Isabel: 5 months

Dear Izzie,

What a crazy month it has been! As always you are bigger (you've started wearing your 9 months sized clothes and they're only just a little too long for you) and getting cuter by the second.

The first two weeks of this past month you decided that you were much too cool for your binky. You temporarily weaned yourself from it. I had a love/hate relationship with this moment. I loved that I wouldn't have to wean you from it myself. However I hated trying to find other less effective methods of soothing you. All you wanted to do was suck on something but your binky just wasn't cutting it. At this time you also decided that going to bed at 11-11:30pm, waking up for about 30 min to an hour at 3am, and then getting up for the day at 6:30am was the way to go. Did I mention that you also refused to nap during the day? The only way I could get you to fall asleep at night or for a short 30 min nap during the day was holding you until you screamed yourself asleep. It was a rough couple of weeks for us both. There were a few days where I put you in your crib with a toy and shut the door and I laid down for a quick power nap. Fortunately, that phase has passed us and we're back to our routine.

Despite that minor blip you have been an absolute joy! You love to play and laugh. You make the silliest noises and sometimes you are so loud I can't even hear your dad talking when he is sitting right next to me. You've tried solid foods (carrots and sweet potatoes) and you seem a little unsure about them. You preferred the carrots though. You've only had solids a few times though because I've decided to hold off on them for a bit.

You can roll from both your back to your tummy and your tummy to your back now. Except you're pretty lazy and you don't do it very often unless there is something you really want just out of reach. You're dad is probably you're favorite person. Whenever he walks in to the room you can't keep your attention on anything you're supposed to be doing (i.e. eating) you just stare and smile at him all the time. You love playing together and he can always get you to smile the biggest. You also have developed an affinity for water bottles. You're kind of obsessed with them actually. It all started the day you kept reaching for mine so I let you try a drink from it. I can't have a water bottle remotely near you without you trying to steal it. If you see one your face lights up and sometimes you say "Oooo!" just at the sight. You love to take sips from them and you've actually gotten pretty good at it for a 5 month old baby. You won't drink water if I put it in your bottle though. Like I said, you're obsessed with water bottles.

You've been around a few other babies your same age this month too. It's been fun to compare you and see what is baby and what is personality. You're such an observant little one. You don't like seeing too many new faces at once. You have to let everything soak in before you can be passed around. You don't give out smiles to strangers that's for sure. Instead you give them a cute little scowl. It's fine by me though. As long as I get to see your big sweet smiles.

We love you so much pretty girl!

Love, Mom.