LU / 5 MONTHS

stats //  
13 lbs, 3 oz
24 3/4 in
eyes depend on light, mostly steely gray/greenish
hair is brown, lighting up

At 5 months old, Lucy seems to learn a new skill or refine the ones she has just about daily. Definitely feels like the most rapid growth period yet in terms of milestones. It’s exciting to watch her and experience our world anew through her eyes.

Lu strongly prefers being held facing outward. And she is not shy to let just about anyone know that. (I am pretty much the only person she’ll cuddle inward with). We hope this is a testament of her emerging personality... curious and brave. She wants to see the world in front of her and we love that.

Lucy has rightfully earned herself the nickname “Thumper” for feet that just won’t be still. She kicks them and thumps them and swims them non-stop. She’s SO strong and her determination for mobility is quite obvious. She planks and lunges herself forward pretty efficiently, seems to be just days away from a true crawl. She is particularly vocal about her desires to move. Lots of grunting, reminiscent of tennis players intense in match!

We’ve been considering her a pretty quiet baby, her babbles seem to come and go without much consistency. But over the last week she is finding her voice. She’s all but mastered the “Maaaa Maaaa” syllable on repeat, over and over again. Her go-to vocal for just about everything; and usually frustration (but I’ll take it!). Her favorite smile is open-mouth-as-wide-as-it-will-possibly-go or what we fondly refer to as the “butt-hole” smile. She’s made a few giggles from Dad’s scratchy beard or my “funny” faces, but mostly silent smiles. And she’s recently become a fan of spitting bubbles.

At exactly 5 months her sitting ability went from relatively non-existent to an unassisted wobble. We rushed immediately out for a softer shag rug and are happy to let her try and topple, again and again (she seems to enjoy it). She also has become more aware of Beasley. They seem to be buddies, I love it! I often look over to see Beasley laying next to Lu on the floor and it makes me so happy to see him actually WANT to be near her (even if it’s just for the spit-up she might be “feeding” him...)  

Lu continues to be a great sleeper, which makes us a happy family. She typically goes to bed between 8 and 9PM and manages through the night until 6-7AM. If she wakes before 6, it’s usually to nurse and then right back at it (she takes after her Dad, the narcoleptic). I’m quiet about Lucy’s sleep schedule amongst other Moms as I know we’re supremely lucky in that department (and no one can be helped but from letting us we’ll pay for it with baby #2)!

On our first trip with Lucy we confirmed 2 awesome traits - she’s really adaptable and she LOVES, L-O-V-E-S the water. We bounced Lu around Austin, sleeping in new places, meeting a ton of new faces and making up a new schedule pretty much daily. She slept on the go (her favorite way to nap) and dealt with some serious heat like a champ. She spent a day on the lake, on the boat, floating in the water, and literally never fussed once. It was her happy place. As was the jacuzzi at her Nana’s and Papa’s - swim-chasing that rubber ducky as long as we’d let her!

Our ole’ rain-water-noise-trickery is becoming less effective as Lucy grows. Not quite the instant calming agent it once was, which makes carseat times now hit or miss. She’s also outgrown the swaddle with her ability to rollover. I feared the day (she loved being swaddled to sleep so much), but she’s made the transition pretty easily. She’ll gladly self-soothe by sucking her big-toe (yes, toe).

Lucy is yet to sprout any teeth, but we see the signs of them in witching hours (or days). She’ll fuss and drool herself to sleep (or give her Dad hickies on the forearm). These are by far our toughest times. It’s so hard to see her upset, know what’s causing it, and really be limited by what you can do to help.

Finally, Lucy’s hair is legendary. There’s just so much of it! We’re a sucker for her baby mohawks and her Bam-Bam up-do. She even got her first trim from a friends mom - just a little off the back (to keep the mullet in check). I mean, how many 5-month-old baby require a HAIR-CUT?!

Lu really is the biggest joy. She’s caused quite the shift in our lives, in all the best possible ways.