Month Five Letter

Dear Madds,

You are 5 months old today. How the time is flying by! Will I ever stop saying the time is flying? Does it ever slow down?

I am trying to think about how to summarize your last month but every single day is different. You are mobile, talkative, eating solids, interacting and laughing. Sleeping? That still ain't ideal. You are now officially a belly sleeper. I can't keep you off your tummy at night! They say once you can put yourself there, you are allowed to stay there. You roll (and shimmy) all over the crib all by yourself. The bad part? Unless you are sound asleep you wake when you get on your tummy, it's tragic to be there. My precious miss grump-a-lump, when it comes to sleep. Since the start we have always been able to say you're a good night sleeper, once we get you down, and a not so good day sleeper. Well, the last 2 days have been much different than that. You aren't going down and you aren't staying down. I can't believe I am saying this, but please be a bad day sleeper again and give me back the night! Mama is sleepy... so so so sleepy.

Otherwise? You're the happiest baby! You love new people and smiling at them. You giggle and belly laugh daily. You even have distinct smiles. The open mouth joy, the coy and shy smile, the nose wrinkle silly you smile... You coo and talk away to everyone and everything. And you have started the occasional high pitched loud short shriek. I know soon you'll string them together to a frequent high pitched loud long scream. And we often say "hi" to you. Often it sounds like you're saying hi back to us. Others have heard it! We're not just making it up. *grin* You're also reaching and grabbing and playing with toys. Well, eating them. Everything in your mouth! But we call that playing right now.

Your head has rounded out so much in the last month. You have been in your exersaucer and bumbo and mom's lap and jolly jumper and everything but the hard floor. And when you're on the floor you either immediately roll on to your tummy or, a new one, you grab your toes and suck them. Your time in the exersaucer has increased exponentially. The jolly jumper is new but you have mastered the jumping! It's adorable to watch you bounce in excitement.

You STILL love tongues sticking out. You still love "My Maddy Lie Over the Ocean". You have the biggest most infectious smile ever. Your huge blue eyes are always seeking new things to look at and understand, new faces to make smile, new ways to avoid closing them in sleep. You are our baby girl, Nunu, Nu-ski, Goober, Maddy-moo, Miss-miss, Miss-moo, Grump-a-lump, Madds, Madder, (not as much) Maddest. Our little Maddy, our daughter, our world, our everything. The world is a better place, for your mom and dad, with you here. I miss sleep, my freedom to come and go, a social life... but you belong here with us and everything feels right with you here. We love you, Madeline. Can't wait to see what this month will bring! 

Love always, 

Mom