Dear Reese,
Today you turn 5 months old.
Five! Months!
This past month has just been filled with a lot of new things that you are doing, or and in some cases, things that are happening to you. New teeth! New foods! New and Different Poop! Arching your back when you want to be picked up! KISSING WITH TONGUE! Who taught you that?!
And that Wookie noise you make in the back of your throat. Your impression of Chewbacca is uncanny. I suppose that is what babies do when they can’t figure out what to do with all that drool.
But the one new thing you do I really gotta ask you about: Why must you make that noise when you are bored? Or when I’m in the same room with you, but I’m not actively entertaining you with new and different toys? I’m right here, sitting on the floor RIGHT NEXT TO YOU, and you assault me with
AAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGHHHHHHH!!! AAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGHHHHHHH!!!
And your little plan works. I pick you up and try to determine if you are in pain, or some other discomfort and of course you are not. After all that billy goat bleating, you bust out the biggest smile and then you laugh. Laughing at your poor, harried mother who is getting bossed around daily by a 14-pound pink screaming dictator. You think this is funny? This little joke of yours?
(It is funny, in a cosmic sort of way.)
Anyway, you keep doing new things every day, so many in fact that it’s hard to keep up (and I can only type so fast). Good gracious, child.
So you have now cut 2 teeth. Bottom central incisors. And you haven’t really acted too different, save for a little crankiness here and there. Usually you can be pacified with a chew toy, Jacques, or my finger. And you do like to chew. A lot. You shredded a Netflix envelope within 5 minutes of your father watching you — which actually says more about your father than you.
My favorite part of this month has been feeding you. Oh, and not just boob either. I’ve been really getting into making you freshly prepared rice cereal, baked sweet potatoes, bananas, and just yesterday, steamed pears. It’s inevitable that you would be starting some solids this month. You’ve been eyeing up my food for a few weeks, making audible lip-smacking sounds while I eat. Somehow you’ve actually perfected that “begging” look the dog makes. Which is surprising because I’m pretty sure you just found out he exists recently, so I’m not sure when the two of you would have found time to conspire against me.
It’s actually quite hilarious to feed you, because of the way you get so excited and worked up. Your eyes bulge, your mouth opens WIIIIDE, and your arms and legs flail around like someone clamped a car battery to your backside. And then you WRENCH that spoon away from me, and proceed to gnaw on it for the next eight to ten minutes. It’s quite precious, but also I have feeling your sense of independence is only going to get more defined with the coming months.
On a slightly related note, your poop has started to change in a few ways. It used to be fairly innocuous, both in aroma and texture — at times, it would be the color of a highway construction barrel. Now — now it is much different, not quite as offensive as grown up poo, but definitely beginning to get malodorous and a bit gross. I know it’s not really polite to discuss poop in a public format (and for this I’m sure you’ll make me pay during your teenage years), but it’s just another sign that my formerly toothless, exclusively breast-fed baby is growing up.
All these changes are happening so fast, and I’m really only just starting to get used to your delightful babyness. I seriously just want to eat you up, starting with your chubby round cheeks and your nubbly little ears. You laugh when I kiss you, because I make loud smoochy sounds by your ear and I tickle your neck with my nose. You are such a beautiful little girl, and the time I spend away from you makes me miss you so much that I cannot wait to pick you up and hold you again.
It’s going to be tough to give you to daycare, I can tell already.
Love,
Momma