Five Months Big!!!

AHHH!! My baby girl is already 5 months old!! If I thought time with McKenley went fast, I swear if I even blink, I miss something with Parker!! She is hitting milestones left and right and amazing us every day with all that she is accomplishing.

This month Parker has gone swimming for the first time, attended her first Farmers Market and community festival, and attended lots of playdates with her new friends. We have switched Parker to all formula and she is not shy about asking for more! haha. We are quickly learning that anything and everything that was true with McKenley, Parker is going to do JUST the opposite!! We counted every ounce of formula that McKenley would drink and we never felt like she was taking enough, Parker on the other hand gulps it down so fast and is soooooooo angry when the bottle is gone!! McKenley loved the swing and the car... needless to say, Parker does not! The list goes on and on, we have to remind ourselves daily that our babies are completely different little ladies and instead of constantly comparing the two, being excited for what is to come with their fun little personalities!! I can already tell Parker is going to be our outgoing, little spitfire though!! She is already DYING to go chasing after her big sister! The bond those two already have is probably the best thing about having 2 babies so close in age, they are PRECIOUS together!! The giggles that are exchanged between them will NEVER get old!!

Ok, now on to what Parker has accomplished this month...
~ On the 27th we OFFICIALLY ditched the swaddle completely!! This is definitely an accomplishment because I am sooooo tired of fighting the battle of swaddle vs Parker's arms!! Her arms are winning every time and therefore no one has been sleeping!!
~ Parker has continued on with her amazing sleeping at night!! We are up to 11-12 hours consistently!! This is making a world of difference with my energy levels :)
~ On June 1st, Parker showed us that she can roll tummy to back and then back to her tummy all the way across the carpet. It is a bit alarming the first time you walk back over to the carpet where you laid her and she is no where near where she started!! haha
~ On June 17th, I started working with Parker on sitting up, needless to say, my little "go-getter" loved the new perspective!! She sat with the Boppy behind her for quite a long time! After just a couple of days she is already able to sit with no support for about 10 seconds!! And she is already reaching for toys while she's sitting up!
~ Her level of tolerance for the car has drastically improved! I moved her to the middle of the seat, instead of by the window, so that she can see her big sister as we go. I don't know if its that or just her getting older and growing out of the stage, but whatever the reason, only a small portion of our car rides are filled with a screaming baby!!! YAY!!!
~ I figured since she has had such amazing head control since day 1, it was time to bust out the trusty Exersaucer!! She LOVES it!! It has been nice to be able to sit her in it while I cook or attempt to eat to keep her entertained for 20 minutes or so :)
~ Her first dip in the pool happened this month and she LOVED IT!! She has already started splashing her hands and thinks its soo funny. I love that I have 2 little water babies <3

Speedbumps:
~ The naps, oooohhh the battle with naps! We are still only getting about 30-45 minute naps at a time (45 minutes is considered an amazing nap in her case). It has been really difficult to get her on a good schedule like McKenley was on, because we are always out and about keeping McKenley occupied. I've just been choosing the lesser of 2 evils, stay at home where McKenley goes stir crazy, or go out and Parker's nap schedule is all thrown off. *sigh* I just don't know which is the best to choose, I guess Parker is just going to be a very flexible, go with the flow type! It's been forced upon her! haha. At this point I would kill for an hour of just quiet during our crazy days!
~ Teething!! I feel like its too early for this problem!!!! But nonetheless, here we are! Poor baby's bottom gums are sooo swollen, I expect those teeth to pop through at any moment. This problem has led to our next struggle...
~ Baby girl had her first sick visit to the doctors this month :( All the teething, coupled with allergies, has caused her to have severe runny nose and congestion in her chest. Luckily, nothing drained into her ears, and with saline spray, plus the blue bulb (every baby's favorite thing!!), plus lots of Vicks... hopefully we can knock the drainage out ASAP!!!
~ Don't know whether to put this as a speedbump or an accomplishment... Parker has started to roll onto her tummy at night to sleep, this caused some problems in the beginning I think it was startling her, but now that she realizes its okay to sleep on her belly she is settling right in :) This does NOT eliminate my mommy-worry that she is somehow going to get facedown and not be able to push herself up, but hopefully I'll get over my issues! haha

Stats:
Diapers: We are now in size 2 diapers!!

Clothes: Mostly 3-6mo, but I have gone ahead and even put a few 9mo outfits on her!! WOW!!

Food: We officially switched to completely formula this month. I am so excited we were able to make it 4months breastfeeding. It was such a struggle with McKenley and although it still wasn't completely my cup-of-tea, I am so happy I was able to give my baby the most important nutrients she needed for those 4 months :) She is sucking down five 6-8oz bottles of formula a day!

Sleep: 12 hours at night -- YAY!! .... Four mini catnaps during the day -- BOO! haha

Weight: 15 lbs 10oz -- yes, our little chunker put on on a pound and a half in a month!!

I WILL have her 5 month pics up by the end of the weekend!!! Also on the horizon... solid foods, army crawling, and more adventures with her sissy!!!