Lydia: 4-5 Months

Lydia turned 5 months old this weekend. Where did my infant go? Lydia is still definitely a baby, but she definitely doesn't have that newborn-infant feel anymore. She is so alert and is learning new things every day. It's amazing to watch her because one day she won't be able to do something and then overnight she can do it! For exampls: she loves to hold on to her toys, but she usually drops it after a couple of minutes, but yesterday David was holding her and walking around his parents house. She had a little plastic key ring in her hand and she held it and chewed on it for a good half an hour without dropping it once! That may sound silly, but it just goes to show how coordinated she is getting.

Other things that I want to remember about Lydia at this age:

--She can still only roll over from her back to her front. She is a pro and can roll in seconds - but she still hasn't even attempted to try to roll back. She seems pretty content on her tummy most of the time, but after a while she will get upset and cry. I will then roll her back over and less than 30 seconds later she will roll herself back to her tummy. It's such a fun game for me. I'm just enjoying this time that I have where she is not mobile because I know as soon as she can roll over both ways it will be much harder to keep her in the same place.

--Lydia is such a happy baby! She is super content to go wherever I go. We go to the store, we go on walks, we drive around in the car. For the most part she is a happy camper. I really think that she loves to explore and see new places. Whenever we go somewhere new she just cant get enough of looking around and drinking it all in.

--Lydia has been sleeping better at night. Not all the way through the night yet - but she is sleeping better. Our sleep schedule right now goes something like:
7:30 am - wake up
9:00 am - morning nap (1 hr)
12:00 pm - noon nap (1hr)
3:30 pm - afternoon nap (45 minutes)
5:30 pm - evening nap (45 minutes)
8:00 pm - bed time!
11:30-12:00am - wake up and eat
2:30- wake up and rock to sleep
4:30- wake up and rock to sleep
6:00- bring into bed and feed (especially now that it is so cold in the mornings!)

--I know that you aren't supposed to put blankets in the bed with the baby - but now that Lydia can roll over, she will roll over and cry and cry and cry. If I go back in to roll her back to her back, she will cry even harder when I don't pick her up. So we have two tightly rolled up blankets in her crib to prevent her from rolling over. It's ridiculous, but until she can roll back over, I hate having her get stuck - and even worse - not ever sleeping.

--My sweet baby has turned into a little bit of a mama's baby. I'll be honest, this makes me feel kind of special. She is old enough that she can look around and point her arm out to me. (She doesn't really reach for me yet, but it's like - she keeps her arm in my direction no matter where I walk. It's so cute!) Sometimes when David gets her out of her bed, he will pick her up and she will look around like "Hey, where is my mom?" It makes it a little harder to have other people hold her, because she just likes to hang out with me - but I really love it. She is my special girl, and it makes me happy to know that she loves me, too.

--Lydia has started being able to sit up a little bit. She still can't sit up on her own - and after just a little while she gets tired and she will start learning forward until she makes to faceplant. But she is sitting! The day that she really started being able to do that is the day that my infant-baby disappeared! I took one look at her and was amazed at how big she is. Soon she will be sitting and in just a month or so we will be starting in on the rice cereal!

--She has also been progressing rapidly with how strong her legs are. She can fully support her weight on her legs. It's just the balance that she can't do. But if you are holding her, she can stand up - and actually prefers standing to sitting or laying down.

--One day Lydia woke up and sounded like she had lost her voice. She was horse throughout the whole day. I was a little worried and kept a close eye on her to make sure that she wasn't fevering (she wasn't acting sick). Her voice came back the next day but was a little lower than it had been. I thought that it would go back to normal - but it hasn't. I know that babies sound different at different ages, but it just happened so suddenly. I'm so glad that she wasn't sick!

--Now that Lydia is happy to spend more time on the floor, we have a really fun time laying down and playing with her. I love to see her face light up with a huge smile when her daddy gets down to play with her. She sure loves him a lot - almost as much as he loves her.

Here are some more photos:

We love this little girl so much! I can't believe that she is five months old. (I feel like I say that every time. Will it ever end? Will the rest of my life be full of disbelief that my little girl is so.. big?) 

Dear Lydia (Sister Peaden)

Dear Lydia,
The neatest thing happened today during your very first General Conference. President Monson stood up at the pulpit announced that the ages for missionaries were going to be changed. Worthy young men will now be able to serve a mission at age 18. Worthy young women will now be able to serve at age 19. This is such a huge change! You will grow up and not know anything different - but right now men can serve at 19 and women can serve at 21. I can't help but think about how this will affect you. Your dad and I were talking about it and decided that your chances of going on a mission just skyrocketed because of this new opportunity. I have also thought a lot about what that change may have meant for me if it had come just a few years sooner. I always wanted to go on a mission, and even started filling our my papers to go, but I met your dad and he was worth putting a mission on hold for 50 years or so. I wonder what would have happened if I had been 19 and able to serve a mission. The one thing I know for sure is that marrying your dad and having you was the best thing that I have ever done and I don't regret a thing. Your life may end up being so different from mine and I am so excited for the opportunities that you will have! I look at you today, on your five month birthday and can already see the happiness and personality that will fill your life. You may choose to serve a mission or you may not. Either way I hope that you love the gospel with all your heart and that I am able to raise you with a firm testimony and relationship with our Savior.

The fact that we have prophets on the earth today who receive revelation from God is an amazing thing and I am grateful for it. I love you Lydia!      --Your Mom.

Friday

Oh my goodness! Huge news around the Peaden house: 

Yep! You see that? That is a HOLE. On our lot. That our house will be built on. Someday, we will be cuddled up on a couch in the very space that has just been excavated. Everytime we would ask when the builders thought they would start construction they would say "4-6 weeks." Happily, after talking to them just last week and getting the same response - I happened to be driving by with my dad and we saw the big backhoe on our lot. I immediately texted David. 

Our conversation went something word-for-word like this:

Me: We have a hole! A whole hole! Okay. Maybe just a part hole.  

David: What!? (Imagine his surprise - it was just days ago they said "4-6 weeks". Also, I may not have been super clear.) 

Me: Yes!!! (Not giving any further clarification, of course.)

Me: We are going to have to celebrate tonight! (So excited I couldn't wait for him to text back.)

David: Holy cow! 

And as soon as he got home and got out of his work clothes, we headed out to explore our soon-to-be completed just-started foundation. The above picture is the only one that turned out. But for excitement purposes only, check these blurry/dark photos. 

Oh, they don't look as bad on the blog as they did on my computer. Thank goodness for internet photo quality. Please don't judge me or my coral pants. They really do look cute in person. 

Other things that have been going on this week (that I got pictures of): 

My dad came to visit. It was so fun. 

I was at the store, and went to grab a gallon of milk when I saw that the milk was named David. I thought, hey... thats pretty cool. Then I realized that the date printed was David's birthday! Hello, awesomeness. I love silly little things like this and it makes me happy every time I pull the milk out of the fridge. Davids name AND birthday. It was meant to be. (Plus I am so excited. David's birthday is next week!)

Lydia has been so fun lately. Now that she can hold her head up better, we have had a lot of fun laying with her on her blanket and hanging out with her at night. She turns 5 months tomorrow! (Of which I will do a separate post.) Isn't she cute?