Zoe is Five Months Old

Dear Zoe,
We just got back from your second trip to the beach! It was your Uncle Corey’s 30th birthday, and he wanted to go to the Oregon coast. Two weeks ago, it was 102°. This weekend, on the other hand, it was in the 60s and pouring rain the entire time. Still, Uncle Corey and Uncle Eric got to play in the ocean, and Aunt Melinda and Aunt Jill got to play with you, so everyone was happy. In fact, you charmed Aunt Melinda by laughing and laughing whenever she tickled you.

We had a heat wave roll through town a couple weeks ago, and you were not a fan of the heat. It made you cranky and you didn’t sleep very well as a result. We tried putting your feet in Uncle Sean’s wading pool a couple times, but you didn’t seem to like the cold water. Once the heat wave petered out, you started sleeping well again. Your mom even managed to get you to sleep on your own for your mid-day nap a few times, so she’s hoping that’s a pattern that will keep developing, which will give her some free time in the afternoons. Not that she doesn’t love holding you while you sleep, but there’s only so many America’s Next Top Model reruns a new mother can handle!

Your development continues at a rapid pace. Mostly it’s just refining existing skills: you’re getting better at hand-eye coordination, to the point where you can sometimes pick up a toy, or hold onto one for more than a minute or two. You can sit for a couple of seconds at a time before pitching over to one side, and you will happily hold your weight on your legs for a minute or two. Another new thing that I’ve noticed is that you’ve started tracking the cats. If one walks past you when you’re in your Johnny Jump-up, you’ll rotate around to watch it walk into the next room. You’ve also realized that tickling is fun, especially on your shoulders or your sides.

Your personality is growing as well. The dainty old lady that Aunt Rose saw in your first few weeks has mostly been replaced by a cheerful and charming little girl. You will smile at strangers and even talk to them a bit if you’re in a good mood. You love to make eye contact with your Mom or me, and sometimes when your Mom is holding you, I’ll look over to find you smiling and staring at me - and when I smile back, you quickly bury your face in her chest, and then look back a second later. You are nearly always in a smiling mood, and even when you’re tired and sad you will still laugh at a funny face or smile when I make a goofy sound, even if just for a second before you go back to hooting your discontent.

I think the coolest thing that’s happened this month, however, is that we discovered that you love looking at your books of baby faces. We found out one morning when Grandma Amy and I were trying to keep you entertained so your Mom could sleep in. We were looking for something to read with you, and I handed your Grandma a book that’s just close-up pictures of babies, and the instant she opened the cover you were fascinated. You smiled and laughed and cooed, and very deliberately looked at each baby in turn, talking the whole time. I got some video, but you show no sign of losing interest. A few face books are part of your diaper bag now, and we usually open up the big fold-out book of faces for you during tummy time.

Naturally you’re still growing, though I don’t have any updated measurements. Your hair is getting noticeably longer now, and there’s one tuft right on the top of your head that’s a bit longer than all the rest, and that’s my favorite spot on your head. I’m looking forward to when your hair is even longer, and we can pull it into a little pigtail on top of your head.

Your puking has gotten much better lately. You still spit up all day long, but it’s nowhere near as constant as it once was, and it also doesn’t seem to upset you as much. That combined with your developing ability to burp yourself means that more and more often you fall asleep while eating, which is driving your Mom crazy, because it means that you only eat about a third as long as you should, so you’re pretty much hungry all day long now, and taking lots of short little naps between feedings. Of course, it’s still hard to complain since you continue to reliably sleep through the night.

Finally, I hesitate to mention this, but you seem to have started teething in the last few days. It’s not very bad yet. Right now, it just means that you are very interested in chewing on things and putting pressure on your gums, and every now and then you burst into pained crying for no apparent reason. We got you some teething gel and some of those refrigerator teething rings, but you’re not very interested in them so far. You mostly just want to chew on our fingers.

It’s hard to say if your average day has really changed. You weren’t sleeping very well during the day due to the heat wave, but you seem to be back to “normal” now, so who knows. For the most part, you still get up around 8am, spend the day napping and eating, mostly in the front pack. When I get home, you hang out with me for a little bit before dinner, and then you usually fall asleep nursing in the basement while you Mom and I watch some TV, and most nights you’re in bed by 8 or 9pm, and then you sleep until 5 or 6am.

This next month will be pretty exciting. You’re going to continue growing and developing, and then on August 22nd, which is your Momma’s birthday, you will be six months old, so I’m sure the next newsletter will be a chance to look back at all the changes you’ve been through in just a few short months.
Love, your Poppa