5 Months Old!

Yes... another month has gone by and Princess Piper is just getting cuter and cuter by the day! (Can you tell I'm the proud Mama?!) She seems to learn new skills and is changing in looks and personality every time I turn around. She is so social and loves to have people talk to her and interact with her. She doesn't seem to mind if someone else holds her... she just turns around so she can see me at the same time. So cute!

She has found her "squealing" voice and is constantly squealing at the top of her lungs! She gets such a kick out of herself too. Sometimes her voice gets so high she starts to cough and choke. I end up laughing right along with her. At church today, I didn't have to take her out because she was fussing or hungry, I had to take her out because she thought it was her time to squeal while everyone else was quiet! Everyone around me got a kick out of it but I felt so bad! But I guess that's the stage of her life that I'm in... listening to Sunday sermons in the nursing mother's room! They have nice gliders and a monitor in there and to date, I am always in there alone so I can have the freedom to listen and pay attention.

Piper has also found her hands. Yes, she has been reaching and grabbing out for things for some time, but it was the object that was intriguing her. Now, her hands seem to be the center of her attention. I will have her on the floor playing with her toys and every once and a while I will catch her just staring at her fingers... bending them... moving them... waving them. I love her curiosity. It is such a joy to watch her discover life.

Drum roll please..... Piper is officially rolling over now! May 1st was the day of her first roll and she was a little shocked after it happened. The look on her face was one of great surprise. She had so much momentum going into the roll that she kinda rocked back and forth for a second involuntarily afterward and I think that is what scared her. I of course was so happy and excited and got down on the floor with her to tell her that she was ok and such a good girl! She still has to "work up" to do her rolls but she knows where to put her hands now to make the complete turn. If there is something a few inches away from her that she wants to reach out and grab, that is a big motivator for her to roll over and grab it! I'm so proud of her!

She is also loving her rice cereal these days. She has one bowl of those yummy-yummies every day and can't seem to get enough! She gets so exasperated if I don't put it in her mouth soon enough. She is still working on and learning tongue control and is getting better and better with each feeding. The first time she ate with a spoon she was spitting out quite a bit but now she seems to know what to do with it when it hits her mouth and she doesn't have near as much coming out. I know I probably sound redundant but I am just amazed at how fast she learns and how smart she is.

I'm very grateful that Piper is such a good nap-taker! That is one area where she is not spoiled! She refuses to go to sleep in my arms and likes to be put in her bed when she's tired. As soon as I hear the "tired and fussy cry" I go put her in her bed and she falls asleep within about 10 minutes. Before Jerry left he made sure that I didn't spoil her by rocking her to sleep. And if she did fall asleep in my arms I was to go put her in bed immediately. Thankfully that has paid off and she still takes wonderful naps.

Well, I could go on and on but I don't want to bore any of you. This blog serves as my "journal" of her growth and development and it is so fun for Jerry and I to watch as her life unfolds. She is a precious blessing to us. I'll close with a few videos of her squealing. Thank you for keeping up with us and reading our updates!