Five months old today!

Dear Evelyn,

You’re 5 months old today! You woke up this morning as if you knew it was a special day—all smiles and exploding into laughter and kicks when you saw me approach. You’re so much more aware of your surroundings nowadays. When you enter a room, you gaze around, wide-eyed, taking in EVERYTHING. You crane your neck around as far as you can reach it, left and right, and then backwards, nearly tipping yourself over. Your neck craning has become a rather humorous habit during meals. You stop nursing at random to whip your head around in the opposite direction to make sure we haven’t somehow moved while you’ve been occupied. Any noise or movement is enough to cause this occurrence, and sometimes it takes nothing at all.

Another funny eating habit you’ve developed is “the wandering hand.” Whichever hand is topside, you extend fully and slowly wave it around, feeling like a blind person across the neck of my sweater, my chin, nose and mouth. If I look down at you I have to be careful or you’ll have my glasses off in the blink of an eye. I also have to guard against accidental nose spelunking.

I can tell you are able to see clearly across the room now, as you often smile at me when I smile from the doorway. Maybe you’ll have inherited your father’s eyesight…mine’s getting worse every year. You have figured out that sounds come from a particular place too, and can tell the direction from which a noise has originated. It may seem like a small thing, but I can tell it makes such a big difference in your observations. You’re mostly used to Chokydar’s mental barking bursts, but lately I’ve noticed you are startled when I cough or sneeze. When you do it, it’s no big deal (at least to you…“She can COUGH!?” Your daddy asked when he heard you on the phone the other day), but somehow it’s a little disconcerting coming from me.

You’ve been enjoying your exersaucer for the first time this month. You really like being upright and are getting really good at manipulating the various objects around the perimeter. Your hands and fingers are really getting the hang of how to operate—it’s amazing the amount of progress you’ve made here particularly from last month. When I give you your daily dose of vitamins from a dropper, you now guide my hand to and from your mouth, conducting the pace and direction of my approach. You’ll be starting some rice cereal soon I’m sure.

Nothing is safe anymore if it’s within your reach. Papers on my desk, the wire from my drawing tablet—they’re all so enchanting! I put a couple of extra things around on the tray on your exersaucer, including a wooden block and a soft plastic photo book which you LOVE to chew on. You squeal and holler in delight as you mouth it, and I can’t help but descend into laughter as your vocalizations get more and more expressive. You continue this until it escalates to the point when I have to take it away from you and place it behind you, because you’ve begun to express yourself in baby-equivalent expletives. It doesn’t take you long to work your way around the exersaucer and find it again with a squeal of delight, and the conversation begins again—always politely at the start.

This has definitely been the month of the squeal. You love squealing as loud as you can, and often times your father will have to wait for you to stop before he tries to continue talking over the phone. Opera star? Auctioneer? I see endless career opportunities spreading out before your feet…

You rolled over earlier this month, both from back to front and front to back, all in the same go. You do it occasionally, but still prefer to be on your back most of the time when you’re horizontal. You’re getting pretty good at sitting up with minimal support though. I prop you up with the boppy pillow behind for safety, but you’re able to sit up for seconds at a time all by yourself. I imagine you’ll make lots of progress over the next month on this front.

Your wheezy laugh is beginning to transform into a full voiced giggle. It has just begun in the last few days, but it’s enough to start me laughing which results in us cascading back and forth in laughter for several minutes.

Finally, you’re personality is coming out more and more. When we’re at home or in the car you’re usually “talking”—making some kind of noise or other, but as soon as we’re out in public, you’re quite quiet and observant, wide eyed and rather somber. This is pretty useful as I can usually count on you to be impressively “grown-up” when you accompany me to meetings or other events. You are pretty easy going, and enjoy playing on your own, but are always glad to have me join in the fun. You are quick to smile and laugh. You light my days with your sparkling eyes.

Love everyday and always,

Mommy