20 July, 2012

5 Months!

I can hardly believe that I'm sitting down to write yet another "Shannon is growing up way too stinkin' fast" post... but I am!

Shannon rang in her 5 month birthday with some supervisin' of Mommy at the barn this morning.



She lasted about 10 whole minutes, and then I had to hit the gas pedal and get chores done faster than I ever have before.

Shannon continues to amaze me. She's learning so quickly and there is something new that she works on everyday.

She is aboutthisclose to crawling, and will get up on her hands and knees, rock back and forth, then plop back down. She is really good at rolling to get where she wants to go. Many of the places that she ends up make me laugh. She has mastered Army crawling, and will scoot herself towards the toy or person that she's aiming for. 



One of her favorite things to do is smile at anybody who will show her the least little bit of attention and she loves her boys. I'm not sure if it's the deeper pitch of their voice, or what, but as soon as a man enters the room, she's enamored. Everybody asks us if she's always as happy as she seems, and she really is.



We have her on a loose schedule, and I think that that has really helped me be able to indentify her needs. I can tell, based on where we are in her day, why she is fussing and I'm able to give her what she needs pretty quickly. Her afternoon nap schedule is fairly erratic still, but she takes a morning nap like clockwork. She doesn't go to bed at night until around 11, and we aren't trying to break that habit. If that's what she needs, then that's what she needs. She still doesn't sleep through the night reliably. We'll get a stretch of 3-4 night when she'll sleep from 10-7, then a stretch of nights where she's up once or twice. Luckily she eats and goes right back down within 20 minutes or so, but between her and her father being sick, I haven't been able to complete a full REM cycle of sleep in... 5 months? If she wakes up after Mike is up for the day, I bring her into bed with me for a snuggle or two. :)

She's a bed hog though... ;-)


We've been playing the teething game on and off since she was about 3 months, and things are starting to heat up in that department. Anything in her hands goes right into her mouth. Usually she just gums them a bit, but now she's starting to bite down with some real force. She a little harder to please during the day, and there are some moments where she just doesn't want to have anything to do with anything. She isn't content to roll around on the floor, sit in her saucer, nurse, or be held.  I still am so thankful that we've been blessed with such an easy baby, that I try not to complain. Our neighbors had a little girl in May and from what I hear over there, the going is pretty rough!


This new stage of teething had made nursing a little bit more challanging for me (she's still a pro...). She has started chewing on me and its rough. I'm hoping that this stage passes soon, beause I'm starting to dread our nursing sessions. I'm in more pain now, than when she was a newborn. She refuses a bottle from me, and formula is out of the question. In no way am I quitting, and I'm trying to take it one session at a time. I will reach our goal of a year, things are just a bit discouraging right now. When she starts to chew (or pinch...thats a fun one too) I take it away, very firmly tell her 'NO'. She usually just laughs and sticks her fingers in my mouth. After I hit the 'publish' button, the phone will be dialing to our local LC, and hopefully she will be of some help.

Mom! That's MINE!


Shannon loves Dixie and will sit on the floor with me for hours watching her play fetch. It's a win-win for everybody! She's also figured out how to blow raspberries! When you combine that with all the drool that comes along with this teething extravagansa, I'm seriously contemplating the purchase of a rain suit. Maybe my doctor will hook me up with one of those face shields she wore while Shannon was in the whole, being born, process.

She also loves to read, and will sit on your lap for book after book. Her favorite person to read with is her Nana, naturally. My Mom installed the bookwarm gene in me, and I'm so glad that she's installing it in Shannon as well. Who better to keep the love alive!

This picture makes my heart smile.

Another love of Shannon's is music. She loves to listen to her Grampy and Aunt Abby sing, and she goes nuts for anything on my Pandora "Zumba" station. Her favorite songs are Copperhead Road (why, I'll never know) and the song "Constant Sorrow" from O' Brother Where Art Thou. I'm thinking that Abby Road is going to have some new requests. ;-).





This Mom is happy to watch George Clooney over and over! ;-)

Giggle Bellies on Youtube is a big hit in the house as well. I happen to think that the creators are on some kind of crack, coming up with those critters, but if it makes the kid happy, who am I to judge?

Finally, we've started to play around with purees, and I'm excited to try to start making my own baby food. After almost pulling her father's pasta plate into his lap twice while we were out to eat, we broke down and bought some carrot purees at Hannafords over the weekend. She isn't a huge fan, and prefers to finger paint with them. All the better, because I think that Baby-Led Weaning is going to be the way to go for us. We'll give her her own spoon to play with at mealtimes, and hopefully that will keep her from reaching into our plates for a sample!

I know I say this every monthly update, but I'm still floored by how quickly she's growing and learning things. She's healthy, happy, and smart as a whip! I'd say that Mike and I are pretty proud of our little Munch!

A serious ceiling fan addiction!

Her hair kills me.

The perfect way to spend an evening!



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