Dear Edie,

Today you are 5 months old. SO OLD. I simply cannot believe that you are this old. Words to describe you this month:

Hilarious
Spazzy
Affectionate
Energetic
Fun

Words I would not use to describe you this month:

Good sleeper

This month you started sitting up on your own!
You still fall over sometimes so I keep my hands nearby or surround you with pillows and I think it's really funny (although you, less so) when you fall over because you haven't quite mastered the art of breaking your fall with your hands. Or rather, you try sometimes but don't have the arm strength to do any good and therefore royally face-plant and then are furious.

We're calling it now that we think you're a lefty like your Dad. You seem to favor your left side and grab for things first using your left hand. And speaking of grabbing, you are very into playing with toys this month. Your favorite toy right now is a funny wooden ball that's colored blue with little worm-like-people that pop out when it rolls around.
You grunt in an insistent manner and reach for your toys when they fall out of reach or are removed from your grasp. The cat has also become of great interest to you this month (finally). Every time he walks by, you reach out to touch him and he's started swiping back to protect himself from what will surely be your new favorite habit soon - pulling his hair. When we go to visit Grandma and Grandpa B you also love to interact with their dog Toby and he stares and stares at you, wondering what your story is.

Just this last week you started taking your bottles while sitting up, which means we are seeing signs of readiness for solid foods. Your Dad and I signed up for a seminar on "first foods" next week so we're looking forward to learning all about introducing these to your diet soon. For now you gulp greedily at bottles using no hands and look kind of like a gerbil at the water bottle. Or a baby bird crossed with a tiny, drooling monkey. Your Dad calls you his tiny monkey all the time.

You are an extremely energetic baby. You still love standing and sometimes stand for a second or two by yourself or just holding onto my fingers and you spend lots of time in your Johnny Jump Up that hangs between the living and dining rooms. You dance and jump like a star in River Dance; one arm hanging out and one tucked inside the seat.
You have quite the circle of friends these days with Mae, Evan, Alison, and Eme being those that you see the most frequently. We also eagerly anticipate the baby boy that Darrah and Matt are having soon and hope that you take a liking to him right away.

For now, it's still pretty cold and wet outside, but soon enough the weather will turn again and we'll be spending our days in the backyard and going to the park and the zoo. Did I mention that I quit my job last week? Well, I did. You are officially my new boss and I hope to spend as much time with you as possible for as long as possible. Because really, you're the best.

Until next month Eedster,
Mom