5 months

I can barely believe that Charli is 5 months old.

It seems like we were just leaving the hospital with this small little girl. Now we have a serious chunk on our hands.

Loves:
Screaming
Eating
Diva-ing (Screaming until she sees food)
Grabbing for her bottle
Giggling
Sleeping
Playing with toys
Swinging
Listening to music anywhere we go. It has a calming effect on her.
Cuddles
Watching her surroundings when we are out and about
Sucking her thumb (sometimes we will take a binky still)
Sitting up in her bumbo
Watching TV, iPad or phone
Dancing and bouncing with mom
Bath time

Charli is still doing great with tummy time. She is getting close to rolling over. Sometimes can sit up by herself but a little more folded in half. If she is sitting with her back against a chair she does fine.

Hates:
I really can't think of anything this girl hates.

I think there are times when she realizes she is so tired that I guess you could say she hates it but for the most part this girl is happy go lucky.

Sundays are our worse day. Lately because we haven't really had the same routine. Its not because we keep her on one but we just haven't had church at the same time for 3 weeks and the business of being around all the family makes her happy but so worn out.

I don't think it helps but we are starting to TEETHE! That makes her sometimes really cranky and other days as if she doesn't even remember that her gums hurt.


Average Day with Charli:

Between 8am - 10am Charli will wake up and start talking in her crib.. which then moves to kicking her feet and throwing them against the bed.
Once I look at her she just smiles and stares at me. I will be honest its the best part of waking up for me. I love seeing how happy she is.

Diaper Change & breakfast.
-breakfast lately has been a bowl of rice cereal and a 6 oz. bottle

She will stay awake for a couple hours playing and pooping. A diaper change and then its nap time.

Only cool kids eat breakfast with their sunglasses on.

Noon:
Charli will normally fall asleep by herself or lately I have tried to put her back down for a nap.
Some days this is a challenging task. Other days I can just lay her in her bed and see what she will do.
Normally she will sing and scream ... a few minutes later you will see a thumb in her mouth and on to nap time we go.
If I have to get her to sleep in involves walking/bouncing around the house. She also loves to hear music as she sleeps. It normally helps calm her down and its fun for me to sing to her. I am glad she likes my voice ;)

2pm: If she is awake by herself we have another bottle with rice cereal. If she has been in pj's still then I normally will change her into some adorable outfit and her diaper.

3:30pm- 8pm: This is normally the time we are at the dance studio. This is something that I think Charli enjoys. She loves to see the girls dance, the music is once again soothing. There are a few dances that just make her dose off. Most of the time now she wants to watch them move across the floor. She still will scream and blabber to them about their feet and leaps. ;)

Watching routines at dance practice

We normally will have a bottle at dance as well with a diaper change.

On Mondays Kelly will normally come and pick up Charli so I can stay and do Alumni. Its the couple hours out of the week I get to enjoy such a hobby and passion in my life.  I am grateful for a supportive husband who does what he can to watch Charli to give me breaks.

Holding a bottle by herself a week away from being 5 months old

If we are home before 8pm from dance we normally hang out with dad and play with him.

We will have another bottle once we get home. Somehow this always end up happening right when I go to eat. But I would much rather eat a cold dinner to get more snuggles with Charli. Although sometimes there is a fight over who gets to feed her. Most the time Kelly wins.

After I eat dinner.. sometimes dinner is a few pieces of chocolate and a Dr.Pepper. (I have switched over to the Dr. oops..)

9pm-10:30pm: Play time with dad some more and then will have a bath and get put into pjs.
Bed time routine: I wish this was a little more stable sometimes. But I don't really have it set. I let Charli do what she needs.

Bath Time & Bed Time: We have a bath time and then we get rubbed down with lotion and the into pjs. We then will eat another bottle. We will turn the lights low in her room to help her relax.. Although sometimes she seems to like staring at the chandelier. After she eats I will normally let Kelly pick out a book. Kelly lays on the floor with Nala and I sit and read to Charli. Sometimes Charli gets restless about this time and other times she falls asleep.

I also have to then push Kelly & Nala into bed because they always fall asleep. There are sometimes I just leave Kelly in there because I know he will eventually wake up and then I don't have to try and pull him off the floor.

Bed time routine without a bath: Sometimes we just are so tired and cranky that we don't really want to sit through reading a book. So that is when my good old phone comes in handy. I turn on a few of her favorite songs and walk around the room.
Taylor Swift and a few of the dance routines always put her to bed.

Other days we will be getting home around 10pm and Charli will already be asleep which makes it easy for us to put her into bed.

Sometimes if she hasn't passed out but I know she's close I have started to lay her down awake and seeing what she will do. With the sound soother on she ends up falling asleep pretty fast.

11pm: Charli is normally passed out.

Wake up and repeat.

I normally stay up till midnight or 1am because I am either blogging, cleaning, binge watching dance moms, doing Jamberry nail wraps, reading different blogs or just not sleepy.

I love being Charli's mom. Its challenging but its also pretty simple because really no one knows your baby more than you. There are days when I look at Kelly and say "Here you go she's a diva & I need a break"

I am grateful for the Grandparents that we have to help us with Charli. The Aunts & Uncles who snuggle, play and love her. I also am grateful for such great friends that live by us who will always help us with Charli at church.

The Boyfriend:

We have a new joke in the family. A couple sundays ago Charli was being a stinker. She didn't want anyone not even me. Finally Uncle Chris grabbed her and she instantly was happy. It was so funny. He is now considered the boyfriend. Charli loved touching his beard and staring at him. Then shortly after she passed out. 

Chris left to grab a movie and Charli slept with Aunt Krystal until she woke up and realized she wasn't being held by her boyfriend. 

If I had to guess I think Charli is close to 13 lbs. we don't go in for our check up till next month. I think she will be pretty big by then. We realized after our last appointment that she's been gaining about a half pound a week. Those cheeks will just keep getting bigger.

She is wearing 3-6 months clothes still. Although she has a few clothes that are 6 months that fit better. The problem with some 3 months is that they are hard to get over that big noggin of hers.

Size 2 diapers and using about 6-7 a day. Normally we only have one dirty one now.

We adore you Charbar! 

Love, your parents!