Leaf

This is a leaf. Those are water droplets. (That is a hose.)

Leaf Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470.

Katie tires of the paparazzi

Katie tires of the paparazzi
Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470.

There are times when Katie doesn't want me to take any more pictures of her. Enough already, she thinks! (Can you blame her?)

Either that, or she just wants me to give her the camera so that she can suck on it.

Baby Hand

Baby Hand
Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470.

Katie turned five months old this weekend (wasn't it something like a week ago when she was four months? where did the month go?). It's been a big month for Katie.

* She can grab both feet now (first she figured out the right, then the left);
* She can pull either foot into her mouth and suck on her big toe;
* She grabs everything she can get her hands on, including but not limited to spoons, placemats, cups, bowls, saucers, clean diapers, toys, receiving blankets, our lower lips and teeth, and more;
* Everything she can grab, she can stick in her mouth;
* She can roll from her back to her tummy (as far as we know, she can't roll from her tummy to her back, which is often the source of much howling and frustration);
* She can pivot herself 90 or 180 degrees in her crib, either on her back or on her tummy;
* She can hold her own bottle while sucking milk out of it;
* She can hold her own spoon while sucking sweet potatoes off of it;
* She responds to her name;
* She has learned how to YELL and squeal and, on occasion, shriek;
* She blows a lot of real raspberries, the kind she started trying to blow months ago, but which she didn't really got the hang of;
* She can sit up unsupported by anything other than her own hands for minutes at a time - if she has a Boppy pillow around her for support, there is no telling how long she could sit without our help;
* If she falls back or forward while sitting up, she can right herself (falling to the side causes more of a challenge);
* While sitting up, she can grab small toys at her feet, pull the toys to her mouth, and play with the toys, all while continuing to sit up;
* She can do push-ups.

If I've ever had such an amazing and productive month of my own, I bet it was about 33 years and 7 months ago.