5 Month Stats

18 WEEKS

20 WEEKS... 5 MONTHS!!

Approx. 15 Lbs, 25 Inches
Size 2 diapers, 6 month clothes

• 17 weeks-first real laugh! She giggled when I was kissing and blowing on her tummy before bath time.
• 17 weeks-started taking 5-6 oz bottles. By 19 weeks she started taking 6-8 oz bottles, with a tablespoon of rice cereal in them 3x a day.
• When she turned 4 months, we started "baby boot camp." (Letting her cry for a bit to soothe herself to sleep.) She was waking up crying like clockwork about an hour after she'd go down, wanting to be rocked back to sleep or have her nite-nite put back in her mouth. The first nite, she cried for just 30 minutes then slept from 8pm to 4am before eating again (and going back to sleep)! The next nite she cried for 50 minutes (my limit is one hour before I go in and pick her up) then slept 8-3. After that, she fussed for 15 minutes or so for a couple of nites and within a week of starting boot camp she went down by 7pm without making a peep until at least 3am for a feeding, sometimes going till 5am. Occasionally she still wakes from a nap after an hour and will fuss for a minute before finding her thumb (yes, her THUMB) and putting herself back to sleep for another hour or so.
• At 17 1/2 weeks I tried feeding her rice cereal from a spoon, but she had zero interest. I tried once a week for the next couple of weeks, still no desire to bite.
  
• 17 1/2 weeks-the week of June 7... I stopped nursing her during the day and gave her bottles because she was acting annoyed like she wasn't getting enough out. By the end of that week, I started doing bottles for her middle of the nite feeding as well and also began to decrease my pumping from 4x a day to 3.
• June 14-she slept from 7pm-7am! (Also woke up hoarse-virus? Was hoarse for 4 days. I was afraid she had cried during the nite and I didn't hear her and it made her lose her voice! I decided that didn't happen because when I got her up in the morning her covers were still on-she always kicks them off if she cries.)
  
• 18 1/2 weeks-started doing "superman" when she lays on her tummy.
• June 17-cut out another pump. Down to 2 now-morning and nite. Nursed her one last time at her 3 am feeding... just for sentimental reasons!
  
• 19 weeks-digging her knees in when on her tummy.
• 19 weeks-discovered her THUMB and goes to town sucking on it! LOVES it! I would prefer that she stick to a pacifier for orthodontic reasons, but it sure is cute watching her suck on her little thumb!
  
• 19 1/2 weeks-blows "raspberries" and babbles.
  
• 19 1/2 weeks-started cereal in bottles. We had transitioned to a faster nipple at 19 weeks, so instead of it taking almost an hour for her to eat a bottle, she chugs it in 10-15 minutes!
• I noticed that her ear hair fell out! (Both she and Brax were born with hair on the outer edge of their ears, like old men!) I've also noticed that the hair on her head seems to be lightening a bit.
• The cutest thing ever-when I'm feeding her her last bottle before bed, she rubs circles on her head as she falls asleep. First, she puts her hand over her eye, then rubs it back over her ear and then up over her hair, then down over her forehead back to her eye. She repeats this until she just can't stay awake any longer! It's so sweet!
• She does not like being outside when it's too hot or too bright (who does, right?)
  

DAILY ROUTINE:
7:00am-wakes up for the day
7:30-7-8 oz. bottle with 1T. rice cereal in it
8:30-nap (1-2 hours)
10:30-5-6 oz. "snack" bottle
11:00-nap (1-2 hours)
1:30pm-7-8 oz. bottle w/ 1T. rice cereal
2:00-nap (2 hours)
4:00-5-6 oz. "snack" bottle
6:00-bathtime
6:30-7-8 oz. bottle w/ 1T. cereal
7:00pm-fast asleep
3-5:00am-6-8 oz. bottle

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:
Her last nursing... At 3 am on a Thursday morning, she was 19 weeks old. I intended to give her a bottle but it was taking forever for Mike to warm it up and she was wailing. So I nursed her, knowing it would probably be the last time (I don't think she gets near as much out of the boob as she does a bottle). I was half asleep and I was trying so hard to stay awake and treasure the moment! I kept dozing off... but I vaguely remember it!