Dear Avonlea,
Oh, my girl. I love you so much. We have spent 5 months together, and I am learning more and more about you every day. Your little personality is starting to show, and you are going to be so feisty, I can already tell. :)
Everywhere we go, people comment on how big you are. You are 18 pounds 6 ounces, and most of your weight can be seen in your chunky thighs. You are now wearing 6-9 month clothes. You still wear hair bows everywhere we go, because if you don't, people ask if you are a boy or a girl (which makes mommy crazy). Thankfully, you don't mess with them too much. Every once in a while, when we are in the car, you will pull on it and it will snap down over your eyes, which you are not a fan of, understandably. This month I bought you some sunglasses, and you're really good about keeping them on your face, too. You're my little accessories queen!
You are getting so strong. You love standing up in your exersaucer, and you do really well with tummy time now. You still aren't really interested in rolling over, but you're getting closer. You play with your feet often, and tend to roll over onto your side while you're playing with them. You started sitting up on your own a little--if you're leaning forward you can balance for a few seconds on your own. You love to play with toys that are sitting around you.
You also hold yourself up when I'm holding you. You used to have to stay facing my shoulder, but now your core is strong enough that you can hold yourself up like a big girl. You put your right hand behind my shoulder and face everyone.
You love your naps. You usually take 2 or 3 naps a day, typically for 2 or more hours at a time. You sleep in a Sleep Sack, with a fan blowing on you, since it's been so hot this month. You still sleep with the white noise machine. You have also started sleeping with Boo, a stuffed dog. Usually you pull it towards you, and I will go in to check on you and you'll be sleeping with Boo on your head or face! You have been scooting up while you sleep so your face is smooshed up against the crib bumper in your bed--I don't understand how it is at all comfortable.
You take great naps--but you aren't doing so well at night. You sleep between 2-4 hour stretches at a time. I am pretty sure you can sleep longer, but mommy is lazy. See, if I get up and feed you, you go right back to sleep. I am awake for maybe 10 minutes. But, if I don't feed you, then you cry, and I am up for at least 45 minutes, not able to sleep because you are crying. *sigh* I am sure I will get to the point where I don't want to get up anymore, but I am not there yet.
We did some exciting things this month, and you showed that you LOVE to be out and about, especially when you can people-watch! You especially love to sit in your Daddy's lap and watch things. You seem to get so calm when he is holding you. We went to a Dodgers game and sat in the HOT sun, and you didn't complain once. You sweated like a little piglet, but you never complained! We go to Baby Mamas group every week, and you're starting to acknowledge the other babies in the group. You are also really into watching the dogs. You laughed at Waldo for the first time this month--when he was jumping over Mommy's feet by the pool, you just thought it was so funny! I love to hear your little giggle.
You giggle the most when we tickle your legs, or when we play "Airplane" with you. We have to be careful when playing Airplane, though--you tend to spit up while directly above our heads! Mommy had to wash her hair one time. :P You are also more responsive when we are in the pool. Before, you would get very serious when you were swimming. Now, you are big enough to sit in the floatie without being supported, and you smile now when you are swimming. You still love the bath, and it is becoming MUCH more of a playtime for you--the mirror and the counter end up soaking wet after every bath, because of all your splashing! You also love playing Pat-A-Cake and Peek-A-Boo.
You're pretty independent. You don't like to be held for long periods of time. You like being put down so you can play in your exersaucer, or under your activity mat. I often put you in your high chair with a bunch of toys, and you are content to play on your own for 20 minutes or so. You aren't a snuggler, which is good for mommy's productivity, but also a little sad because, well, you aren't a snuggler! I usually get a few good snuggles in during our feeding time, but even that is happening less and less as you get distracted by the world around you--any little noise will pull your attention away! Sometimes, I go and feed you in your room where it's dark and quiet, just so you will focus on eating.
You are very vocal! You often sing yourself to sleep, and you wake me up in the morning with your chatter over the monitor. You make raspberry noises, especially when you don't like something. You've been making "ba" and "mmm" sounds. In the car, when you're starting to fall asleep, you'll sing in a funny voice. I even got a video of it once!
You make me laugh every day, little girl. Your smiles and giggles warm me from the inside out. You are a joy to your Daddy and me, and it is amazing to watch you grow and learn every day.
I love you,
Mommy