Growing Like A... Sunflower

A week ago Abigail Jane turned 5 months old. She is growing so much! It's so much fun to interact with her as she giggles and smiles. She has really become a smiley baby! The two things I hear the most from people is "She's always smiling!" and "Wow.. look at those beautiful pale blue eyes!" And of course I agree with them wholeheartedly. I'm often taken aback by how beautiful she is. Just when I think she can't get any prettier, she keeps surprising me!

Going into our sixth month I am really beginning to feel like we are entering a new phase. Abigail is very curious about her surroundings and wants to take it all in, but still being immobile means she needs help to go exploring. She gets bored being in the same spot with the same toys and is constantly needing new stimulation, which makes for a very busy mommy. Gone are the days I could plop her on her playmat and move about the house doing various tasks. It's so hard to get anything done right now! But then.. I need to just let those other things go and enjoy her, because next thing I know, she won't be a baby anymore. sniff sniff...

I've been seeing signs of teething for two months now, but this week we've moved into full on teething mode. I can see two small white spots on her lower gum line, so I know they should pop up any day now. I've heard some babies handle teething better than others, unfortunately Abigail isn't one of those babies. She seems miserable chewing on everything and fussing while she pulls at her cheeks. I spend a lot of time massaging her gums, which seems to help. (Note another reason I can't get anything done!)

Despite any fussiness I am so enjoying her right now. I am soaking up every minute, and I try not to think too much about the fact that soon I'll have to chase her down to sit on my lap and read books. Sometimes, late at night after a feeding I rock and rock my sleeping baby and just stare at her. I feel like the luckiest mommy in the world that I get to be her mommy.

See the pictures from our 5 Month Photo Shoot on Flickr!