Linnea is 5 Months Old!

I swear I just finished her 4 month blog post and now this one is late enough that I need to start thinking about her 6 month one.  Time needs to slow down. For real!

Linnea,
Hi happy girl.  You are just so stinkin' happy.  I don't have a clue what we did to deserve you (and honestly I don't think we do deserve you) but we have you and love you so very much.  Here is what you've been up to this month.

It is a good thing you don't sleep in your box anymore because you are definitely busting out :).

Stats

Your next well baby check up is when you are 6 months old so we will know your official length and weight then but I did try measuring you at home which isn't super accurate but it works.  You weighed 13.5 lbs (6.12 kg) which is in the 13th percentile (and is the same percentile as last month).  You were 26.25 inches (66.7 cm) long which is in the 73rd percentile.  You have a few more rolls so I know you are gaining weight which is great especially since you've stopped eating in the middle of the night.  You are still pretty long and lean.  When people hold you for the first time they often comment on how long you are and how sturdy you feel.  You have very good head and body control for such a little thing :).

Eating
You are still breastfeeding every four hours.  You eat around 7:30, 11:30, 15:30 and 19:15 give or take 15 minutes at any feeding.  You don't totally lose your cool if you are 15-30 minutes past when you should eat which I appreciate.  I can even put you in the car right when you are supposed to eat and take you home to feed you instead of feeding you and then sticking you in your car seat which usually means you lose some of the food you just ate.  I love that you are flexible with your eating schedule and you don't flip out if you eat a little later than you are used to.

I could start feeding you solids and your dad is really anxious/excited to start you on solids but I'm not ready.  The main reason I want to wait until you are 6 months old is because with the holidays I don't want to have to worry about packing food and other feeding supplies.  But, I also really like that all of your nutrients are coming from me right now.  There is something that seems so powerful in the simple act of breastfeeding.  I know your dad is looking forward to feeding you and watching you experience new flavors and I am too but I'm also a little sad that you are big enough to be eating solids.  I'll get over it but for the next month I'm going to try to soak up our breastfeeding times.

Sleeping
Praise the Lord you figured out how to sleep again this month!  Around 4 and a half months old you stopped nursing in the middle of the night.  It took about a week to get you to sleep through the night without waking up much and now you are going on three weeks of sleeping from 7:30 pm ish to 7:15 am without waking up at all or waking up once but finding your own pacifier and going back to sleep without us having to go in to help you at all. I know.  The first time you found your pacifier without our help was awesome.  I watched you on the video monitor and did a silent cheer but now you do it pretty regularly.  It is awesome!

Every once in a while you fall asleep while nursing.  I try to take advantage of those times and just hold you while you sleep before I lay you down for the night.

We also stopped swaddling your arms this month.  The first week or two we would put you down with your arms out and let you "keep" them until you couldn't stay asleep or fall back to sleep and then we would have to take them away, aka swaddle them, and then you would fall right back to sleep.  After about a week or two you were able to stay asleep or fall back to sleep with your arms out which was great because then you also were able to find your pacifier and put it back in on your own!

We moved you into your nursery this month.  I think that really helped with the "sleep training" we did.  Honestly, you kind of sleep trained yourself around 2 months and then during your 3 month growth spurt you got used to eating in the middle of the night again so then we started trying to sleep train you again around 4 months which is why you got kicked out of our room ;).  I think when you woke up in the middle of the night it was hard for you to fall back to sleep because you saw us but once you were in your room you did a great job figuring out how to fall back to sleep without us.

We made room for your crib and a rocking chair in your nursery and the other side was still a mess but we are slowly working on it!

Sometimes you just need your dad to help you take a cat nap in the evenings.  I don't think he minds one bit.  

One thing I've learned during my short 5 months of being a mom is that being a parent is hard and things aren't always the way you thought they would be.  There are things that I do now that I thought I'd never do (have you sleep in our room) and there are things I said I'd never do that I still don't think we will do (have you sleep in our bed).  One thing that surprised me was how worried I was about your breathing while you sleep.  SIDS freaks me out.  I think it freaks most people out but I had a harder time with it than I thought I would.  I used to think that people who bought the Angel Care monitors were over the top (and this comes from someone who isn't afraid to admit that she is a control freak).  Now that we have you I wanted something to tell me if you stopped breathing while you were sleeping.

I looked into the Angel Care monitors but we/I decided to get the Snuza Hero instead.  It is a portable monitor that we hook on to your diaper or pants.  If it doesn't detect movement/breathing for 15 seconds it vibrates to wake you up and then if nothing happens in the next 5 seconds an alarm sounds.  I like that it is small and portable so we can use it wherever you are sleeping.  It has gone off twice because it slipped off your belly and it freaked us out both times.  The first time it happened was right after we moved back and you were waking up a lot and I was exhausted.  I actually slept through it (which really freaked me out) but your dad heard it.  He came running up from the basement to find both of us sound asleep and you breathing just fine.  The other time it happened was at your grandparents' house.  It has a green light that flashes every time you breath which is really nice because then I can see you breathing in the middle of the night on the monitor.  I don't know how many times your dad and I have commented on how nice that green light is but we've said it a lot.  I know that some people might think it is over the top and sometimes I might even agree with them but it helps me worry less so I don't care what they think ;).

The white and purple thing on her pants is the monitor.  It is awesome! (Please ignore the outfit; I'm guessing she worked on a project that got a little messy.)

Towards the end of the month you started sleeping on your side sometimes which is really cute.  You go down for naps and bed so easy it is a little ridiculous.  You don't even seem that tired sometimes when we lay you down and you often give us a big smile and some gurgling noises before we leave the room.  Then you lay there and suck on your pacifier while you fall asleep.  Easiest baby to put to sleep ever!  I know a lot of it is probably your personality but I think it helps that when you were a newborn we put you in your box which was flat just like a crib so you got used to sleeping that way instead of having to sleep in our arms or a rock in play that has an incline and is pretty snug around you.  Just my two cents.  We shall see if I think the same thing if we are lucky enough to give you a brother or a sister.

It isn't uncommon for you to smile, grin and gurgle at us and then fall asleep on your own once we leave.  (Your dad came up with a super swaddle technique when you kept busting out of your swaddle which is what you see in the video.)

You usually nap about 45 minutes to an hour in the morning between 9:30 and 10:30 and then you nap for about two hours in the afternoon around 1:15-1:30 to 3:30.  I started pushing your afternoon nap back (it used to be around 1) because I noticed you would wake up about 45 minutes to an hour into your nap so I thought if I waited longer to put you down you'd be more tired and wouldn't wake up.  That is usually the case most of the time but sometimes you still wake up about halfway through your nap.  When you were napping at 1 you'd often wake up around 2 and I'd have to rock you back to sleep which was so strange since you've always been able to put yourself to sleep without having to be rocked.  There were days when I didn't mind rocking you back to sleep at all but I am glad you can nap without waking up most days now.

Clothes

You grew out of your 56 clothes are wearing 62 onesies with some 6 month onesies and pants.  You can still fit into some 3 month onesies but the 3 month pants all look like capris :).

I have had a blast dressing you up in holiday clothes.  I bought a few Thanksgiving outfits and I should have put you in them more often.  I might have gone a little overboard with your Christmas outfits but I couldn't resist.  You are just so dang cute in them.  These pink pajamas are our favorite!

You are so happy!

My favorite diapers are Huggies Snug and Dry Ultra.  The regular Snug and Dry don't have the wetness indicator which is just nice to have sometimes.  You are still in size one because your legs are pretty skinny so you tend to leak out of the size 2 ones.  I like the Huggies diapers best because they seem to catch and hold the pee wherever it lands instead of having all of it drain to the back of your diaper like the Pampers did which then made your bottom red.

Playtime
You discovered your toes this month.  You love sucking on them when I take your socks off and sometimes you suck on them through your socks.  It is pretty cute!

Sometimes Dad puts your toes in his mouth too :).

You have started playing hide and seek with yourself.  You like hiding (closing your eyes) and then freaking out/getting all excited until you open your eyes again and look all around.  It is hilarious.

Your favorite toy this month was your dad's Happy Birthday balloon.  You LOVED looking at it and playing with it.  (Don't worry, we only let you play with it when we were right next to you.)

You are GREAT at independent play time and you have a pretty long attention span.  You can play on your own for 15-30 minutes.  If you get fussy I can just move you to the play mat on the floor, the bouncy seat, your bumbo or the rock and play and give you a different toy and you are good to go again for another 15-30 minutes.  If I am working in the kitchen, cleaning up a room or taking a shower you happily play while watching me.  You are so easy going and chill.  I am bragging but really you are just the best baby.

You started sitting in your bumbo seat this month.  It is fun to see you sitting up more.

This month you started squealing and it is a really high pitched squeal.  A few times you got on a roll with it while we were out in public and that was a little embarrassing.  You were happy though so there wasn't much I could do.

You LOVE to smile and talk to people.  Whenever we are out shopping or running errands you make lots of friends.  People always comment about how happy and smiley you are and then they usually imply that it probably won't last long or you might just be in a good mood but really that is you all. day. long.  You also love making eye contact.  It seems like that isn't normal for such a little baby but you are so alert.

Baby giggles are the best!

One of your favorite toys this month is a round bullseye toy with different things to chew on that come out from the middle. 

 You also put together a Star Wars X-Wing with Daddy this month.  He got it for his birthday and you guys had fun putting it together.  (Don't worry, we didn't let you put any small pieces in your mouth even though it looks like you are eating the X-Wing below.)

You tend to startle pretty easily which is just like your dad.  Loud noises don't bother you but if you aren't expecting us to say something or you didn't see us walk up you get startled when we say hi to you.

Our Days
I am staying home with you right now and I absolutely love it.  I always wanted to be a stay at home mom but after I started teaching and I realized how much I loved it I was a little worried about staying at home all day.  It turns out it is awesome.  You are so much fun and at this point you can barely do anything but it is still fun.  It helps that your dad comes home for lunch almost every day and we have lots of errands to run and things to do to keep us busy.  I feel like there aren't many pictures with just the two of us so I've tried to get your dad to take a few more of us to remember what our days are like.

In the top right hand picture we were playing "Find Linnea and Mommy in the mirror."  It is one of our favorite games!

This is blurry but at least everyone is looking :).  Play dates with Avery and Leighton are the best!

We try going on walks as often as possible so we aren't cooped up in the house too long.

 My favorite book this month has been If It's Snowy and You Know It, Clap Your Paws!  It goes to the tune of "If You are Happy and You Know it." 

Those cheeks!

 Activities and Outings
Daddy Daughter Video Game Night
Your dad came up with an idea where he could stay up all night playing video games and give me a night off.  He sure knows how to get me to say yes to things! #afullnightofsleep  This month you went over to Brad and Victoria's house for daddy daughter video game night.  The plan was that the dads take care of the daughters to give the moms a night off.  You spent the night at Brad's with your dad while I had a night to myself.  I went to Olive Garden with Amy, took a bath and then slept all night (except for when I woke up in the middle of the night just because . . .).  The great thing was about 3 days before this your dad did the middle of the night feeding with a bottle just to make sure you would take it so I actually got 4 nights in a row where I didn't have to get up to feed you.  It was pretty awesome!  I think it was great that my first night away from you was when you were with your dad.  I knew I didn't have to worry at all about you because you were in great hands!  You really have the best dad!

We had a few video chats with friends in Sweden.  We played Mario Cart with Johan and Chelsea.

We had a lunch date with Tim, Mona and Florian.

Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving in Dallas this year.  We've been going to Dallas for Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember.  We missed the last two years because we were in Stockholm so it was great to be back.  We had fun at the Turkey Trot and playing with all the cousins.  You were a trooper in the car on the way to and from Dallas.  We tried to go during your longer nap time and at night which worked great.  

We had our first annual family sing along.  It was a lot of fun!

Christmas in Granbury!
After Thanksgiving we went to Granbury, Texas to see your Aunt Annie, Uncle Stephen and your cousins Andrew and Nathan.  They were all so excited to meet you.  We celebrated Christmas with them while we were there.

Baptism
We were able to get you baptized in Granbury at your Uncle Stephen's church on November 29th.  It was really special.  Annie and Stephen are your Godparents and the ceremony was really neat since it was so personal.  Your Grandma Janet was sick so she wasn't able to go and your Grandpa Ken stayed with her but your Uncle Bob, Grandma Debbie and Papa Larry were able to watch you along with your cousins Andrew and Nathan.  You wore the same dress I wore when I was baptized.  It was made by my mom (your Grandma Debbie) which was really special.

 I might have another pyromaniac on my hands.  You look like your dad and apparently also have a love for fire :).

The church made this banner for your baptism which we were able to keep.

Your dad and I celebrated our 14th dating anniversary by going to Burger King.  One night after we had dinner at Burger King your dad asked me to be his girlfriend.  Now every December 1st we have dinner at Burger King and this time you joined us!

Firsts and New Skills
You rolled from your back to your belly this month for the first time.  You did this when I was out running errands but your dad got to see it.  You have done it a few other times but not very regularly.  This is one of the reasons why we stopped swaddling your arms so if you did roll onto your belly you could roll back over with the help of your hands.

We went to church with Jan and Avery this month and I left you in the nursery.  It was kind of a big deal because it was the first time I left you with someone that wasn't a friend or family member.  It was late in the evening and you didn't have a great nap that day so you cried more than I think you would have but I think it went okay.

You caught your first runny/stuffy nose this month which honestly was later than I thought you would.  You've been around lots of little kids since we moved back and most of them have had a cough or runny nose so I'm surprised you made it this long without catching anything.  Your dad got you out of your crib one morning and noticed you had a stuffy nose.  It lasted about a week and a half and didn't seem to bother you that much.  We did use the nose frida (which was invented in Sweden) and it worked great!  It wasn't nearly as gross as I thought it would be plus it helped you breathe so you could suck on your paci which is key in the going to sleep process :).

Family Pictures
We had our family pictures taken this month.  I really wanted some outdoor fall pictures.  By the time I finally got around to getting it schedule the leaves were mostly gone but we still got a few great pictures.  You were cold and a little stingy with your smiles but I am still so thankful we had our pictures taken.

 

Remember
To be honest I want to remember everything.  You are such a great baby.  I wish I could just bottle you up.  The way you smell and feel and all the little cute things you do throughout the day.

I want to remember the way you rub your hand on my chest while you are nurse.  It is so sweet.

I want to remember the way your face lights up when you see me.  You give me the biggest smiles and I love it!

I want to remember how easily you calm down when I hold you.

I want to remember your pouty face.  It is spot on and is going to be hard to say no to in the future.  It is so sad and cute all at the same time.

This one picture is pretty good but sometimes you can really get your bottom lip out.

This picture is messy with the closet open and the trashcan overflowing but I love that it captures us so perfectly.  I could literally hold you all day long.

We love you very much sweet girl.  Time may be flying by but we couldn't have asked for a better baby to spend it with!

Love,

Mama