letters to ollie: 5 months old

My dear Oliver,

You're 5 months old already!
Where oh where is the time going??
You're at such a fun age right now.
You love playing with me and dad.
In fact, every night when dad comes home, you and he wrestle and jump around on the bed.

You have become so stinkin' curious my dear.
You want to see and experience everything around you.  ALL the time.
In fact, nursing and napping have become a second and third priority after exploration.
You love looking at pictures on the walls,
reading books with me and dad,
and singing silly songs.
Right now, your two favorite songs are "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes."

You've gotten to the stage where you aren't content just lying around.
Instead, you like to be sitting.  Or standing.
You still need some assistance with sitting, but you're getting closer and closer to being able to sit up all on your own.
You also love playing in your exersaucer.

You still have that infectious smile of yours.
And while you much prefer being with me and dad (which I absolutely love by the way),
you're not shy about flashing that cute smile of yours at almost anyone.

You don't have a doctor's appointment again, til about a week after you hit 6 months,
but you're about 22 lbs and 28+ inches long.
We love that you're such a big baby.

Oh my sweet baby,
I wish I could take this phase of your life and wrap it all up and keep it forever.
I know you have to grow up,
but I don't ever want to forget all the little things that you do.
Like the sweet smiles you give me when you wake up from your naps.
And the adorable babbling you're constantly doing.
The way you like to snuggle in when you first fall asleep.
The way you get so excited when you learn a new trick.

Your two favorite tricks lately are spitting and rolling by the way.
You've figured out how to blow raspberries and now you're constantly spitting on me and dad.
You seem to think it's hilarious.
Don't worry though, we think it's pretty funny too.

And the first time you rolled, you scared yourself to death,
because you got caught in the slates of your crib.
You still don't roll all that often, but you're definitely getting more mobile.

I have yet to figure out how you move around so much in that crib of yours.
Whenever you wake up in the middle of the night (and you do so often by the way),
and I come to get you, you've managed to scoot yourself completely around, or all the way to the corner of the crib.

Oh little Ollie,
as crazy as you make us, your dad and I can't imagine our lives without you.
You've brought so much happiness into our little family.
Now if only you'd sleep a bit more things would be perfect.
Don't worry, I'm just kidding.
I know you'll sleep one day.
Hopefully.

Love you forever my sweet baby,
Momma