5 months... and then some....

Wow, less than 3 weeks and we’ll be celebrating Malea’s “half” birthday.  Malea turned 5 months old almost 2 weeks ago, and I’m still trying to figure out where the time has gone.  (The sad part is, I started a post the day she turned 5 months.... but once again, sleep has trumped blog postings and I never did get that one posted.)  Over the past month and a half she has developed sooo much.  She is so active with her hands.  She loves to help hold her bottle (although she hasn’t mastered it yet).  She has also become very coordinated over the past month.... now when she is holding her toys, teethers, etc she can switch toys between hands and can easily navigate her hands where she wants to put those things (usually in to her mouth: )  In fact, she loves putting EVERYTHING in her mouth..... toys, teethers, blankets, her clothes (especially when she’s wearing a dress or anything with ruffles), edge of the highchair, and her fist... yes her entire fist. 

She also loves her feet lately!  She lays on her back and plays with both feet.  It makes it a little difficult to change diapers sometimes, but it’s so cute when she does it.  She proudly demonstrates in her John Deere boots from Michael and Rachel: )  How cute are those?!

As of today, she officially rolls from her back to her tummy.  When I went in to get her out of bed this morning (might I mention all 3 of us slept in until 7:30 today!  A new record!), she was laying on her tummy, so this afternoon, since we were lucky enough to have daddy home with us today, we got her on video rolling over probably 20 times: )  She has been doing tummy to back since she was 16 weeks, but this was the first day we witnessed her rolling from back to tummy.  

Everyday is something new.... she is always learning new things and making new sounds. She still squeals all the time (that would be why Papa calls her “Squeak”: ), loves her dolly and her puppy, and when I say “shake it”, she starts shaking whatever is in her hand... one day it was a rattle, the next day it was a teether.... whatever is in her hand.  She gets so excited shaking it, sometimes she whacks herself in the head- lol.  Malea is definitely teething... you can really tell when her teeth are bothering her... she really chomps on her fist and drools a lot, but I don't see anything poking through yet, so we still have a ways to go.  One thing she has been doing the last few weeks is “making strange” (as I’m told it’s called).  Especially with men... if a man tries to hold her, she will give them the pouty face and start crying.  Sometimes she won’t even look at them.  It makes me so sad though!  It’s one thing to do that to strangers, but it breaks my heart when she does it to family!  The good news is, I'm pretty sure she is already overcoming that stage.  I think (keeping my fingers crossed) that she is getting back to smiling at EVERYBODY because she was all smiles at everyone in church this morning.

Ok it’s picture time!!  First up is Malea in an adorable dress she got from our good family friend, Sue.  One morning before I took her to Mom's, I thought I would snap a few pictures of her in her precious dress.  Not that this surprises me, but this was the FIRST picture I took. 

Doesn't that figure... LOL!!!!!  I am totally going to show Malea's doctor this picture at her 6 month appointment.... why you ask?  Well at her 4 month check, I told the doc that Malea spits up all the time... the doctor said that as long as spitting up doesn't seem to bother her and she keeps gaining weight, then she is fine.  Well doc, doesn't seem to bother her does it... she smiles right through it: )  After a quick cleanin, I did manage to snap a few good ones: )

Lookin so cute in her cute little outfit and hat from Cindy!

Enjoying the nice weather and lookin pretty with Halle!  (My cousin Nate & Niki's daughter: )

Malea's playdate with Kaden!  They cracked each other up: )  Malea scares me when she sits in the bumbo.... the little squirt always turns sideways like she is in that picture, and about pops herself right out of the seat! 

My good friend Jessica and her little lad, Kaden.  Jess and I went to elementary school together, and we are so excited that Malea and Kaden are future classmates too!!!