Five Months and Sweet Potatoes!

Lola Raye Sherrard is now five months old! Crazy how time flies and how we can practically see her growing right before our eyes. We think that Lola is going to be a lefty. She has started grabbing things, and always with her left hand. For her shower, we got this great little booster seat with toys attached to the tray. She is showing quite an interest in spinning the dragonflys and bouncing the birdy. And...all with her left hand. We are still sleeping in the bouncy seat, and still sleeping swaddled, but through the night again, which we love. I guess the swaddle and bouncy seat are ok, after all, we don't know any adults still sleeping swaddled in a bouncy! Knowing that the "real" food time is coming within the next month, I started making and freezing baby food this week. I got some green beans and carrots in the freezer, and tonight I started with the sweet potatoes.  To me, even, they smelled really good when they were cooking. We've been practicing with the spoon. On bath day, I've been mixing up a little rice cereal and "feeding" her. (A couple of months ago I tried this and she flipped out!) Then, when we are covered in rice cereal, I pick her up out of the Bumbo and plop her in the tub. (We bathe on the kitchen counter.) We've done that a couple of times, I can't imaginen it on a daily basis, it's such a mess! This is a far cry from the flipping out a couple of months ago!Tonight, with the smell of sweet potatoes in the air, I decided to try to something a little different. So, I pulled out the Bumbo and bib, and put some of the sweet potatoes in a bowl.  She made the cutest faces and we ended up with sweet potato all over the place, but I THINK some of it went down--I guess we'll see what color things are when they start coming out the other end to be sure! I get such a kick out of this kid! I'm amazed at what is intuitive with babies, and I'm just so impressed...how did she know to open her mouth to let me put the spoon in?

This I think she even is starting to recognize her name! Of course we are not making this easy for her with all the nick names.  But today, she looked at me when I called her name...albiet it took twice, but still, she looked at me after I said, "Lola." Changing, changing, changing!

We are so excited that this is her first Christmas. Rodney has taken her to the mall a couple of times this week, and she is always a show stopper when we take her out. The funny thing is, I don't remember ever asking complete strangers about their babies! I'm not sure I ask people even now that I have one. I wonder if this makes me a bad person, but I can honestly say I never stopped anyone in a store to say something about their child! Anyway,  I realize that this Christmas will be more meaningful to us than to her, and even though we got her in July, she is the BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER!