How can it be? 5 months!

'Member when I said four months was THEEEEEEE cutest age of all time?

Five. I totally meant five months.

(Will I start every monthly recap this way, from here on out? Probably).

BABYYYYYYYYYY!

Sigh.

Analisa continues to be the happiest baby. We just love her to pieces.

She continues ...

To explore the world through her mouth. She's gumming on everything. Gnawing on whatever she can grab (and she IS grabbing, btw) ... also drooling excessively, and just like, overall, obsessed with that mouth. If my hands are within range, she'll jam my knuckles into this one spot toward the back of her gums. I feel bad for her. She's a happy little bug during the day, and tolerates the teething as best as can be expected. But at night? All bets are off. She gets tired and CRABBY.

It hurts my heart.

I read online that the teeth don't actually come in for a while (usually), so ... I hope this doesn't go on for too long! The pain, I mean. I've broken down and given her baby Tylenol twice. And I let her sleep with us last night. Whatever! I just hate to see baby girl hurting.

What. A. Chunk.

We have another ...

Rochester trip coming up! Liz's wedding shower is Saturday, so we'll do the drive late Friday, just like last time. Should be fun to see more family and hang with the Ganleys!

Ana's really loving on her daddy these days. He walks in a room, and her eyes just light up. She follows him with her gaze all over the apartment.

Reading Pout-Pout.

It's the sweetest.

She's such a little girl lately.

I was considering ...

Starting solids. Our pediatrician said any time after month four was fine. But ... I don't know. Like I mentioned, our ped likes the parents to take the lead when it comes to making informed decisions. I see other babies Ana's age eating, but I just want to wait a bit longer. It's a personal choice for every family, just like anything else, I'd imagine. I never care what other people do -- but for us? No solids just yet. We'll continue sticking with breastmilk + a little bit of formula. We have our next pediatrician appointment on June 2, so maybe we'll reevaluate then!

Smiles and kicks!

Speaking of the doctor ...

Ana doesn't have torticollis after all. ... Yeah, this is weird. Ready?

I mentioned in the four-month update: We finally saw the doc, and basically, our appointment was kind of hijacked by this torticollis discussion.

"You hadn't noticed it? Yeah, it's not severe, but it needs to be addressed. Physical therapy. There could be neck/muscle issues down the line if you don't see someone soon. I'll write you a scrip. Get on it though." Etc. etc. etc.

I mean, I knew it was never a huge deal, but it was still like, a LITTLE stressful! As a new mom, I just wanted to hear everything was 100 percent fine. Having to bring my baby in for physical therapy ... I mean, I know, NOT life-threatening, but it was still weighing on my mind!

We took her in, and the PT specialists were like, "Yeah, she's great. Maybe she just didn't feel like moving her head that day at the doctor's office? Ha. You don't have to bring her back here. We don't notice anything out of the ordinary."

... OK.

They played with her for probably 30 minutes. Ana got in some tummy time, made a new friend (the Happy Apple, you guys. THE HAPPY APPLE), and all was well. They told me she was looking really strong for a 4-month-old baby, and to keep up the good work.

So, false alarm on the TC, I guess.

Developmentally ...

I just feel like she's made strides! Even week to week, she's constantly getting stronger and smarter and like more of a real person.

She'll drop something, and she can now pick it up (well, obvs, it depends on the object and how far it fell. Duh. But you get my point). And she has a higher success rate of putting the binkie back in her mouth when it pops loose.*

*Haha, and then sometimes I'll see her slurping on it sideways, and know it was definitely her who put it back in -- James has stuck it in upside down before, but never sideways ... lolol.

A big shout-out to my mom, who got her a Bumbo seat. Analisa has even been sitting independently lately, probably thanks in some part to that fun little chair.

Sitting baby!

Her sleep has been a little less consistent ...   :/

Man, for a while there, I thought we had it down to a science. Maybe it's the teething, or just a little bit of sleep regression. But just like everything else, I'm not one to overthink. I let her lead the way. When she's tired, she sleeps. When she's hungry, she eats. It'll all normalize again soon. Well, cross your fingers it will!

It's been nice to have her in the crib, too. (Oh, and my mom helped me start decorating Anz's room the other day! Don't even remind me that some people did this while pregnant. I mean, she's 5 months old ... that's fine too, right?)

And by "helped," I definitely mean "did everything."

The door-bouncer is still a favorite item. And "standing" remains king. I swear, Analisa can be screaming bloody murder, but if you prop her into a standing position, it's like, BAM, problem solved. Smiles all around.

Weekends ...

Have been busy! Tony and Lisa's wedding. Wine stroll. Rochester trip. We even took Ana with us to Paw Paw for Natalie's birthday. I think it's important that she grows up like this. The world didn't end because we had a baby, you know? I mean, I'm not taking her to Coachella. But little weekend stuff here and there? Why not?

Before the wedding!

My spending ...

Is out of control. Having a cute baby girl has been bad on the wallet. So I've made a commitment: no clothes shopping for Ana until July 13! I need to go two full months. And trust me, she has more than enough new stuff to last through then. I mean, I hit the clearance racks and do the whole re-sale thing ... but cold turkey is necessary, in this case.

Also mentioned in my last monthly update ...

The puppies! They are the absolute cutest. And growing so fast. But Ana and these dogs really aren't sure about each other. It'll be cute to see them grow up together though (well, sort of. As much as puppies and a baby really can). My parents' house has been overflowing with cuteness.

And in adult world ...

James and I just celebrated our engagement-versary (and by "celebrated," I mean I texted him, "we got engaged a year ago!" And he wrote back, "I didn't even realize that was today!")

We definitely embody #romance.

I've also re-entered the world of YOGA and it feels goooooood.

James planned the nicest first Mothers Day for the three of us.

I'm still pumping! But about ready to do a final taper.

And Robby has returned to Colorado : (  It was so fun having him around for the month.

And I hope the Warriors pull through against the Thunder this series! Man, Game 1 just ended and I'm bummed.

K ... always best to wrap up my loose ends on an Ana pic, right?

Right.

Just being an Anzy-bear!