, and then transfering it to the other -- while you're sitting in your Bumbo, of course. You're so smart!!

When you were three months old you rolled over from your tummy to your back, but you didn't do it too many more times after that. I think it might have startled you and you didn't want to do it anymore. But you've become a pro at turning from your back to your tummy! However, you seem to get stuck in that position and when your arms get tired and you want to change positions, you seem to get stuck and cry for help. We help you turn over when you get really frustrated, but hopefully you learn to turn over both ways on your own soon. I can't imagine we'll be there to turn you over when you're in college, young lady! :)

Your favorite place to be is by far in Mommy and Daddy's arms. You love being held. And we love holding you too! Your so sweet to cuddle with. Your second favorite place to be is your ExerSaucer. Oh boy, do you love that thing. You put everything in your mouth -- we've even had to add a few more toys that you can reach so you can gnaw on them!

Your least favorite place to be is in the car. You hate it! Mommy has to make sure you've taken a good nap and you've eaten right before taking you out. If not, all hell breaks loose! Especially when you're back there all by yourself. You cry and scream and it really breaks my heart! I try to console you and sing to you, talk to you, play music... nothing seemed to work. The other day I was sitting back there with you while Daddy was driving, and you started "ahhhhhh"-ing and I could tell you were about to cry. So I started copying everything you did... and it stopped the crying before it really started. You even fell asleep in the car - which is rare! I started copying the noise you were making and I turned it into this: "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..ehhhhhhhhhhh..eeeeeeeeeeee..ohhhhhhhhhhh... uuuuuuuuuuuuuu." It almost sounded like I was chanting the vowel sounds, haha! But it worked! And I've tried it a couple more times and it seems to work pretty well! I hope you start taking to the car... it's not something we can avoid, you know. We have places to go, people to see!

Your nighttime sleeping had gotten a bit crazy this month, but now it's starting to get better. Definitely seems like it was a case of the "four month wakeful." But now it's the end of the month and so much better. You're sleeping well in your crib and Mommy and Daddy have just moved out of your room. You're such a big girl! Even your daytime naps, which have always been a struggle, are getting better and better. I used to have to put you in the Ergo Baby Carrier for every nap, and now I've even  been able to put you down into the crib for a nap or two during the day! It's great, Mommy can finally get a few things done around the house -- maybe even catch up on my blog! You usually only nap for 30 minutes to an hour in there, but at least it's progress!

You are definitely becoming more aware of what's going on around you as well. If I walk away from you and you don't see me, you start to cry. Could it be that you miss me? Awww.... I miss you too munchkin'! I think that might also be the issue in the car and that might be a contributing reason that you cry. I'm thinking of sticking a picture of your Daddy and me back there so you can see us, haha. I wonder if that would work?

You also seem to recognize your name. You turn your head when I call you, but it could just be that your turning your head because you hear a sound. I'm not sure. We'll have to keep practicing.

During playtime, Daddy loves to dance with you. I know he really treasures that time with you. He'll put on the radio and you two will just dance the night away! It's so sweet.

He also plays with you and your toys, like your spinning wheel that I like to call "The Wheel of Fortune," all though it looks nothing like the popular gameshow. It spins and sings the alphabet. You not too interested in the educational aspect of it, you much more prefer it's flavor, haha!

Mommy likes to read you fairy tales in Spanish from the book your Aunt Cindy got for you. I'm really making a concious effort to read and speak to you in Spanish so you'll learn, but it's so hard because I always talk to Daddy in English. It's hard to make the transition. Mommy and Daddy are going to try harder. I know you'll be talking before we know it!!

Your Abuelito now comes over once a week to visit. We go for a walk around the neighborhood to get a bit of exercise, but you'll have none of it! You hate those walks... you insist on being picked up and as soon as I do, you're fine. It's summer and I think it's just too hot out. We would love to get out earlier to beat the heat, but you always take your nap by the time we want to get out. We're going to have to figure out how we're going to get some exercise. It's hard to walk outside with you in my arms all sweaty and trying to juggle an umbrella at the same time so you're not in the sun! Although Mommy does get quite a workout, I'll tell you that!!

You love getting out of the house and last weekend, your daddy and I took you to the beach for the first time. You loved it! You looked so stylish too, with your new sunglasses! It was the best weekend with you so far... we love taking you to new places and watch you experience new things. It's almost as if we're rediscovering them with you. You make everything so interesting... from just feeling the wind in your hair, to seeing your shadow, to feeling something cold to the touch. What will we discover next? I can't wait.

I love you my chunky little monkey!

Your Mommy


5 Month Status Update:

16 lbs. 3 oz.
25 inches