5 months ago today....

.......(well yesterday to be exact...December 16th) our little Mary Etta came to join our family! I want to say "stop!" to time right now! Don't get me wrong I do LOVE all their sweet little stages! And it is hard to say one is better than another....but getting past the newbornyness (not really a word i know) changes things so much in your household! And you definitely notice it more and more with each additional child (b/c i think the first time around you are "let's face it" just trying to get the hang of this whole parenting thing, and just figure out what the heck is going on!!) But once you hit that 3-4 month marker...oh it's just so sweet!! They settle easier, sleep better (well, maybe we have just been blessed with good sleepers b/c this has been my experience, though I know not everyone's), engage more, coo/laugh/talk--oh it's just the best!! She is just so fun and sweet and I just want to eat her up!!
Let's see what is new here at the beginning of 5 months....

• Doing SO much better with nursing! I probably haven't really talked about this one much, but we did have a rough time there for awhile. Not sure what the deal is, both girls have been just kinda finicky...Reed just ate and that was that...but the girls have had more to "figure out" with eating for some, who knows, reason. But in the past month or so it's changed so much for the better! So we are thankful for that--and I'm usually fitting in 5-6 feedings a day; since we probably will stay hold off on the solids til after holiday travels for sure!
• Gaining weight so good! Yeah! This was such a concern with EC...since she still is little and will probably just be our petite/little girl (at 18 months only in the 8%, weighing 2o lbs., 15 oz.--just a 1 lb. gain in 3 months!) And Mary Etta weighed 13 lbs., 2 oz. for her 4 month (keeping her in the 45-50%--yeah!)! I bet these girls will be wearing the same clothes in a year or so if we keep it up at this rate!
• Not really rolling much of yet; but I'm in no rush with movement as we have 2 other little people doing plenty of movement around here! A couple times I've found her on her back from the belly....but that has maybe happened 3-4 times total! Oh well; she can do it, but just doesn't often. And I don't know if I'll ever get the girl out of the swaddle blanket! She is really about too long for it! I know I've posted before about being a belly sleeper...but the girl HATES her belly! I still occasionally try and she won't have anything of it! It just makes her mad and she won't sleep....so however she sleeps is fine as long as she does sleep!
• Cooing, laughing, talking, squealing...she does it all!! So fun! She just is happy all the time, unless she is tired! And she still smiles with her whole body! LOVE IT!