Dear Dorothy,
You are five months old, now. In fact, you have been for almost two weeks. I really am not sure why I've been dragging my feet on this month's letter, but I am determined to finish it today.
This month, you became even more a creature of habit than before. (I hardly thought that was possible, but you went and did it.) I used to be able to put you to sleep in a variety of ways, but this month, you would only sleep if I changed your diaper, swaddled you, took you upstairs, and nursed you to sleep. You won't even nurse most of the time unless I go through this routine first. Once, in an attempt to break you out of this pattern, I nursed you until you fell asleep, then changed your diaper and swaddled you. At which point, you nursed again (another entire feeding), and went to sleep. Oh well. I guess you really like your routines. You're still a pretty good sleeper, so I can't complain too much. You take three naps almost every day, and sleep for about 6 hours during the first stretch of the night. It's pretty awesome. I still get tired, but when I do, it's usually my own fault for staying up late playing on my computer or watching TV.
Ever since you were born, we've been trying out nicknames for you. I love your name, but it's nice to have something shorter to yell across a crowded park. We tried Dot, Dory, Doc (because your initials are DR), Dodo. Nothing really clicked. Then one day this month, I called you Dody, and Valerie jumped on it. She got so excited, and kept calling you Dody over and over again. I asked what your name was, and she answered without hesitation, "Dody AND Dorothy!" So, I guess you now have an official nickname.
We took the train to Florida this month - you, Valerie, Grandma, and me. The train trip went unbelievably well. I brought your car seat onto the train, so that when you got tired, I was able to do the whole "diaper-swaddle-nurse" routine, then put you down in a bed-like environment. I honestly got almost as much sleep on the train as I normally do at home, even with your frequent diaper blow-outs that made me really miss our cloth diapers.
We stayed with Grandmom and Granddad Wakeman in Florida, and you really loved both of them. We had such a nice visit, and the weather was fantastic. We went to the beach, and although I was very careful to keep you well-shaded at the beach, but you still managed to get a little bit of pink on your cheeks in the car on the way home. Sorry about that.
While we were in Florida, you hit a pretty big developmental milestone: You rolled over for the first time! (March 14) I knew something was up earlier this month when you started to prefer being put down on your back. This was weird, because you generally prefer to be on your front. But apparently you wanted to be put on your back so that you could roll over to your front. It was fun to watch you squirming in determination to overcome the shoulder enigma. Then, when you finally rolled over successfully (from your back to front first, contrary to what the baby books say), you looked proudly around for a few seconds, then rolled over onto your back to try again. And thus ended the "baby stays where you put her down" era.
Your personality has really blossomed this month. You love interacting with people, and it's extremely easy to get you to laugh. Your baby babble is starting to sound more and more like talking. You try to repeat the words you hear us saying, and a few times, I could have sworn that you said, "Mama," or, "I know." You're also starting to show a lot of interest in the food we are eating. Your sister used to lean in with her mouth, but you are more subtle, and try to bring food to you by grabbing our plates, silverware, or the tablecloth. Very sneaky. I'm starting to get a little bit excited about introducing you to solid foods next month. I think you'll really enjoy it.
Thanks for a great month. I'm looking forward to the next one!
Love,
Mama.
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