Five months old!

Abby has had a busy few weeks. She took another 14-hour (both ways) road trip to Nebraska with Mommy and Grandma and Grandpa Dolan. We drove up there for my grandfather’s funeral. I am so thankful that we made it up to Nebraska seven weeks prior so Abby could meet her great-grandfather. He was 96 years old and lived a wonderfully full life. He left an amazing legacy; and I am so blessed to be a part of it, along with the family that Nate and I have created. During our stay, 52 family members and 150 extended family and friends “oohed and aahed” over Abby. She also charmed her three girl cousins, ages 7-11. It was fun to watch them hold her. They all kept saying, “She’s so cute!”

The funeral was Abby’s first experience in church. I was so nervous, and we were sitting directly behind my parents. Halfway through, in between songs and prayers (of course, it was quiet!) Abby let out a couple squeals and chattered a bit. My mom didn’t turn around to look, but she told me later that Abby made her smile and she was just saying “goodbye” to Grandpa.

My parents and I had so much fun on the drive and little Abby has proven to be quite the car traveler. My dad was excited to spend six whole days with his granddaughter. While in the car for those many hours, we discovered one of Abby’s new tricks: grabbing the passie and holding it on her own. She also chews on it like a teether. It’s so fun to see her discover new ways of doing things!

As anyone can read from this blog, Nate and I are in awe as first-time parents. Three weeks ago Abby was not interested in the small teething rings we gave her. She didn’t grasp them and didn’t bat an eye when we moved them out of her sight. Flash forward to now and she grasps on to one of these rings as soon as we place it in front of her. She’s even started to reach out and grab it herself once she sees one of us holding it. Once it’s in her mouth, the waterworks start immediately and her entire front is soaked with drool. But it’s so cute because she’s either got a giant smile plastered on her face, or she’s laughing/chatting away. Sometimes when she can’t maneuver the ring just right, she makes a squeal or an upset cry. It’s so funny.

Her new favorite toy is Sophie the giraffe. When we hold Sophie in front of Abby she smiles huge or sometimes giggles. She can finally grasp it, sometimes squeak it, and always put it in her mouth. After about three seconds Sophie is dripping in drool and Abby is delighted. Floor time is another favorite pastime and she’s getting used to tummy time more and more. However, her limit is about two minutes on the tummy, and then our little opinionated gal wants a change of scenery. Abby also grasps for objects now: watch out, Mommy’s coffee! She also grabs at Blabla, which hangs in her bedroom, and recently at Mommy’s iPhone.

We are also watching her closely to see when she is “developmentally ready” (that's what the books and my pediatrician say) for solid food. At the 4-month appointment, the doctor said there was no rush to start Abby on rice cereal. While some days I look forward to doing so (I’ve already bought silicone-coated spoons and brightly colored bowls) I am holding dear to the breastfeeding days. Short tangent: I never thought I’d enjoy breastfeeding this much. It was (and sometimes still is) a challenge and had a definite learning curve. However, I treasure the closeness and the cuddling, as well as the nutritional and biological benefits I’m providing my little girl. So, while Abby is holding her head up well and sitting up supported, she is still a little wobbly and that means we can wait on solid food. I think we’re targeting sometime between now and six months, but Abby will “tell” us when. And you can bet that these parents will find something awe-inspiring about that experience!

We’ve established a wonderful nighttime routine – a story before bedtime. We try to mix it up a bit, but the leading favorite is Goodnight, Moon. Nate’s boss and his wife gave us the book for our shower, and it is a giant board book that shows the classic illustrations in big detail. Over the past week and a half, Abby has been looking at that book and others, studying the illustrations. She sits on my lap or Nate’s and the other person reads the story, showing her the pictures. Abby usually has her passie or her trusty “Chewie” in her mouth, or maybe just her thumb. Nate and I really enjoy this special time, and this weekend we bought her a bunch more books for her growing library: Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, The Beatrix Potter Collection, Olivia, The Velveteen Rabbit, The Going-To-Bed Book and Night, Night Little Pookie.

While shopping this weekend, Abby laughed from her stroller and kicked her legs in excitement. I think she already likes shopping, so I am already looking forward to many mommy/daughter trips in the future! I also joined a new mommy exercise group called Stroller Strides. Abby also enjoyed laughing at me from her perch. Apparently, I look very funny when I push the stroller and also do lunges or when I dance the “grapevine” back and forth in front of her!

Nate’s favorite development this month has been Abby’s discovery of her tasty toes. She started putting them in her mouth about a week ago. It is hilarious! Nate describes it as her bottom half moving independent of her top half. Abby will be on our bed, on the floor, or on her changing table and all of the sudden she bends both legs and brings them up to her face. Right now she is particularly fond of her right foot, specifically the big toe on that foot. If she has socks on, she tugs at the sock, eats it, and then sucks her thumb at the same time. We had a lot of fun watching her do this over and over this weekend.

On Saturday, Nate and I had a big development: we left Abby at home for the first time with a non-family member babysitter. Anna’s sister, Maria, was our brave sitter for three hours. Abby took to her right away, and Maria is great with babies. Nate and I had an unspectacular dinner at Ellerbe Fine Foods in Fort Worth (we won’t be back), but we salvaged the night by going downtown. We sat in the hip, modern bar overlooking Main Street and each had a drink; plus we shared some delicious Kobe pigs in a blanket (beef sausage in phyllo dough, with pickled onions and a dollop of grain mustard on top). It was a great night out, but we both said the best part was coming home to our little Doodle!

Happy five-month birthday sweet Abby!