Rose||Five Months Old

Rose's four month update can be found here

Trent's five month update can be found here

Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding is still going strong. I nurse Rose on demand which this month has been a lot! Rose still does not take a pacifier or a bottle though she didn't scream and actually sucked on this one once-- but sadly hardly actually drank anything.. Hey, its a start! 

After Roses four month shots last month, she had a fever and was very fussy for about two days. After that Rose became an awful sleeper pretty much the whole month. She was waking up not really out of hunger, but to be held and cuddled. Rose needed to be close to me to sleep. It was rough, she was nursing only for comfort. I will talk more about her sleeping further down. 

When I was pregnant with Rose, I wanted to have a strong nursing relationship since she is our last baby and we do that is for sure! I have been pumping every few days to have milk to mix into her oatmeal that I feed her once a day. Since starting solids this month, Rose hasn't nursed any less which was something I worried about with Trent because of my supply. This is just the beginning of her starting solids though, so I do need to make sure I continue to drink a lot of water and keep up my calories because my milk is still her main source of nutrition. Normally it wouldn't be such a big deal because most babies take a bottle in which case I could just feed her all my stored breastmilk if she was still hungry after nursing. Since she gags and cries every time we try a bottle, it puts a lot of pressure on me to keep a good supply because if I were to lose my supply it would be a nightmare for everyone! I am happy and lucky that one of my very good friends will be taking my stored breastmilk for her daughter so it will be going to good use!!    

Personality: Even though Rose hasn't been giving me much sleep this month, she still wakes up in the morning anywhere from 4am-6am with a huge smile which makes it all worth it! This month Rose has started laughing mostly at Oliver --it is so adorable to watch them interact. Rose is the most stubborn and picky out of all our kids she's very set on her ways. I can't wait until her teenage years... not.

Brothers: Now that the excitement of our puppy Lacie has calmed down some, Rose is being fought over by her brothers all over again. Trent still gets jealous when Landon or Oliver holds her and wants me or Matt to take her from them. We are working on him sharing her better with his brothers. I mentioned earlier that Rose has been laughing a lot this month mostly at Oliver when he jumps around in front of her-- its too sweet to watch her interact with them!

Sleep (vent about sleep): Rose went from waking up about once a night, which I didn't even mind much, to waking up every two hours just like her newborn days! Usually, she wasn't even hungry. I would change her diaper and try to feed her, but she would get upset when my milk would come out. Rose just wanted to be soothed and comforted, I guess and doesn't have any other form of comfort but to nurse. For a while now, she has been sleeping on her tummy. That position is just what would make her sleep the longest. Since learning to roll, she would start out asleep on her tummy and then move a little, waking herself up and roll over not being able to get back onto her tummy so she would really wake up. I would try to just roll her back over, but then she would be too awake so I would have to nurse her back to sleep and then it would start all over again! With any of the boys, I would just slip in their pacifier and they would go back to sleep, but since Rose doesn't take one nursing her is her only comfort. It is hard some days I feel like I am stuck. I would be upstairs with her rocking her and nursing her to sleep for the fifth time while hearing Matt and the boys playing downstairs and I get frustrated because I want to spend time with them too.  I have to remind myself that one day I will miss this special time with Rose when she wants me and only me. Right now she needs me and especially this first year of life goes by so fast they grow so much in their first year. I need to just do my best to soak it all up because before we  know it Matt and I will be registering her for Kindergarten like we are currently doing with Landon (!!!) Just the last few nights, I have begun swaddling her and putting her in a rock and play chair just like we used to do with Trent. Since doing this she has been sleeping much better and only waking up once maybe twice. 

New this month: Rolling front to back, laughing more, occasional stranger anxiety, sitting with support, solids (she has tried oatmeal mixed with breastmilk and pears.)

Weight:14lbs 4oz  

Height: Not sure

Clothing Size: 6 Month
Eye Color: dark brown

Hair: Brown and straight

Dislikes: Pacifiers and bottles
Likes: Nursing, not sleeping, showers/baths with Mommy, being wrapped in my Solly wrap