5 months

Hana is 5 months old today.

In the past 5 months she has learned to "talk" and frequently lies in her bed telling the stickers on her wall all about her day before she goes to sleep. Ben and I turn down the TV so we can listen to her babbles, whines, laughs and everything else. She's learned to stand up and it's one of her favorite things to do. Given the chance, I don't think she'd sit at all, she frequently refuses to bend when we try to put her down. She's learned how to blow raspberries and does so all day long, getting everything and everyone within two feet of her covered. She's learned to hold her own bottle, and feed herself. She's also learned how to take the bottle out of her mouth, which she seems to prefer over holding it in there. She's learned to roll from front to back but refuses to do so with people watching. I think she's also learned to roll from back to front, but she hates being on her tummy so it doesn't happen. She's learned how to use her bouncer and loves bouncing, spinning, swinging and standing in it. She's learned how to sit, and also learned how to grab her toes. The two combined means she still falls on her face a lot, but now it's by choice. She's learned that if she kicks her covers off at night we'll pick her up, but if she hasn't we know she just needs some comfort and help getting back to sleep.

At the same time as she's been learning all these things she's been teaching me a lot. I've learned I can go 3 days without a shower and still make myself presentable enough to go to the store. I've learned that being spit up on in public isn't the end of the world and that if people even notice they have the decency not to care. I've learned that waking up with a warm squishy baby beside me is better than sleeping. I've learned that a smile can make everything better. I've learned that cleaning up baby messes can be fun. I've learned how to laugh more. I've learned the whole world can stop when my baby cries, smiles, or does anything else. I've learned to appriciate things more. I've learned how to keep life simple. I've learned how to be active and to relax more. I've learned that being a mother is the most amazing gift in the world.