Jill . . .

So, I've been remiss in blogging about Jill lately, my cute little bean.

Well, she turned 5 months old last week, and she is topping out around 18 pounds and approximately 16 inches long/tall. That means she's not quite as tall (in her age group) as she was last month, but she's still on the heavier side. She's pretty much just a very healthy girl!

She eats rice cereal about once a week and does all right with it. She doesn't hate it like some of her cousins have, but she still isn't quite sure how to eat it. She pushes a lot of it back out with her tongue, but she opens her mouth wide for the next bite!

When she was younger we gave her formula sometimes, so Jeff could help out and I didn't have to breastfeed in public (when I hadn't pumped), so Jeff's mom bought some for when she babysits Jill. Well, we gave some to Jill once two months ago and once last month, and she threw up both times. Not just spit up. Massive throw up. I had to take a shower after it one time, and we definitely both had to change clothes last time. Interesting since it didn't bother her when she was little, but she definitely doesn't seem to be a fan of it now. That's all right though. If I'm gone a short time, then rice cereal will work, and if I'm gone a long time, like for a temple trip or something, then I pump.

I used to wonder what the difference was between spit up and throw up. Now I know: the amount and the smell are the main differences for me!

Jill has been sleeping with a bear in her crib since we've been here in Cincinnati. (Thanks C Work!) She's never noticed it or given it the time of day. Then all of a sudden about three weeks ago, I walked in and she was holding it and playing with it. So cute! :) Some times she grabs its hair while she sleeps next to it. I'm just glad it's not my hair!

In her eagerness to be able to grab things these days, she pinches me sometimes. Hard. It hurts.

There were a few big changes last week. First of all, she has started noticing the pets and trying to get to them. The Colletts have one dog and three cats, and she is getting very interested in them now. She used to not notice them at all. I wonder if part of this is just her vision improving.

She scoots sometimes. She doesn't seem to know that she is though, because she doesn't do it consistently when she wants to get something, but every now and then she kicks those little legs when she's laying down, and she moves.

She is not a big fan of being laid down, kind of slanted, like she used to be. In her bouncer, car seat, and swing, she's always trying to sit up. Seriously. Abs of steel on that little girl. She does tons of baby crunches! She really likes sitting up these days, and sometimes she can stay up for quite a while on her own. It just depends on if there is something near by she wants to grab and lean toward.

Jeff also practices standing up with her a lot, too. She's doing pretty well at standing and holding on to her crib. (That's how Jeff is teaching her.) I'm not sure if I approve of that. (The standing in the crib.) Haha

She has really thick cheeks. Like when I put my finger in her mouth and pinch the inside and outside, it's thick. So, she looks like a little chipmunk sometimes when she spreads her mouth wide. She's pretty cute.

She's getting more hair in, but it's still very, very light, so she looks bald still. That's okay though. :) It is coming in kind of reddish still, so we'll see what happens there!

Her eyes have stayed blue, but they look almost gray sometimes. Again, we'll just have to wait and see!

I wish she would learn to smile for the camera. Then I could share cute smiling pictures of her.

Oh yes, she loves her binkie. She's been teething for about two months now, but no teeth yet. So, she's drooling all the time (and recently her nose has gotten rather plugged up). My favorite two things about the pacifier that I love is that it keeps her asleep better/puts her to sleep and it keeps her drool in her mouth. Whenever she's not sucking on her binkie, her clothes get soaking wet, but when the binkie is in, she keeps her saliva in her mouth. I love that. I don't like it when her clothes get wet.

Today she took a three-hour nap all by her lonesome, so that was fantastic. About twice a week, she'll let me lay her down for her naps. The rest she just wakes up immediately upon me putting her in her crib. She does still sleep through the night though. She goes down around 11:00 or midnight and then stays asleep until sometime between 8:00 or 10:00 the next morning. I'm excited for the time change to move her schedule up one hour. Yup. The only time I've ever been grateful for the time change. (Don't get me started on that!) Haha. I can't complain though! Only about once a week or less does she wake up in the night, around 5:00 or 6:00, and then she always goes right back to sleep after I feed her. Fantastic!

So, life is very good for baby girl Collett.

P.S. Has anyone lost a watch? One appeared in my diaper bag a few weeks ago. I assumed it was Jeff's and never looked at it until the other day. . . . It's not Jeff's.