Dear Bennett Grace (5 months)

Dear Bennett Grace,

This month you have found your voice, baby! You are five months old and you've been jabbering and blowing bubbles for a while now, but now you are taking it to a whole new level. YOU.ARE.SO.LOUD and we LOVE it!

It is unreal how fast you are growing. You are really starting to show your personality too. We think you will be a little fire cracker for sure.

Here's a little glimpse into your world at five months:

-You squeal and shriek ALL the time. It is so loud and we can't believe such a tiny person can make such a loud noise. In fact at this very moment you are supposed to be eating but instead you are squealing.
-When you get tickled at something, you throw back your head and laugh. You laughed at Ella for several minutes the other night at Mimi and Pop's house and we caught it on video.
-You also laugh when we play silly games with you. Some of your favorites are "where's Bennett Grace" peekaboo and "the claw" game.
- When you are being held or sitting, you cross your legs at the ankle. You have really done this most of your life. You are already such a little Southern lady :)
-You are still obsessed with your hands and feet and now you've found your ears! We thought they were bothering you at first but we quickly learned that they are just another one of your discoveries.
- Speaking of discoveries... You are interested in everything around you. You are SO curious. You carefully consider new objects, colors, fabrics and materials. You want to touch or grab anything in your reach.
- You just transitioned to Size 2 diapers and they are still a little big which has caused more than a few diaper situations. One of which involved a blowout on Gigi's Alabama Football t-shirt which mommy and daddy thought was very funny! Hopefully it's a good sign on where your loyalty lies.
- You started cereal this month!! The rice cereal gave you a tummy ache but you LOVE the oat cereal. You only eat a little bit right now and you get mad when it runs out. We also can't hold the bowl or spoon in front of you because you grab them out of our hands. You like eating at Gigi's house because strangely enough you love her old wooden high chair.
- Your crib is still hit or miss. You sleep there each night and immediately flip onto your tummy. You wake up so early in the morning and drive your mama and daddy nuts with your chattering until we come and get you. When you are in the tiny sling or pack n play, you sleep all night, go figure.
- You are eating 4x/day 7 oz of breast milk per feeding at about 6 am, 11 am, 4 pm and 8:30 pm and 1.5-2 tablespoons of oat cereal at about 10 am and 7 pm.
- You have decided that you need less sleep at night, so you get very grumpy when it's time for your naps. You nap twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Sometimes you fall asleep for a few minutes in the evening but we can't let you sleep then because you won't sleep at night.
- You have started spending more time in your walker. You started getting in it last month but your patience for it would only last a few minutes at a time. Now you will sit in it long enough for mommy to cook dinner which is a big help! You love to push all the buttons and watch the lights flash and listen to all the sounds. You have a bouncer seat at your Gigi's with lots of toys which you love too!
- You are starting to really push up with your legs on tummy time. You get a little frustrated because you think you can crawl but you aren't quite there yet missy! You are pretty good at moving on your tummy, though. You turn yourself in a complete circle.
-You smile at almost everyone. You sometimes smile and then bury your head into Mommy's shoulder and pretend to be shy and peek out! You are really scared of your Pop though. We aren't really sure why. Whenever he tries to interact with you, you get the most pitiful upset look on your face and you belt out the most broken dreams cry along with real-life baby tears. You warm up to him after a while but he's getting a little bit of a complex from it!
-You are still a still drool bucket. You soak through bib after bib and require many outfit changes.
-You also have started to choke on your hands. You will put your whole hand or hands in your mouth and choke on it and then you look at us with a pitiful face but you don't seem to listen to us when we tell you to stop putting your hands in your mouth!
-You are quickly growing out of your 0-3 month clothing and are pretty much in all 3-6 and 6 month clothes with a few of the smaller 6-9 or 9 month outfits sprinkled in.
-You love when we sing the ABCs even when you are upset or crying. You will literally stop crying to listen.
-You got tiny pink converse shoes to match daddy's grey ones and he was so excited!
-Gigi has been giving you baths during the week when mommy is at work and she says you still love bath time and you kick your legs and splashes water with your feet. She also says while mommy and daddy are at work you like to watch colorful shows on Disney or Nick, Jr. And read books, especially pop up books.
-You are still a little on the spoiled side and love to be held as much as possible.
- Another one of your favorite things to do is to watch the puppies. They run by and you squeal and laugh. When you are sitting in your walker, if we look away you will stick out your arm and let Jackson lick your hand. Mommy has to watch you constantly!
-You also love to go for walks outside
-You are getting better at holding toys, however you think it's funny to drop them or try to give them to Jackson.
-You are not scared of loud noises. In fact you love the sound of the vacuum and hairdryer.
-We have to keep you buckled in to everything because you are an escape artist. You will wiggle out of anything. After a few close calls, we have learned our lesson and you have lost the privilege to be unbuckled!
-Lastly, you can sit up with minimal assistance. You can't quite pull yourself into a seated position but that doesn't keep you from trying! If we help you sit up, you can sit without any additional support!

Shuggie, we love you so much it is almost unreal sometimes. Your smile literally lights up the room and your bright blue eyes never get old. Mommy and Daddy literally can not stop talking about. When we got out without you, you are all we think and talk about and we can't wait to get home to you. Our hope is that one day you will be able to look back and read these love letters to you and know exactly how much we have loved you every single minute you have been on this earth and even before we met you the first time. Sweet angel, we are so blessed to have you in our lives and can't wait continue loving you, nurturing you and teaching you so that you can grow up to be a good, kind and loving woman some day.

We love you to pieces sweet girl,

Mommy and Daddy