Five months gone by!

I wonder if I ever won't be surprised by Harper's age. On the 28^th of every month I am shocked by whatever age she is. When she turned three months old, I could not believe it. On her four-month anniversary, I was flabbergasted that 1/3 of an entire year had already passed since her birth. She turned five months old on the 28^th of August, and again, I was shocked. I see the pattern, and I'm curious if ever a time will come when I look at her and say to myself, "Yeah, [insert random age here]. That sounds about right."

I'm thinking not. I'm thinking I'll be standing in line with her at the DMV on her 16^th birthday and saying out loud, "No, but how can you be 16 already?! You were just born YESTERDAY!"

Like it or not, she's getting bigger every day. And although her age and size may always surprise me, I don't regret that she's changing. I refuse to be one of those people who are sad on their child's first birthday because they no longer have a little newborn baby. I like looking forward to the next stage and seeing what the future holds for Harper. In short, I'm enjoying every minute of this.

Well, except when she's screaming crying mad, which is not so bad unless she decides to be that way for HOURS ON END. One of the fun byproducts of teething.

Yes, Harper is, in fact, already teething. She hasn't physically cut any teeth yet, but she has all the signs: drooling, chewing on her fists, generally acting irritable, biting down when a finger is inserted into her mouth, crying for a paci only to spit it out seconds later, etc. We've stocked up on infant Tylenol and Baby Orajel, and that seems to alleviate some of her pain at least temporarily. I didn't have teeth until I was 13 months old, so I'm completely shocked that this is happening so soon…and a little worried about how long it will go on. From what I've read, the first couple teeth are the most painful for babies to cut; apparently they kinda get used to the sensations after that. I hope so, for everyone's sake.

Anyway, Harper makes amazing progress with every month that goes by, and Jeff & I are constantly awed by her growth. At the time of her four-month vaccinations on July 29^th (the day after her four-month birthday), she weighed 11 lbs. 8 oz. and measured 24 ½ inches. Over the next two weeks, she gained a whopping two pounds, weighing in at 13 lbs. 8 oz. on August 12^th. (Can we say growth spurt?!) We won't return to the doctor until the end of September, so we're not 100% sure how much she weighed at the time of her five-month birthday on August 28^th, but according to our scale, she now weighs exactly 15 lbs., which sounds about right. To us who handle her on a daily basis, it is quite obvious that she has gotten considerably heavier and longer in the past month. We're now in the process of yet another growth spurt. How do I know? Because growth spurts SUCK! They are like reverting back to Harper's first week home from the hospital ALL OVER AGAIN! She is starving and wants to eat ALL THE TIME! Like, EVERY TWO OR THREE HOURS. Even in the middle of the night. It's insane!

Between the growth spurts and teething, Mommy & Daddy have been pretty tired lately. However, watching our daughter grow and develop into a little person more and more each day is so totally worth anything we have to give up. It's a cliché, I know, but when we peek over the edge of the crib to see a bright and shiny, blue-eyed baby girl contort her face into a giant, gummy grin the moment she notices our presence, suddenly it's all worth it. Every minute of the sleep we sacrifice and every bit of the stress our nerves must endure, it's all worth it. We joke with each other that giant gum smiles, first-time giggles, and other generally cute behavior must be God's way of making especially difficult phases bearable for the parents.

And in a way, watching Harper get bigger is even that much more fun for us because she was a preemie. We can hardly fathom that this big ol' butterball of a girl is the same tiny baby who lay there so helplessly in her isolette not so long ago…

In fact, she has now outgrown all of her 0–3 months clothes (even the Gymboree and Baby GAP ones!) and is starting to outgrow some of her 3–6 months clothes as well. And let me just say, I never really understood why my mom held onto all of my baby clothes or why she acted so sentimental about a bunch of outfits…until I had a baby. Now I totally get it. I am quite aware of how ridiculous this sounds, but I am literally heartbroken to have to pack away some of these outfits. There are some that I know I will NEVER be able to give away or sell. I just can't imagine it. My husband looks at me like I'm crazy when I tell him this.

OH! HUGE NEWS! Big, big, big, big, big, big, wonderfully awesome news!

On the 21^st of August, Harper had her FINAL appointment with the retinologist. Her eyes are now fully vascularized, which means the ROP is completely gone in both eyes! I cannot emphasize what a huge relief it is to know that (1) her retinas are back to normal; and (2) she doesn't have to endure any more retinal exams. We still have to take her for periodic checks with a pediatric ophthalmologist just to make sure her vision is OK. Former ROP patients can develop problems with vision as they age, such as near-sightedness or strabismus ("crossed eyes"), but the latter is rare and likely would be already apparent by now. Harper hasn't crossed her eyes since she was a newborn, so I'm not overly concerned about that possibility. She may end up needing little glasses as a child, but that is not a big deal AT ALL. I can't help but think of that horrible retinologist we saw the first time who terrified me with the possibility of blindness and had me leaving the office in tears… Half of me wants to laugh, roll my eyes, and forget he ever existed, and the other half of me wants to flip him the bird.

Other milestones/favorite pastimes during Harper's fifth month include:

• Watching TV (or at least trying to!)—In the past month, Harper has become obsessed with the "big black box of people and colors." She strains to turn toward the TV whenever we are holding her and smiles at the faces of people she thinks she knows. This past weekend, she grinned at a football player who seemed to resemble "Daddy," and while Daddy was watching his new favorite show "Shark Tank," she smiled a great big gum smile at Kevin O'Leary. For those who don't watch the show, he is by far the meanest "shark" on the show, the one who routinely shoots down every entrepreneur's idea and kinda makes Ebenezer Scrooge look like a saint. I don't know who she thought he was, but she smiled and giggled at him like he was one of her favorite people in the world. It was hilarious.

• Smiling/laughing—She's still our little thinker, but she's also become Miss Smiley during her fifth month. Harper not only smiles spontaneously—at the fan, at faces on TV, etc.—but she smiles in response to our smiles. She's also starting to laugh when tickled or when smiling alone just doesn't cut it!

• Sleeping through the night—It still isn't happening on a consistent basis (although I can partially blame her growth spurts for that), but Harper slept through the night—like a whole ten hours—about four or five times during her fifth month. It was absolute ecstasy to Mommy!

• Jumping in her Jumperoo—After much deliberation, we decided to get Harper a Jumperoo instead of an ExerSaucer, mainly because she loves to stand and use her legs so much but also because more people recommended the Jumperoo. Her Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo arrived while Daddy was away on business in Jacksonville, so I assembled it myself (round of applause, please!) and let her check it out. Harper was a little leery of it at first, particularly the bright red toucan that hangs overhead, but she soon found it tons of fun. She is not quite big enough to reach the floor yet, so Jeff & I have put a pillow under her feet so she can touch. Here are a few pictures from her first encounter with the Jumperoo:

And here she is in her Jumperoo one week later:

• Rolling over—I keep thinking that Harper is going to be one of those babies who skips crawling completely. She continues to despise "tummy time" and instead prefers to "stand" and "walk." However, Mommy continues to push "tummy time" because apparently that's what you're supposed to do. (Although I have to admit, I HATE doing it—forcing her to do something she doesn't want to do, that is. It makes me feel like some crazy stage mom. "Toddlers & Tiaras," anyone?) This past month, she made a huge achievement… She rolled over! Not just once, but OVER AND OVER AGAIN! She can only do it in one direction, but I am incredibly proud. "Tummy time" finally seems to be paying off.

• "Talking"—The screeching, cooing, and "razzing" continue, mostly in the morning or whenever I'm changing her diaper. They never fail to crack me up completely. Here is a video of our little jabberwocky, chatting away while I'm attempting to feed her a bottle:

• "Standing"/"walking"—As I said above, Harper loooves to stand up and take "practice steps." She will attempt to stand on any hard surface—your lap, the counter, the table, doesn't matter. Of course, she still can't properly balance herself to stand unassisted, but we are absolutely amazed that she can support all of her body weight for five or so minutes at a time without buckling. She's getting so good at standing that we are now able to hold her by the hands while she supports herself:

• Watching and touching Bitterman—Harper is completely captivated by Bitterman. She stares at him with a look of amusement and wonder on her face, as though she KNOWS he is not human but, hmmm, what else could he be? He looks so different from the rest of us! It's precious. Bitterman is incredibly tolerant of her and eager to get as close as we'll let him get. He loves to lick her hand (which, of course, we then wipe off with a Baby Wipe), and she seems to find this funny. I usually take her hand and have her "pet" Bitterman's back while he is lying on the couch next to us. She seems to enjoy the sensation of his fur beneath her fingers, and Bitterman doesn't mind at all. I can only imagine how much fun those two will have with each other as Harper gets older.

• First sound/word?—Harper's newest claim to fame is making "mmmm" sounds. I was absolutely delighted when she followed strings of "mmmm"s with something resembling "Ma-Ma" until I realized that it is not a term of endearment but one of frustration. Whenever Harper is about ready to melt down, the "mmmms" and "Mmmmma mas" start. Just what every new mother dreams of: Realizing that your child reserves "Ma-Ma" for when she's extremely mad, frustrated, and on the brink. I'm honestly not sure whether to count this as her first word. While "Ma-Ma" may not refer to me, it definitely means something. Jeff & I just haven't figured out what yet. Meanwhile, Daddy has started in with the "Da-Das," although Harper just kinda looks at him like, "Sure, Dad. Whatever." I'm afraid it definitely won't be the last time she gives him that look!
  

I feel like I'm forgetting a bunch of things, but Miss Harper is now awake, so I must wrap up this entry a little sooner than I'd wanted. Sorry! Here are a few pictures from her fifth month until next time: