A Baby's Laughter

Yesterday I was home with P for over 13 hours by myself because B had a long work day. We normally make it through these days just fine, but yesterday, my normally happy, smiley baby was not herself. I couldn't put her down for longer then 5 minutes without her fussing and reaching out for me and wanting to be held. She refused to take a nap until I put her in the car to run errands. I must admit I was starting to feel frustrated that I couldn't get done the things that I wanted to get done. I didn't want to have to hold her all day and leave my house a mess.

I didn't put P down at her normal bedtime so that B would get some time with her when he finally got home. And when he did, she immediately smiled at him and reached out for him to pick her up. She smiled and laughed at his silly noises and faces. She didn't show an ounce of the grumpy baby she had been all day, but was happy and quite content.

Later B mentioned how good he felt that he had been able to make her laugh so much. It was the first time he had really been able to make her laugh like that, and I could tell how much it meant to him. Although he only got to spend a few minutes with her that day, those few minutes probably made his entire day. And it made me realize that I am truly lucky to be able to stay home with my little one every day, how much I take for granted the laughs I get, the time I get to spend with her and the fact I get to see each of her new milestones as they happen. Although many people have told me to enjoy her while she is little, and that the snuggles stop all to soon, I don't think I really thought about it until right then.

It doesn't matter that the house isn't spic and span and that the laundry isn't done. What matters is the fact I can make my daughter laugh today and that she wants a hug. Especially when those little things can bring such joy.


I'm unwrapping the small things today at Tuesdays Unwrapped.

5 months old

Princess P,

You are 5 months old today! You are becoming such a big girl! Last month at your doctor's checkup, you were 14 pounds, 7 ounces and 26.5 inches long. That put you in the 99th percentile for height! I hope you don't keep growing so fast, as I want to continue to enjoy your smallness for a little while longer!

You are so much fun right now. You laugh ALL the time and hardly ever stop smiling. Daddy can swing you around and bounce you and you think it is the best thing in the world. You also think that Juju is fascinating and will do anything to get to her and pet her.

You are moving all over the place now. Not quite crawling yet, but you scoot on your belly and army crawl really fast. I can tell I will be in BIG trouble when you do learn to crawl! You also learned to sit up on your own this month. It happened rather quickly, and boy are you proud of yourself! You can also pull yourself all the way up to standing...you just need someone to help you balance.

You still love your hands and have discovered that you can put everything else in your mouth too. My favorite things that you think you need to suck on are my laptop, the tv stand and your swing. Beyond being fascinated with everything now, if mommy or daddy put the laptop, camera or a water bottle on the floor, they become the focus of your attention and you want to get to them so badly! You really love to punch the keys on the laptop, which isn't always fun for mommy when she's trying to get stuff done. :)

This past month we took at trip to New Jersey by ourselves to visit Aunt H and the trip was really rough on you (and me!) because you got bored. But we made it and we had a great time. You even got to go swimming for the first time and you thought it was the best thing ever! You splashed and kicked and had a great time. We'll do it again as soon as we can, I promise!

Sleep has still been a bit of an issue, although you've done so well some nights. You actually slept 8-9 hours several nights, but then went back to 3 hour stretches and are now sleeping 5-6 hours. I think you wake yourself up practicing everything you are learning and can't yet go back to sleep. It is hard on mommy sometimes to have to keep getting up, but I also try to remember that you are only this little for a certain time and I bet at some point I'll miss our bonding time at night when it's over.

I love you so so much little girl. Happy 5 months!

5 months old!