Five Months!!

As of yesterday (11/30/06), Carolyn is five months old. Sometimes I wonder how this can be- but she is! And she's developing into such a delightful little girl- although I miss the stages we're leaving behind and feel a little wistful that she will never again be exactly the same... I can't help but get excited with every new development she makes! Today she rolled over from her back to her front and I just about did a victory dance! :) This newfound skill does indeed usher in a new phase of life for Carolyn as rolling is for a lot of babies the beginning stages of mobility! Gulp! Yikes! Not sure our house (or our life) is ready for Carolyn on the go! But we'll get there (hopefully before she does :))

She's really improved in dexterity in the past month. At four months she could grab an object and hold it well... but now she really reaches for things she wants and is usually successful at snagging the desired object.

She doesn't just chew on her toys anymore (although this does still account for much of her behavior during any given day :))- now she's fascinated with cause and effect and anything and everything that makes noise- she is very interested to find out how to cause her toys to make the loudest possible noise- by banging them on the floor or even throwing them across the room to hear them clatter when they fall. If I give her a toy that doesn't have a rattle or a bell or a music maker inside, she looks at me like "and what in the world makes you think this is cool, Mom??!"

She's much more socially aware now- knows who strangers are and always seems to be attentive to where Mom and Dad are- she even seems to be beginning to experience some stranger anxiety when well-meaning people want to hold her.

Physically, she's growing like a weed!! We don't have a doctor's appointment this month, so I estimated her weight to be about 16 1/2 pounds yesterday and her length is about 25 3/4 inches. She's growing out of her clothes too quickly!! I never get to see my favorite outfits enough times before it's time to put them away because they are too small. :(
This is one of her favortie toys right now- the little circles make such a satisfying wooden rattling sound and it clatters nicely when it hits the floor :) Plus, it's easy to grab and hold and tastes great (apparently).
Reaching!!!
On her tummy, she's starting to inch forward when there's something she wants just out of reach. She'll stretch herself out to get it. Forward locomotion can't be too far ahead!
She explores everything with her hands (and mouth, if allowed). Even something as simple as a glass provides endless entertainment as she learns about the world around her. I love the concentrated look on her face when she is discovering something (or someone) new.