Elvis the Elephant, look deep into my eyes…
Little kids just make everything funny and amazing.
(Source: youtube.com)
My name is Kaitlin and last night I went to bed super early and didn’t
wake up until 7:30. You’re welcome, mom.
This past Sunday was a very special day. It was my first Mother’s Day and what better way to spend it than with you and MY mother?
Your Grandma Laura bought you this cute onesie to wear for when I returned home from New Orleans the morning of Mother’s Day. You looked so cute in it. We spent the day hanging out and relaxing in the backyard. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I was lucky enough to get a second Mother’s Day in Monday when we returned home from Houston. Apparently Kaitlin helped her dad make a cute photo booth with pictures of us and funny captions - I loved it!
You are my precious little gift from God and my heart is so full of love for you. The other day someone asked me what it was like to be a Mom. I couldn’t explain it, as it is a feeling of love, of purpose, and of happiness that I feel every day from being with you. From the moment we met, my heart grew and forever changed. I love the bond we have have and how sometimes all you need is to be held by me to calm down. I love the time we get to spend together - just me and you - when I get to nurse you. I love walking over to your crib in the morning and getting the sweetest smile from you. I love that you are able to recognize me in a room full of people. What a blessing it is to be your Mother, baby girl.
And, to my own Mom, I just want to say thank you for all your love, hugs, and support. For all the tears you cried with me, and over me. For all the smiles and laughter. For being my biggest fan and cheerleader. I am lucky to have you as an example for how to be a great Mother to Kaitlin!
5 months young!
Kaitlin,
You are now five months young! How did this happen? How is it that you are growing up so quickly? I was scheduled to be going back to work this upcoming Monday and I am so glad I get 2 extra months off with you. It is going to be really difficult going back to work, since I feel like I will be missing out on all the cool things you learn to do on a daily basis.
At 5 months, you are growing steadily. You are a little petite baby with some chunky little legs.
A typical day for you consists of waking up around 7:30, eating, playing on your play mat and with mom and/or dad (you are the happiest in the morning and are super smiley when we wake you up), eating, nap around 10, playing, walk around the neighborhood with Beamer or running errands with mom, eat, play, play some more, nap around 4PM, bath (every other day), eat, play, watch your parents eat dinner and play, eat, bed at 8PM. During the day, whether we are walking around the house or outside, I try and narrate what we see together - the trees, people, colors, sounds, etc. You seem very interested in what is around you and seem as if you are just soaking it all in. Your bed time is pretty firm, as you start to get pretty cranky around 7:30 (rubbing your eyes, fussing, etc) if we don’t start to wind down from the day. You are a baby who knows what she needs!
It is amazing to see how just in the last few weeks you have started to grab things intentionally (versus just slapping them with your hand), shake them and throw them. You like it when your toys make a sound when they hit the ground and also when you shake them.
You have great head control and will turn to people when they are talking or towards whatever is making noise. A lot of times this is Beamer when he is barking at the people outside our house. You pet him sometimes and he is not that amused.
This month yielded a few firsts for you. It was the first time you rode in a plane. It was the first time you drank all day from a bottle fed to you by someone other than me or your dad. You also had your first overnight without me.
You are getting stronger and can sit up with minimal support. You can sit up with your boppy around you for a long time. I also sit you right in front of me and you push on my legs for support. I cannot leave you sitting up anywhere for a long time unattended because you tend to fall over. I think that your love of sitting up, combined with how you love to grab things around you, has translated into a much happier bath time. You put your hands in the water and are pretty content with the whole situation.
You are still not a huge fan of tummy time and prefer to sit or stand. We started you in a Jumperoo and you really liked it. You like the sounds and toys and the fact that you can push up with your legs.
We have been wondering if you might end up being left-handed. A lot of the grabbing and touching you do is with your left hand. We have been trying to ‘fix’ this by putting things on your right side. I say ‘fix’ because your dad says we live in a right-handed world and wants you to be a righty. Either way, we will love you and know you will use your hands to do amazing things one day like surgeries or art or gymnastics or solving complex math equations - no matter if it is predominately with your right or left.
You LOVE your feet. You love to grab them. You love to rub them together. You love to try and eat them. Speaking of eating, you love to eat/suck on your fingers. You also have a tight grasp and love to grab other people’s fingers and eat them as well. We think your teeth are due to come out very soon since you are drooling ALL the time and like to bite down on everything.
You are such a joy, baby K. You are such a happy baby and have the best facial expressions. My favorite one to see is when your dad takes you and plays airplane with you. Your face lights up and your mouth opens up in a huge smile!
Your dad and I love you so much and every day we gush about how much we love you and what a great baby you are. I can’t believe you will be 6 months old soon and starting to eat food and possibly crawl! I would love to slow down time, but on the other hand it is such a joy to see what each new day brings to you.
You are really enjoying your time in Texas, my dear. On Wedneday, you had three special visitors. Your Grandma Vier, Uncle David and Maggie. They held and played with you and made you super happy.
Maggie and I took you in the pool for the first time. We lathered you in sunscreen (you have very fair skin right now) and put your little swimsuit and hat on. You looked so cute. You kicked your feet around under the water, but you didn’t like going in any further than your belly button. Perhaps the water was a few degrees cooler than you would have liked. We will try again this summer and hopefully get you comfortable in the water and learning to float!
Monday, you met baby Colton, Carri and Mrs. Wienken. Your grandmas and
I took you to Alicia’s Mexican restaurant and you had fun looking at
Colton and even grabbed hands with him. Later, we went to his house to
play. I think you were tired because you were fussy, but nonetheless
you seemed happy to have met baby C!
We got a high chair for the house and you have been sitting nicely in
it. Also, you have been learning to drink from the bottle since mommy
will be gone for one night this weekend. It took you a while, but I
think once you realized it had milk, you were sold. This helps a lot
since you are able to drink a little more at once and other people can
feed you.
You spent Cinco de Mayo in Texas and in a Señorita outfit. We went to
church in the morning (your first time) and you loved the singing
portion and fell asleep for the second half.
Later, you met Alex and also enjoyed hanging outside at a baby gender
reveal party your grandparents hosted.
We had our first flight this Saturday. You did awesome!
Dad dropped us off at the airport and loaded up our stuff so I could successfully move through security with you. He put our small suitcase in the stroller, with the diaper bag and boppy on top, then we put you in the baby bjorn and I pulled our big suitcase behind me.
We checked the stroller at the gate and Once on the plane, I took you out of the bjorn and sat you on my lap on the boppy pillow. I waited until we started to move fast and take off and immediately fed you. You ate for a while, slept, woke up, played, pooped and looked around the plane wondering where we were. You got a little fussy for about 10 minutes but then I started to feed you again and we began to make our descent. You nursed right until we were about to land. Way to go!
Two if your favorite people were there to greet us at baggage claim - your grandmas!
I think that night you had a hard time adjusting because you were really fussy, but every day since you have been great!
What an honor and a privilege it is to spend every day with you. What a joy it is to be able to spend all day holding you, talking to you, teaching you, and watching you grow. I am so lucky. I do not think there is a better job in the world than being your mother.
You fill my heart up with happiness when you return my smiles. When you grab my face and laugh. When I pick you up and you put your arms around my neck and rest your head on my shoulder. I was thinking the other day how sometimes all I need is a hug from my mom to make all things better in the world. Moms just seem to have that magical touch sometimes. It dawned on me that I will be that person to you. I will be the one to comfort you when you have a gloomy day. I will be the one cheering you on like a maniac during sporting events, or whatever you choose to do. I will be the one that you will come to after a long day just for a hug. The one who makes your favorite meal to make all things right in the world. The one who can turn your bad day into a good day.
I can’t wait my darling. I can’t wait.
