And I thought it meant Spring

Well, apparently the old adage is true...and it doesn't apply to the weather. Because, boy oh boy, did Month 5 come in like a LION!

It started on February 15th with the night of all nights. Thanks to my dear friend Google, I blearily read up on the "19 week sleep regression" in between hourly wakings. Eeesh, at least I could take comfort that I wasn't alone.

I quickly realized that something would have to change. So I asked Mitch to stop by the library on the way home from work, and home he came that day armed with books claiming to be the solution to all my woes.

And so I read and read and then hit it hard! I was going to be triumphant in my quest to teach Charlotte how to successfully self-soothe and enter the joyous realm of sleepdom. So I sleep-logged, set the bedtime routine in stone (complete with sleep words, lullaby lyrics printed out, and a "lovey"), and set out on a mission.

Unfortunately, I forgot one important element: it takes two to tango. (My, aren't I just full of cliche phrases today?) So, I toned it down a notch or two, got some good advice from sisters, and used the books as reference guides rather than Bibles. And then, it became (and still is), all about trial-and-error.

This, as you can probably guess, was a good day.

Then on February 25th came 4-month shots. Charlotte had no problem with her 2-month shots, so I didn't expect anything to be different this time. Not so! Poor little girl, by that night, she was feverish and sad. I could tell something was out of the ordinary because she was letting out pitiful sounding cries--more like higher-pitched, intermittent moans--rather than her normal "I'm tired" cries. Luckily, after a little bit of medicine, her temperature came down and she was able to get some rest.

Maybe they were worth it though.
I mean, how cute do those band-aids look on such chubby legs?

And if it wasn't one thing, it was the another. Cue the teething!

Poor Charlotte (and poor us!). We just couldn't catch a break. It all came to a head with three days of fever, combined with congestion and drool by the gallon. She was so miserable she would only sleep in my arms--so we spent a few nights on the couch and lots of time in my arms or the sling during the day.

Sad teething little girl.

A temporary cure.

Charlotte would often make little moaning sounds while nursing and tug at her ears a lot--the pain from teething can often radiate out towards the ears and worsen while sucking.

And the drool. Did I mention the drool? She soaked multiple bibs a day and we had such a time trying to keep her dry. I didn't do a very good job, because she got a rash all under her chin and at the top of her chest due to the constant wetness.

The faucet starting to turn on.

But in the end, it was all worth it. Check out that beaut'! And right on her 5-month birthday at that!

I promise, it really is there--just look closely.

Other notables:

Charlotte started sticking out her tongue and will copy us if we do it. Her stranger anxiety continued to worsen, making for some disappointed admirers. She has much more coordination in picking up things and can now scoot around on her back in a circle to get toys. She gets frustrated sometimes when chewing on things if she can't quite get them into her mouth the way she wants. She also started making a high-pitched scream that is more of a "I'm tired!" or "Come pay attention to me!" as opposed to her "needs-based" cries.


We made a trip to the museum. Mit..I mean, uh, Charlotte, loved the kids section.

Dads on baby-duty.

It's a painting. I know! Believe it or not!

Charlotte can roll over front to back, but not back to front yet (and it is still more of accident than on purpose). She has been enjoying the Bumbo and her Jumper (which Mitch dubbed the "spring-loaded chair"). We have been taking walks for naps, since Charlotte seems to sleep better in the stroller. She loves her nightly bath and kicks around like crazy.


Charlotte is getting to be so big! I can't believe how much she has already grown, it is amazing. AND she is getting so cute (not that she wasn't already). It's a good thing she doesn't understand a lot, otherwise all the compliments she gets at church would have given her a big head by now (Mom doesn't mind hearing them though :)

And if month 5 came in like a lion, it definitely went out like a lamb. Charlotte is sleeping better (still not perfectly, but a routine and more attention to her amounts of sleep on my part helped a lot), with no signs of fever, and her first tooth proudly gleaming.

What a relief. We have our happy baby back!