5 Month Update!

Okay, so hear it goes again...I can't believe my little girl is already 5 months old! I know, every month I probably say the exact same thing or something similar, but it's so very true. Everyone who told me that the time would just fly by with her and that she'd grow up so fast right before my very eyes, I never knew how right on they were. So here we are, she is another month older and with every month brings more and more new things happening.

Let's see, I don't know how much she weighs...so I guess I can skip that part. She's not much bigger than she was at her last doctor's appointment, maybe a little chunkier...who knows. She wears 3-6 month clothes....with very few 6 months (if any at all). But yes, she can still fit into a lot of 3 month stuff which is great because we are getting some good wear out of them!! Sadly, I did have to go through her drawers and closet and clean out the clothes that no longer fit her (which happen to fill a garbage bag and a half). Rhett says we need to have a garage sale and sale all of it, but I keep reminding him that we need to keep all her clothes, because even though he wants a boy next go around...that doesn't mean that's what he'll get! Anywho, on with the update. We still are not sure what color her eyes are or are going to be. I swear, it's hard to tell! Some times they will look more brown than green and vice versa, but then sometimes they look dark blue?! What the? I guess they are still changing. I'm still going to go with hazel, but like I said they look different all the time. She doesn't have any birthmarks or any freckles or anything...I keep looking, but I haven't found any. I don't know if they show up later? Her hair I do believe is going to be very dark just like her Daddy's. It has always been extremely dark since the day she was born, so that's just my guess. Hmm, I'm trying to think of any more physical things that I may be missing...whelp, that's all I got. On to development and personality!

She really is doing so many new and surprising things every day! From screeching and finding her voice to rolling over and over and over every time we put her down! She is a busy body. She likes to squeal now. Not because she's upset, but because it's fun...I guess. She sure acts like it is. But I do love it! It's seriously one of the cutest and sweetest noises to my ears! I know that within the next few months she'll start saying mama or dada or both, but it is a war between Rhett and myself as to which she will say first! I'm always saying, "Mama, mama, mama..." to her and Rhett says, "Dada, dada, dada...did you hear that Heather? She said Dada"! To which I say, "Yeh right"! But I do know that the day when she says one or the other for the first time will come soon! I'm excited about that! Even if she does say dada first! Now for the rolling over portion, Lord have mercy she is a rolley poley! Geez, every time we lay her down, she immediately just rolls over and gets up like she could crawl (but she's not anywhere close to crawling yet, FYI). But anywho, her rolling has been a problem when we put her to bed because we'll lay her down in her crib thinking she's asleep and then she'll roll over! Crazy girl. Also, it's made diaper changes a bit more difficult. Oh well, she's coming along developmentally though, that's for sure. She sits up quite well for a few minutes, but then gets tired and starts to slouch or topple over. She's gaining her strength though. It really and truly is amazing to watch her grow and change seemingly overnight! I do believe that she is getting better and better at eating baby food. So far, I've fed her prunes, pears, peaches, and bananas. She's liked them all and so far she hasn't been picky, but fruits are yummy anyway. We will see what she thinks of veggies soon. Her sleeping patterns have gotten alot better. There will be random nights where she will be fussy, but most nights she sleeps from about 8 pm to 6 am. We'll take sleep like that any night!!

Lyla has such a cute little personality. She smiles alot, but also has her grumpy moments. She is definitely like me! If she's grouchy, good luck getting her to smile! She's getting better with strangers. Apparently, her fear of strangers did not last long. She smiles at pretty much anyone who comes up to her and says hi. She's good in the church nursery and she let's lots of people hold her. That is, except my grandparents! Bless their hearts, I don't know what it is...but she cries every time one of them holds her. They just love her so much and all they want to do is hold her, so I tell her to behave every time I hand her over to one of them but it never works. I am hoping she will grow out of that and be sweet to her great grandparents!! Lyla has really gotten into giggling! She's giggles here and there before, but now she has turned into a little giggle box! ! I love it. Peek-a-boo is a favorite and is sure to make her laugh. Her giggles are definitely a favorite of mine.

So, that's about it for her 5 month update. Although I did want to touch on how much being a mother has meant to me. I know all of my pictures of Lyla are of her smiling or doing something funny or cute, but I don't want to give the impression that she is just so happy-go-lucky all the time or that we always do fun stuff or that it's always so easy. Because let me just say, it is often times a far cry from perfect. Being a mother is the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life...and I mean everything I've ever done in my life! That's a ton of life experiences and of all those, motherhood takes the cake. There are times when I want to pull my hair out because she won't stop crying and I've tried everything I know to do to get her to stop crying. I just have to make myself take a step back, calm down, and relax because if I'm upset too, then there is no way she's calming down anytime soon. One of the biggest things I've learned from being a mother (in these 5 short months) is that I will undoubtedly make many mistakes, but ultimately there is no right or wrong way to raise my baby girl. Yes, there have been hard times these past few months. Many sleepless nights, cry fests, and too many stressed out and worriesome moments to count! But, I can tell you that this not only has been THE most difficult time in my life (trying to figure out to be the best mother I can be), it's also been THE most rewarding. I love Lyla more than anything in the world. A love I cannot explain. When I look her, my heart swells. She is worth everything that I've sacrificed for her and everything that I will sacrifice for her. I'm no longer a selfish person anymore. There is no way you can be with a child. She has changed me mind, body, and soul and I thank God everyday for deeming me worthy enough to have her.