Penny at 5 months

Penelope Jones turned 5 months old last week.  In the last month, she's really started loving people's company so much more!  Of course, her fifth month was marked by her first international trip.  She visited Amsterdam, London, and New York in one journey, lucky girl!  She also started wearing a lot of her homemade clothing.  Making clothes for little Penny has been one of my dreams come true.  And doesn't she wear them well!

Penny in her Rainbow Brite Dress

Penny has become so much more aware of her world.  Her hands want to constantly be touching things, and she's often too enraptured with her environment to do anything tedious like eating or napping. In month five we learned that taking her to quiet, boring places to get these tasks done was the best option.  When we do, our evenings are much more fun!

We've also started instituting routines.  Every evening she has a bath with Daddy, is fed a bottle by one of us, and is put to sleep with songs and rocking by me.  Her sleeping location has changed often throughout the month, however, as her instinct to flip, her need to still be swaddled, and her love for play has kept her from moving permanently into her crib.  Someday she'll get there!  In the meantime, we still love having her in her little bed in our room.

At almost 15 pounds now, Penny has gotten so much bigger, and when strangers ask her age, sometimes they remark, "Wow, she's big for five months!", which boggles my mind. She was such a tiny Penny!  She loves being carried around, and her cheeks have gotten bigger and so irresistibly kissable.  She's always interested in what I'm doing, and I've been impressed by her long attention span when, while being carried on my hip, she watches me do (one-armed) tasks around the house.

Penny in her Matinee Coat

Perhaps the most surprising thing about Penny at five months is that, on some days, she literally wakes up a new baby.  Suddenly there will be more expressions, or new sounds, or she'll be able to lift something, or put her pacifier back in her mouth herself.  In one night, her brain grows leaps and bounds, and it's fascinating to see! 

Giddyup, Penny!

I'm sure every parent sees this.  Isn't it so interesting to watch?  We can't imagine what's next in Penny's development (and sometimes we avoid reading the books so we'll be nicely surprised).  Soon we'll be reaching the 'half a year' mark, and though they say it goes fast, it feels like Penelope Jones has been with us forever already.