5 months

Dear Gwenivere,
I'm writing this from Cape Cod (hence why there are so many less pictures then normal)... where you are on your first official vacation. This was a hard earned vacation, following a 6 hour car ride, which you actually did pretty well on. We left at night, right after your bedtime routine, and headed out hoping you would sleep most of the ride. You did well, waking a few times... but I was able to get you back to sleep with the help of a bottle of boob milk. But we'll come back to the Cape in a bit.

This month started off with a bang... my baby crying in the night, and a 103* fever! Not how I wanted to start off your fifth month, with a stomach bug, but we worked through it. A visit to the doctor, acetaminophen, lots of love and snuggles and naps, and thankfully you were good as new. The amazing part... how much you smiled, and how pleasant you were through the whole thing. Even when you weren't feeling well, you were still just the sweetest girl. I can't believe how lucky I am.

I am loving this age. You just want to smile at me and "talk" to me all the time. When I'm sitting down, and hold you up against my shoulder, you put your legs on my lap and bounce yourself up and down. You have your cranky moments, when you are just too tired, but now that I am better on picking up when you are getting sleepy, those are diminishing.

You have learned so many new things this month. Rolling over from back to belly, of course, and now starting to go the other way as well. You laugh sometimes, this great giggle that just makes me melt. You can support yourself standing for a little bit if I hold your hands to give you balance, and you are starting to do the tripod sit (with an arm down to help keep you up). Just the other day you started to say something that sounds suspiciously like "ma-ma" too! And you've done it a number of times since. That was a very exciting on for me.  :-)

Of course, there are downsides to this... like the fact that you have been very hard to put to sleep lately. You just want to be awake and experiencing everything. Add to that your second fever ever, a sore throat bug that you picked up just days before we came to the Cape, and then Cape Cod itself... with all its things that are different from home, well sleep has not been great lately. But, last night you gave me the best reprieve. You went down the first time, and only woke one during the night. Hopefully this is the beginning of better sleep again. And hopefully my great Sleeping Thru the Night baby returns!!

You've met a lot of new babies this month, and new people in general. Some friends of mama and dada's from school (and one of their baby's), your Nana and Papa for only the second time, your Uncle Scott and his family for the first time, your Uncle Andy and Aunt Megan and cousin Wyatt for the first time as well. You seem to love looking at other babies, maybe because they are little like you, and you reach for them. Its sweet.

Another sweet thing... how you have really discovered Daisy this month. It's like you suddenly realized there is another creature living with us, and you want to investigate her. You run your hands over her fur, finger her ears, and grin at this funny creature. You guys are going to be such good friends.

Things just keep getting better with you, my sweet girl. We are learning about each other everyday still... as we will for years and years to come. I love watching you grow and learn and change. I feel so blessed, like what did I do to deserve to be the mama to someone as sweet and beautiful and innocent as you. I am lucky, I know that much. And I will try to always deserve you!

I love you Gwenivere Mae.
MaMa