standeford stories: {Nora} 5 Months Old

Another month has passed us by and has been filled with new experiences. No doctor appointment this month, but we are looking forward to next month's to see how much this chunky monkey has grown. Seems like the past few weeks she has put on the pounds! She is now wearing clothes anywhere from 3/6 months, 6 months, or 6/9 months depending on the brand. Her length is what makes all the difference. I feel bad when she's in a sleep n play and her legs are always bent because its' not long enough...so away those clothes go. Funny how the clothes accumulate in tubs quickly as they grow. Up to #3 diapers at night-or else she pees through her outfit...that happened twice in a night, then I got smart! Still using as many of the #2 diapers that we have left & will store the rest for the next baby-which is not really spoken of except for this kind of stuff. Don't worry-we aren't THAT crazy!

This little chick no longer gets unsupervised 'paci' times, as Beth found the entire paci in her mouth last week! She likes the rubber ones that easily bend-so we might have to find another option, but the problem is she doesn't really suck on it, she just chews on it which is bad for any of the plastic ones that have parts that might come off. Still thinking on that one...Hair bows are becoming more and more extinct as she has seriously found her hands and knows now what to do with them. So, she grabs the bow and the headband slips over her eyes, down her face, and around her neck (YIKES!). I've been doing "the curl" a lot more now to give her a nice groomed look-lol. I like the bows because they shout "I"M A GIRL"! Every time we are out and she doesn't have a bow on someone says 'awww, he's a cutie' or 'look at him, he's all smiles' or 'cute lil guy'...Come on..shes wearing all pink for heavens sake! I probably give them a dirty look thinking who are you talking about & usually it's when I'm checking out at the store (when I'm really focused to make sure things are ringing up right & that my coupons work) and I'm not paying attention to them. Bows & painted toe nails used to do it, but now with out bows and socks on (read below) its apparently hard for them to tell!

Dry skin has been a problem from day 1...we lotion and/or Vaseline her up twice a day to help, but she still seems to itch and want to scratch/rub her feet together to soothe whatever she is feeling. So, I put socks on her so she doesn't tear her cute little feet up with her toenails that are impossible to cut. But, she's really good at dropping them.

Entertainment is key-someone once told me and that is HUGE at this point in her life, but until now that didn't ring a bell. She's easily bored & wants face time all the time. Toys that have sounds & lights, etc are her favorite now. We rotate her through her toys & every now and then she watches a DVD like Baby Einstein or Baby Genius when I'm showering or trying to get stuff done. She would love to sit & watch that all day, but it's just for necessary breaks or get-things-done-now-times. She loves being outside-gets that from her Daddy. They sit outside, walk around & visit the neighbors when I'm at work and Jake watches her. She's almost to the point where she can ride in the jogger and let me actually use it as a jogger instead of just walking. (note to self: dust of running shoes, cough, cough)

Still no solids, although this girl can eat...she eats so much I'm exhausted and it makes me eat soo much to keep up. I'm trying to increase calories to keep my energy up, but I'm not a big eater so I've been adding more higher calorie things like ice cream and recently doughnuts to give me something. I'm back to pre-preg weight and my goal was to be there before she was 6 months- I'm happy with that!

Here are a few pictures of our happy little girl: