Emilia's 5 Month Update!

Height/Weight: Emilia weighed 18.8lbs about 2 weeks ago at her developmental check-up so she is probably around the 20lb mark by now...chubby bunny :)  She is only 61cm/24in long and the nurses said it looks like she will be petite!  Not that we expected anything else...her mommy and daddy are quite short too!  I am 5'4" and Jonathan 5'5" so no surprises there!  

Daily: Emilia is awake for much longer stretches during the day now and last month we bought her an "exersaucer" or entertainment centre (it's the Bright Starts Entertain and Grow Saucer if you're interested!).  She is becoming much more interested and excited about toys, as well as grabbing things and reaching out to touch them so she loves sitting in her saucer, playing with her toys and watching Peppa Pig in the mornings!  She also likes soft toys and blankies to snuggle or suck on.  I like to separate the brighter, plastic/interactive, more fun toys for her active playtime and the soft, cuddly ones for quiet time or naps. 

 Bedtime: Her bedtime routine has changed since last month!  Now we are actually putting her to bed in her co-sleeper instead of the swing...Emilia went through a few days of being really fussy and cranky in the evenings, where she wouldn't settle and had to be rocked or held.  This was so unusual for her as prior to that she had always been a very placid, content little baby!  We figured out that she was over-stimulated by everything else that was going on as she's now a little older and is more aware of her surroundings.  Whereas before she never noticed things like the TV, dogs barking, us talking/making noise while she slept now it is very different and she needs more quiet.  

So the routine is usually: bathtime with mommy, lotion, change into pj's then I bring her downstairs and nurse her to sleep.  I take her upstairs and put her into the co-sleeper, turn on the night light and go back down.  Sometimes I'm not so successful with putting her down and she gets upset or wakes up crying and I have to nurse her to sleep but usually she is pretty good and will sleep for another few hours till the next feed!  I do take her into our bed with me whenever she wakes up in the night and she stays there till morning depending on the time...if it's an early morning feed she stays, if it's still night time I will put her back in the co-sleeper. 

 Eating: I'm still breastfeeding exclusively!  She hasn't started solids yet and we don't plan to until 6 months but she is definitely showing a clear interest in food, watching us eat and reaching out for cups, bowls, etc.  She has licked my apple and we even gave her a tiny taste of ice-cream when my mother-in-law came to visit (no effect whatsoever...her face didn't even change!) but she hasn't started weaning yet.  I can't wait though, I'm so excited to get her high-chair and prepare her little meals! :)

Emilia feeds about 4 times in the day and then about twice at night.  So she usually has an early morning feed (in bed), then one at about 11am, another one around 2:30/3pm and her last big feed at 7:30/8pm.  Of course this varies depending on the day.  Then she will normally wake up again around midnight-ish or the time that we go to bed and once again at night.  Sometimes it's 3, other times closer to 5...it sort of depends!  I don't really mind waking up at night...it doesn't bother me half as much as I thought it would!  

Sizes: She is fitting into 6-9 month clothes!  Some of her vests are even 9 months and she is getting too big for some of her 6 month clothes :(  They grow so fast!  This has also made me completely re-think the whole seasonal shopping thing...most of her 6-9mo stuff is spring/summer attire!  You just never know with babies, eh?!  She is also in size 4 nappies (European sizes, not American!).

Milestones:

• Sitting (in this leaning forward position) on her own.  I wouldn't really call it "sitting up" on her own because it's not but she will sort of lean forward unassisted!
• Reaching out/grabbing and holding onto things.  She has this funny obsession with my coffee cup (I think this is because it looks like a giant white boob!) and she gets really excited everytime I drink from it, then grabs it when it's empty and I offer it to her...ha ha ha!  
• Getting upset/excited when we leave/enter the room.  This is definitely new...I've noticed her face lights up when Jonathan or I enter the room or her line of sight (which is lovely) but then when we leave she is noticeably upset, depending on what she's doing or her mood. 
• Teething...I mentioned this last month too!  She is still teething but is wearing her amber necklace which I think helps.  Maybe it's my imagination but I swear it works!  And I was sceptical before trying it out!  Still no teeth to report though...
• Noticing her hands, feet, etc.  She will put her hand out in front of her and stare in amazement as she moves it around...it's so cute!  Also she has found her feet (yay!) but has yet to shove them into her mouth by herself.  
• Moving around when on her tummy.  She's not crawling yet but she will lift her whole chest and head/neck off the floor on her arms and kick her legs like she wants to go somewhere!  Also she rolls over a lot and moves around quite a bit whenever we do floor-time so that's good!  

That's all I can remember for now!  She is getting more and more adorable everyday...I love her so much!  I can't imagine how life was without her - it just seems strange to think about!    

Stay Stylish!