November | 2012 | Adventures with Lisa & Kevin

We have been thoroughly enjoying Sirena’s first fall holidays: Halloween and Thanksgiving!

Our little pumpkin was an elephant for her first Halloween, thanks to her Aunt Judith and cousin Katelyn for the costume!! And she was actually quite cooperative with wearing the whole ensemble on a number of occasions.

First trip to the pumpkin patch!

She needed some extra fiber in her diet and found the straw to be exactly what the doctor ordered.

She even let mama take the costume out for a spin.

The same weekend we visited the pumpkin patch we decided to make a visit to an historic cemetery that was just around the corner (what more perfect Halloween activity could you ask for??) It was absolutely gorgeous and we’ve made the trip back a number of times since, it’s a great place to go for a long walk!

Mama’s birthday was actually the day we went to the pumpkin patch and cemetery…that night we celebrated like big kids and went to eat a four course meal at the restaurant Jessie works at. We took Sirena along for the late-night meal and although it took her a while to get snuggled in and sleeping, eventually she snoozed on mama’s chest like a good baby. And she wore her flamingo pj’s for the occasion!

And Thanksgiving, although not the traditional big ordeal, was a lot of fun with Auntie Jessie and some of her friends. Sirena skipped out on the fixin’s (she said she was juuuuust fine with a glass of milk) but next year she’ll be ready!

Dear Sirena,

You continue to grow-grow-grow right before our very eyes and this month especially has seen some big developments. You had your check-up with the doctor and you weighed in at just under 18 pounds and you’re measuring 26 inches long. You also got your second round of shots and you were such a brave little lady, only crying (bloody murder) when the nurse gave you the shots but you quickly quieted down when Daddy picked you up and then you nursed right away which also made you feel a lot better.

Some of the amazing big girl things you’ve begun doing this month…

First, the moment I’ve been waiting SO long for–you had your first belly laughs this month! Your first chuckle was in response to Auntie Jessie’s shenanigans of course (can’t say we’re surprised because you do see her as your favorite playmate) and over the last two weeks you’ve been a lot more generous with those goofy, drooly, belly laughs. You also began rolling to your side and you’ve even rolled onto your stomach a couple of times. We haven’t seen you roll from your tummy to your back yet, but I’m sure that’s just around the corner. This past month you’ve also transitioned to sleeping the night in your crib in your room. Me and Daddy desperately needed some more uninterrupted sleep so now we aren’t woken up every time you kick your legs or start sucking on your fingers. You still don’t sleep through the night, though (a typical night: you go to bed around 6pm, then I give you a dream feed around 9:30, you sleep until 1 and we give you back your pacifier, you wake up again around 3 for some milk, then you’re up-and-at-’em around 7) and we’re starting to get a little more realistic and instead of hoping you’ll sleep 8 hours straight, we’re just trying to wean you off of that 1am wake-up call. Fingers crossed we can figure it out together, baby girl!

And last, but certainly not least…you have discovered how entertaining your furry sister, Lola, can be. You enjoy sitting with me and watching Lola chase after the ball that I throw and then you chuckle when she gives you a big, warm, wet kiss on your legs. And you make the cutest cough/laugh noise when you see Lola and want to get her attention. You two are going to be the best of friends, I just know it.

It’s incredible how you can be such a tiny little person and at the same time seem like such a big girl with a big personality! Every single day your Daddy and I talk about how in total awe we are of you. Even five months in we still cannot believe that we made you and that you’re all ours. And I hope you know that we consider ourselves very lucky, little lady.

Love,

Mama

The five month rundown

Likes:

Nature: It’s amazing how quiet and observant you become when we go outdoors…you don’t even make a peep when we’re on our walks! It is so apparent that you are as much of a nature lover as your mama and Daddy are.

Dislikes:

Strangers: Last month you were just beginning to get a little weary of strangers…this month you’ve become a lot more hesitant when meeting new people! We realized that, day in and day out, you only really see and interact with me, Daddy and Auntie Jessie so we’ve got to get out and socialize you more. We also know that around 5-6 months is when most babies go through a stage of being afraid of strangers but we don’t want it to get too out of hand. Story time at the library and mom/baby groups, here we come!