4.22.2011

5 months

layla baby! you turned 5 months old last week. there is really no way to describe you other than a pure and utter delight. you continue to have the most easygoing and sweet disposition of any human or higher-order ape that we have ever encountered. you NEVER cry or fuss unless you are ready to have a meal or go to sleep. and even then, it's never angry crying, just sweet pitiful little mewls. here's some tings we've treasured during your 5th month on the outside.

-you started solids. yay? when my milk dwindled down to nothing right at your 5th month birthday we decided to go ahead an add in solids with the frozen breastmilk and formula that you were now drinking. naturally you LOVE them. the doctor said go light to dark on veggies and then start fruits. i don't remember them telling us that with judah, who gagged so much on the veggies that we just gave in and he pretty much only ever had fruit. not you babe. squash, carrots, sweet potatoes and peas are all right in your world. you can't get them down fast enough.

little delicious love-gremlin! rocking an adorable bib that matches your leggies perfectly (if unintentionally) thanks to godmommy lena

-you sleep great. you go to bed at about 6:30 every night and wake up at 7. you take 2 or 3 two hour naps during the day. we often find you in your bed awake and busted out of your swaddle playing with your white noise machine so happily. then you notice us and it startles the junk out of you but then you cheese SO big at us.

-sometimes when you are still sleeping in the mornings we will start talking about you and then start missing you so bad that we have to come in and wake you up because we just want to be around you again. you are just like that. being around you is good for our souls. here is how those conversations go, "she is amazing." "she is the sweetest little thing i have ever known." "oh my gosh i love her so much i can't stand it." "she is the best." "i want to be snuggling her right now." "can i go wake her up?" these conversations are pretty boring to an outsider, but you just fill us up so much that we are overflowing and have to say these things over and over again or we will OD on love. (i am missing you hardcore right now as i type this).

-you said "dada" twice yesterday while you were babbling. no surprise there. but i think you still may like mommy the best. i crack you up when i tell you, "you better give me ALL your kisses." you also do this hilarious spazzy shriek thing that is so loud and spontaneous. the look you get on your face when you do it looks like you are trying to say, "this is an outrage!" you raise your eyebrows and tuck your chin into your neck and just start giving us the pterodactyl business. you're the greatest show on earth, lay lay.

- you do not get as big of a kick out of the exersaucer office as judah did, and you will only stay in it for a few mirth-filled minutes before you're over it and kind of sassy and confused about its purpose like, "what the heck is this thing and why am i in it?" then you might see your chef octopus friend again and go bonkers with excitement and then 10 seconds later it's, "where am i? what am i doing here?"

a typical reel of emotions

-you seem to prefer the floor after your tour of duty in the office. you like to flip flop from your back to your belly constantly and try to reach for toys. you get really frustrated if you can't get to them. i try to help you get up onto all fours in practice crawling position but you go stiff as a board as soon as my assisting hands touch you and want to be standing. i think you may be a late/brief crawler just like your brother. all you seem to care about is standing up and trying to walk. so i just let you flopsy on your blanket and practice pushups and downward dog to build up your crawlie muscles. also this little move that i call the swizzle stick.



-you're still loving your paci. i don't think you are crazytunes addicted to it, but in the car or in the crib, you really love to have it. i think it's adorable because even if youre tired or hungry you're just so content to work on the paci, but i dont like how it blocks my view of that sweet mouth. my favorite thing is when i make you laugh or smile while you have it in and your little grin starts to emerge from behind the plastic of the paci or even tumbles out if your glee is sufficient. its like the sun coming out from behind a cloud.

-you have started pooping more. when you were straight breastmilk you pooped maybe once every 10-14 days (best. baby.ever). now its like once every 3. and boy do they stank. you got me good the other night after a meal when i was holding you and went to check one side of your diaper only to look down and see my arm that was underneath you completely covered in poo. we took a bath after that, because i have never had so much poo on so much of me. like a bad spray tan, that junk was all over.

-you're still completely enamored of your big brother. if he is anywhere within your 270 degree field of vision you are looking at him. if he's not, you are pulling an exorcist and twisting around to find him. it is not fun when we are trying to feed you and your head is on backwards, but we don't care because we love how much you love him.

-you do this hilarious thing where you suck your bottom lip all the way in until it's invisible. then you just sit there like a little froggie. it kills us. thus a video and picture for our records




-you are very forward and aggressive with your love. if anyone's face comes within your little 14-inch reach you grab both sides of their head and then lunge at them, mouth open and drooling wildly, and proceed to kiss/maul them.

judah has entered the vortex of love and your tractor beam has locked on. you are very stern-faced when you do this and, i won't lie, it's a little intimidating and freaky.

he beat you to the grab! what you're struggling with here during this canoodling is the ages old question of "what do i do with my hands?" i'll tell you later. about 20 years later

-your hair continues to grow and continues to have mostly one setting (unless i have forgotten to bathe you in a week): straight UP. it is very hilarious and people always comment on it. i adore it and cant imagine you with little girl hair ever. you're just my little translucently fuzzy bald baby.

-you know the quilt that sweet miss nina at church made you? well you really love it and i hate that i know how to sew, yet i didn't make you a blankie myself. so i am making you the next size up quilt. i am SO excited. i totally ripped off my friend raechel's quilt that she made for her daughter, your friend hazel. but raechel had ripped off the brilliant lady who designed this amazing fabric (that's why we make good friends, we're co-rippers).

cheesing on miss nina's awesome gift.

-the fabrics of these ladies' awesome inspiration quilts have me head over heels IN LOVE. so obviously i am copying those as well as the layout. the collection is totally out of print so i had to be a crazy internet sleuth lady and even beg scraps from people (including raechel. so now hazel is your quilt sister!) to obtain the entire collection to make yours. SO much love is going into it (way more than skill) so no matter how mad you get at me when you're older, you may never shred this quilt to hurt me, okay? half of my soul may be inside of it (like a horcrux, but without the murder. we've read HP 6 together, right baby?).

the first 5 blocks. there are going to be 16 total i think and i have 11 now and am waiting for the last few fabrics to arrive (some came all the way from england!)

i feel like we are right on the edge of seeing your full blown personality explode forth. i can't wait for you to show us even more of exactly who you are. we love you so very much and you are THE perfect 4th piece to this family, layla girl.

6 comments:

  1. Yep, had to go give her a snuggle after reading that one. And I can further testify to some of the amazing poop antics she can pull (or push I guess): Today while jumping in the office, she managed to poop UP her back almost to her should blades. Thank you for the resurrection Jesus because I will have to ask you to explain the physics of how this actually happens on day. Great post.

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  2. I think she and charlotte are soul sisters. same easy-going always happy kinds. she is delicious. I LOVE the quilt...and p.s. promise I am going to get back to you on the boppy project.

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  3. she is an angel...i love her! can't wait to meet her. i just want to snuggle with her too!!! (i realize that sounds creepy, but it's true and i swear completely innocent.) the quilt is a-MAH-zing (please tell me you get my "happy endings" reference..if you're not watching that show on wednesday nights, you MUST from now on!) it makes me want to make one and i have never had even the slightest inkling to do so. but now i do. ...and i have to be honest, that shirt luke was wearing in my last post was not made by me. it was made by innocent, starving children in india or malaysia and then given to target, who put their name on it and sold it to me for 16 times what they paid the poor kiddo for. if it weren't so cute, i'd be ashamed. i love that shirt and would kill to be able to embroider like that. it would make my weeny appliques so much cooler.

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  4. Love the post! She is so precious

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  5. Sweet girl! My second is the same way... just so happy to be alive! Like, all I have to do is LOOK at him and he's all "YES! SHE ACKNOWLEDGED ME!" Whereas my my daughter is all "How DARE you look at me!" Haha... kidding (sorta). ;)

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  6. Adorable post, and still in shock that J AND L are so laid back. Truly love your blessings and your precious, hilarious descriptions of them. Glad I'll get to kiss em a bunch this week.

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