5 month post

Dear Hannah Kathryn,

I know I say this every month, but I can't believe you're another month older. You are 5 months old today!!!

There have been so many things that have happened this month developmentally. You're not a new born any more. You have such a cute personality and a sweet disposition. Your eyes are definitely the feature every one compliments you on!

You have really settled into a predictable routine. You've started sleeping later in the mornings, which Mommy and Daddy both appreciate. You sleep from about 8pm to about 7 or 8am every day. This has just started within the past week. You were waking up consistently between 5 and 6am to eat. When you wake up, I usually let you talk in your crib for a few minutes before I come get you to nurse and then we spend time snuggling. After that, you usually play and then go down for your morning nap. You usually can't handle more than 2 hours of wake time right now, and when you are nearing that 2 hour mark, you are sure to let everyone know. We generally repeat that pattern throughout the day. We put you to bed at little after 8pm each night. When Daddy's home, we both take you upstairs, tuck you in, say prayers and snuggle your seahorse next to you. You're usually well on your way to slumberland by the time we walk out of your room.

You continue to "put up" with tummy time and are still mastering rolling from your belly to your back.

You are so close to rolling from your back to your belly. I often find you in this position or completely up on your side when you're playing.

You are also really close to sitting up on your own. You can sit up easily with assistance and for a few seconds when we let go.

You have discovered your feet and legs this month. You are quite the wiggle worm and love to kick your legs, especially when you're excited.

You haven't popped your first tooth yet, although, I feel like it's getting closer. The pediatrician said your gums were already red and swollen at your 4 month appointment and that we should see your first tooth by 6 months. I can definitely tell when your gums bother you. You chew like crazy, mostly on Sophie the giraffe and your frozen fishy.

You are much more vocal this month. You love to be read to and even try to immitate the sounds you hear.

We have really be in awe of your coodination this month. You see an object, hone in one it and are able to get it into you hands with much more ease. You are able to grab things with two hands and pass them back and forth. You are exploring a lot with your mouth these days. Most anything we give you or you can get your hands on goes straight into your mouth.

You are noticing a lot of little things this month. You reached for bubbles for the first time in Kindermusik this month and actually caught one! You were so proud of yourself! Your depth perception is really developing and it's fascinating to us.

You are still obsessed with your paci. You actually hit a big milestone in that area too. You can now find your paci at night when you wake up, pop it in your mouth after a few trys and put yourself back to sleep. This is HUGE for us.  It's a skill you've been working on for a while now. Before, you generally sucked on the plastic rim or on the ribbon. Now, you've mastered turning the nipple to your mouth!

You are still 100% breastfed. The plan is still to start solids at 6 months. If you could have it your way, you'd start earlier. You are definitely eyeing our food and have even reached for things on our plates and for our cups. You also know your bottle by sight and what it's used for. I always give you 2 more ounces of pumped milk after your last feeding. This week, I was holding the bottle and letting it cool a bit before offering it to you. You weren't really paying attention when I first picked it up. When you noticed what was in my hand, you immediately reached for it, got ahold of it and pulled it into your mouth. It was hilarious! You are not shy when it comes to food!

I have really enjoyed staying home with you, Hannah. It is an honor and a priviledge to spend my days with you and watching you reach all of your milestones. I am one lucky mom! Daddy and I can't wait to see what next month has in store. We love you to pieces!

A trip to the Aquarium

For my 30th birthday, Aunt Susie, Uncle Bob and Megan gave me a family membership to the Shedd Aquarium. What a thoughtful gift! After your obvious interest in fish at the opthamologist, Grandmommy and I decided to make the trip downtown and take you to the real aqaurium.

I have to admit, it was fun going through the members only line!

You were mesmerized by the large fish tank! Grandmommy and I took turns holding you and pointing out the different fish to you.

You got to see all sorts of sea creatures, including this rather large crab. Mommy thought his legs looked mighty tasty! Good thing he was behind a thick pane of glass. Otherwise, I could have grabbed him for dinner, HA!

We took you to the dolphin show and you were such a trooper. You had been awake for a while by that point in time. You were beginning to get a little cranky and we had to bounce you on our knees for a good part of the show. It was worth it though. The show was a ton of fun. We saw beluga whales, a sea lion and of course the dolphins.

After the show, we put you back in your stroller and you quickly fell asleep. That didn't stop us from visiting the rest of the attractions.

We will definitely be visiting the aquarium again!

A trip to the Opthamologist

On Valentine's Day, you made your first visit to the pediatric Opthamologist. I noticed that one of your eyes seemed to be turning in and your pediatrician recommended we get it looked at. It was such an interesting experience and Grandmommy and I learned a lot. The doctor came in and ran some tracking tests on you and studied your eyes. She said that the shape of your eyes causes an optical illusion and there's nothing to be worried about. She wanted to dilate your eyes and check your vision before letting us leave.

Once they put the eye drops in, we had to wait 30 minutes before the exam could be completed. We were sent to the waiting room where they had a large fish tank. It was the first time you'd ever seen one and you were so excited! You tracked the fish and were entertained the entire 30 minutes by the swimming fish.

We went back to visit the doctor once your eyes were fully dilated. It was really interesting to watch her perform the tests on you. Grandmommy and I were fascinated and really learned a lot. You were so good during your exam. You sat still and didn't cry! We found out that you are a little near sighted with a vision of +1.50 and you have an astigmatism. Apparently, both are pretty common in babies and they usually resolve themselves with age. We will go back in 6 weeks to have you rechecked.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day Hannah!

We had fun celebrating your first Valentine's Day. You were showered with love and received several books about the meaning of love.

Daddy helped you open your gifts

Mommy and Daddy got you a book about the never-ending cycle of love from parent to child and child to parent. We always want you to know how special you are to us and how much we love you. We adored this book, written by an 11 year old.

After opening gifts, we got you dressed in your special Valentine's outfit! Mommy loves ridiculously large bows and flowers for your head hair. You don't seem to mind that much and I think you secretly enjoy them too :)

We love you so much Hannah! Happy Valentine's Day!

Jumper

We bought you a new toy to keep those very active legs busy. Grandmommy told me that when I was a baby, I loved the Johnny Jump Up. Apparently, it kept me busy for hours! I figured the apple might not fall far from the tree and picked up one for you.

You weren't so sure about it at first. I don't think you really knew what to do with yourself. You were a little small for the bouncer. You kept twisting yourself and tipping sideways. We put a towel behind your back to help stabilize you.

After a few minutes, you figured out how to bounce and then your little legs wouldn't quit moving.You just smiled and talked up a storm during your time in the bouncer.

Daisy was really interested in your new toy and decided to "supervise" you. I think you kept each other equally entertained :)

You love your new bouncer! We've found it extremely helpful during your "fussy" period at night. You are happy as a lark for at least 20-30 minutes longer.

Needless to say, this was a great investment and one that I know you'll continue to enjoy!

Daddy's in charge

Daddy's in charge! Daddy was a great helper tonight. He gave you a bath for the first time and he did a great job! You love the bath and during your "fussy" period before your last feeding, a bath will usually calm you down and make you happy. Thank goodness for the bath! We stretch out bath time for as long as we can. You love the warm water, playing with your gold fish and splashing.

"Daddy, don't forget to wash behind my ears and while you're at it... is there any chance you could hand me swish, swish the goldfish? He's my favorite and I love playing with him!"

SUCCESS! The dynamic duo poses for a quick picture before getting ready for bed.

Squeeky clean!

You LOVE being on your changing table. You just talk, talk, talk to us. You have so much to say! and we love listening!! I think it's because you can see our faces better. You have you're funny little quirks. You love to put your hands in your mouth and try to talk at the same time. It's super cute!

Daddy chose your pajamas :)

goodnight sleeping beauty, sleep tight!

Blizzard of 2011- "ohsnowyoudidn't"

The Great Chicago Blizzard of 2011. The weathermen had been hyping it up. We were supposed to get 20 plus inches of snow. Daddy and I were quite used to this type of weather forecast. Denver and Boston both brought large dumps of snow each year. Boston had huge nor'easters during my time there. Denver had at least one snow fall larger that that all four years we were there. So, we didn't really think anything of this forecast when it was mentioned.

As the storm got closer, Grandmommy warned us not to be complacent and to really get prepared. She'd been following the news closely and felt we were in for more than we'd originally planned for. As usual, she was right. We spent the day before the big storm running errands and getting prepared for every situation possible. We got plenty of food, water, firewood, batteries, flashlights, diapers, etc. You name it, we probably picked it up. In general, Chicago is cold but only gets about 30-32 inches total snow fall the entire winter. It's not so bad when you put it in perspective.

February 1st arrived and the snow began. The news definitely hyped it up and we were glued to the TV. Daddy was in Wisconsin for work, leaving you, Grandmommy and me back in Chicago. No worries, we were prepared.

The snow started falling around 2pm on Tuesday and didn't stop until mid morning on Wednesday. We sat you by the glass paned back door. It was way too cold and windy to take you out.

 You were excited about the massive amounts of snow falling. Grandmommy and I? Not so much.

The blizzard was fierce to say the least. There were high winds, white out conditions and even thunder snow. We were terrified we'd lose power. We never did, but the lights did flicker 2-3 times. We went to bed that night knowing that at least 30k residents had lost power. We left candles and matches beside our beds just in case. The interstate between Chicago and Wisconsin closed, leaving Daddy there until at least Thursday. I'm so glad Grandmommy was around!

When we woke up the next morning, the weatherman said we'd gotten a total of 22ish inches of snow. Here I am with a boot in the snow. I had on my hot pink goulashes. You can't even see them!

Grandmommy experienced several firsts during this storm. She'd never seen a blizzard and she'd never seen thunder snow. She was documenting the event for her friends to see.

Everything was covered in snow.  I'll admit, it was pretty! You weren't really sure what to think about it. Daisy loved it!

We dug out a small spot for you to stand in. We didn't dig all the way to the ground. I'm sure you would have been buried.

Daisy has always loved the snow. She can entertain herself for hours digging.