5 Months!

Natalie was 5 months old (already!) on Nov 21. She is such a sweet girl who always has a smile for us!

A few days before she turned 5 months, we let Natalie try some baby oatmeal. She seemed to like it, but only for a few bites. It also slowed down her usual dirty diaper routine, so we're holding off for a little while. She can have tastes of food here & there, but we'll try more "formal" feeding a little later. 

I knew it would happen after posting about how great Natalie had been sleeping... She's back to waking up (a lot) at night. I think most of the problem is she is too distracted by everything (Charlotte) to eat a decent meal during the day, so she's hungry overnight. 

Natalie is getting better at holding toys, reaching for things that catch her interest, and delighting in bouncing around in her Jumperoo. She also likes to see the cats & looooves playing with Charlotte. :-) 

Sleepyhead

A week or two before Natalie turned 4 months old, she stopped taking her long nap, started fighting sleep, and started waking up two or three times at night instead of just once. I found out there is commonly a 'sleep regression' around 4 months that a lot of babies go through. Of course with Charlotte... well, there wasn't much room for regression with her sleep at 4 months old. 

So for about a month now, it's been a bit of a battle with Natalie's sleep. Nothing terrible, but since we've been so spoiled by her great sleep, it was wearing on my nerves. 

(That bottom-up pose never gets old!!) 

Then, 2 nights ago, out of the blue, she slept all night! From about 8:15pm to 7:00am!! Hallelujah!! And that that morning, she took a 2.5 hr nap! And even then I woke her up with big hopes her next nap would align with Charlotte's (nope, didn't happen). 

I love, love, love that Natalie wakes up happy most of the time. She gives a few blinks, lets her eyes adjust, and then breaks out into a big smile and happy coos. Just the best! 

Wouldn't you know? Last night the little angel slept all night again!! I feel like I should go out & buy a lottery ticket tonight!! 

Of course, now that I've shared such wonderful news, it'll all come crashing down & a sleepless reality will resume. But that's ok. She's still super cute! 

Party in Natalie's Crib!

I said to Charlotte, "I'm going to feed Natalie in her room. Would you like to play in there with us, or in your room?" 

She says, "I want to play in Natalie's crib!" I said that was fine and asked if she wanted to bring a stuffed animal friend in to play with her. 

She gestures with both hands sprawling out & says, "I just want lots & lots of animal friends!" 

This isn't the first "crib party" we've had. Charlotte loves to grab all of her stuffed animals, toss them into the crib, then sing and dance, even pretend swim through them. Of course the best Crib Party is one Natalie attends. :-)