Five Months of Francie!

Dear Francie,

Happy five months, baby girl! We've had a good month in most ways, but it did have its challenges. You got your first little cold and had a good bit of congestion, especially at night. This meant that you quit sleeping through the night. We knew you couldn't breathe well, and we hated that for you. You spent a couple of nights in your swing, you got a few night feedings, and you were rocked a good bit in the middle of the night. At the same time, your sisters were learning to share a room and waking up a lot at night too, so some days Mommy and Daddy felt like zombies. You've slept through the night the past three nights (THANK YOU!!), so I'm hoping the worst is behind us. You are still sleeping in a cradle in Mommy and Daddy's bathroom at night. We really and truly are going to move you to your own room soon. You also still sleep swaddled. I hope that when we change those two things it doesn't mess up your sleep routine!

Naps have been hit or miss lately. You ALWAYS take a great afternoon nap.... as long as you're in your swing :-/ We started this terrible habit because we didn't have a monitor set up upstairs where you sleep, so I needed you to be downstairs where I could hear you if you woke up, so it was easiest to just put you in your swing. Now I'm afraid this is going to come back to bite me and it's going to be a terrible habit to break. I've been working on getting you to take your morning nap in your bed, and sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. My goal for this month is to transition you entirely to your own bed in your own room for all sleeping. We'll see if that actually happens :)

Your eating habits haven't really changed. You get five six ounces bottles a day. In your last bottle of the day, you get rice cereal to help with your reflux. Speaking of your reflux, it's about the same, too. You still spit up a ton, but it doesn't bother you. I can't wait until you outgrow the reflux, but at least you're a "happy spitter." I might try feeding you a bit of rice cereal from a spoon at some point this month. I'm not convinced that you're ready yet, but your doctor gave us the go ahead to try whenever we want to.

Your physical therapy is going really well! The therapist only comes every other week, and I had to cancel last time because you weren't feeling well, so we've actually only had it a couple of times. But the therapist told us what we needed to work on with you, and we've been trying to be consistent with your little exercises. And apparently they're working because you ROLLED OVER a couple of weeks ago!! You rolled from your back to your tummy, and we were SO proud of you! You've rolled several times since, and it's just so amazing to watch you reach developmental milestones. One thing that you've taught us already is to celebrate the little things. We're so thankful that you're well enough and strong enough to do things like hold your head up and roll over. As you reach more and more milestones, we'll be here cheering you on! We couldn't be more proud.

You remain the happiest little baby. You still love being on the floor. You've become really aware of your surroundings this past month, and you totally notice whether or not someone is in the room with you. You're not a fan of solitude. I tell everyone that you're a perfect fourth child because you like a lot of action and a lot of company... two things that are never in short supply around here :)

You've started smiling spontaneously so much more lately. I used to have to work hard to get a smile from you.... you love to be bounced and that was usually a guaranteed smile. But recently, you've started smiling just when I look at you or talk to you. Your little grin makes me so happy! You've even giggled several times. Sweetest sound ever!

You've also noticed your hands in the past couple of days. I've caught you sucking on a finger several times, and you will just stare at your hands sometimes. Yesterday I even saw you reaching for a toy on your play mat! I don't think you've QUITE figured out that you can actually control these amazing hands, but I think you're starting to make that connection :)

I honestly can't believe that we've only known you for five months, Francie. You're such a huge part of our family, and we feel such a sweet sense of completeness with you here. We can't imagine our life and our home without you! We love and you and thank God for the privileged of being your family.

Mommy