Our Felicity: 5 Months

5 months old and already wearing 6 months clothes. This. is. InSaNe. Everybody says it, but it's so true: They grow up so fast...

The word of month five seems to be AdVenTuRe. Felicity took her first day trip to Chicago. Aunt Ju-Ju and her cousins were in town so we hopped the Metra and ventured in. Everyone told me her schedule might get a little off but not to worry, "She'll pass out in the stroller when she gets tired."

Does this look like a girl who passes out in her stroller because she's too tired?:

Enter the minds of our family:

How come all of the other babies in strollers are sleeping?

- Father of the FRB

Oh no, this is going to be a long night!

-Mother of the FRB

I will not surrender! Must. See. EvErYtHiNg.

-The FRB

The girl was awake for 11.5 hrs. with the exception of a 20 minute cat nap! Needless to say we had a rough night and next few days, but Felicity certainly made the most of her first trip to the BiG CiTy. To her credit, she was a happy baby, and she looked super cute in her little romper :) Love those little legs, and yay for the warmest March on record!

Felicity also took her first airplane ride. It was just Felicity and the mommy so you can imagine the fear and trepidation I had going into this venture. We were supposed to fly directly to Texas but got rerouted with a three hour layover in Florida?!?

What could have been a nightmare turned out to be not so bad. She slept through take-off and landing for both flights and was pleasant the whole time...she didn't sleep a wink other than 10 minutes going up and coming down, but at least she wasn't crabby. The same pretty much goes for the rest of our trip...sleep was lacking, but she was generally in a good mood :) Her herd of girl cousins loved her. They read her stories and played with her tons. Of course she had some quality cuddle time with Papa Jim, Grandma Thresa, and Grandma Johnson too.

At the end of the month we celebrated Dan's birthday. Felicity wore her I heart Daddy outfit and thoroughly enjoyed sitting with Daddy while he opened his cards. We've never had cards with chewed corners before. So. Cute.

This months new tricks include:

• Playing! It's so cute to hear toy noises from the other room when she wakes up.
• Utter disdain for bath time...switched from infant tub to Bumbo in the big tub. Smart.
• Moaning. Not a fan. Looking into baby sign language for a better way of communication :)
• Chew, chew, chewing! On her fingers, my fingers, her gums, her tongue...
• Scrath, scratch, scratching! She loves to scratch everything!
• She's two feet tall and nearly 14 pounds.

Our Felicity: 4 months

Round and round and round she goes. Where she stops, nobody knows! This month Felicity has been SpInNinG: in her crib, on her blankets, and of course, in our hearts...

It all started Superbowl Sunday. In an effort to keep her from watching TV, I sat between her and the tube. Of course I only glanced at the TV to see the commercials ;)...and every time I looked back at the girl, she seemed to be at a different angle. I seriously thought someone was turning her as a joke, but it turns out this was just the beginning of her obsession with spinning. We found her in her crib turned 180 degrees several times this month. It is the funniest thing!

These days Felicity has a few more antics up her sleeve...She doesn't make herself do it, but when she finds herself coughing, it always makes her smile. Apparently it's a pretty cool trick. She seems to be surprised and pleased by it every time. She can also roll from her back to side and all the way over with a little bit of help. She even rolled from her tummy to her back all on her own! The little Pixie loves to CaTaPuLt. Whether she's sitting in the BuMbO or in my lap, she often stiffens her legs and thrusts herself back. Oh my!

Month FoUr also saw Felicity's first real tear, movie, and giggle fest.

As for the tear, let's just say it involved a hippo, bruised nose and a very sad parent (which one?...I'll never tell ;)).

The movie was We Bought a Zoo. We were parents in desperate need to get out of the house and dying for some sort of entertainment. While Felicity did watch some of the movie, as I fretted about whether we were damaging her brain for life, she spent a good portion eating, sleeping, and being paced in the back of the theater. Ah, the beauty of an empty cheap theater on a Thursday afternoon...All in all it was a win for the whole family.

Toward the end of the month, she had her first giggle fest with Auntie Rina and subsequent ones with her daddy as he smothered her with kisses. These little chuckles are so sweet, and I just can't wait for a full blown belly laugh!

A few are starting to say she looks like me. Most people still say she resembles her daddy, but everyone seems to agree that she is very AleRt. Her bright, brown eyes are always taking everything in. One of our favorites has to be breakfast on daddy's lap. Her eyes follow his whale mug up to his mouth every time he takes a sip of coffee. I have a feeling this is one of those things we'll always picture her doing...even when she's 35.

And finally, in good fun, I will end with some of my mother of the year moments from the month:

1. Showing up to church with scratches on her forehead...they were there for a week. I just can't seem to keep up with those fingernails! Thank you gracious friend for consoling me by declaring, "She just looks tough". You know who you are ;)

2. Screaming so loud from the cry room that people sitting in church could hear her...It was evening fussy time, I was speaking up front, and friends were watching her. Maybe she just heard my voice and missed me?!? It's a good thing it was only five minutes...poor girl!

3. Realizing that for the last four months I've had the car seat facing the wrong way in the stroller...It's times like these I'm so grateful for true friends who will tell you when you are putting your baby in danger and a God who protects her even when you don't realize she's in harm's way...I have so much to learn...

4. Though we're trying to be intentional about calling her by her real name, nicknames continue to take over. If you know my dad and/or my husband, you know why I just can't help myself...This month: the Woot (short for cutie wootie) and the wadoozle. Poor child...

Oooh, these are cool...

One or my favorite outfits right now...

The girl of our dreams...