Mika at 5 Months

I weighed her on our scale and it claims she is 16.5 pounds (85th percentile), but I'm kind of skeptical, I think it'd be closer to 16 if weighed on an infant scale. She is 26 inches long (90th percentile). I just broke out the nine-month sizes, but she still fits the sixes. She sleeps through the night, sometimes there is a wake-up call, sometimes not. She still takes three naps. She rolls over both ways. She can sit for several minutes and does half tripod stance, half regular sitting. She continues to hate tummy time, and I think it's because she wants to crawl so badly but can't, so she gets angry and wants to be picked up. I haven't given her any food yet, but I think I'll start after I get back from another trip in a week and a half. She seems really interested in food, and I think I'm going 100% real adult food and no processed baby crap/purees this time (Jackson ate a lot of baby crap, but I'm going to try a lot harder with Mika to give her better food). I plan on taking what we're eating and shredding/mashing it for her.

The first time I tied her hair back. I waited four months to do it and then realized it 

would've been long enough to do it two months ago.

the aftermath

I feel sorry for her having to put up with Jackson's shenanigans. This stage is so frustrating because he can't understand why it's not ok to play rough with her. He doesn't understand how it's ok to play a certain way by himself or with mommy and daddy but not Mika. For example, he loves to play hide-and-seek with blankets, so he thinks if he puts blankets on Mika, she can play too. 

I thought he was sleeping and I walked in on this.

And he doesn't understand how he can crawl all over us but not her. He is a pretty rough little dude, and I have caught him putting blankets and pillows on her face, crawling on her, sitting on her, etc. I have to either make bathroom breaks last mere seconds or put her in her car seat and put her in the bathroom doorway to make sure Jackson isn't hurting her. I showered with both of them in the house without Paul, and that went alright, but I probably won't do that again. On the flip side, he can be very helpful and go get toys for her to play with if I'm busy cooking or something. And they love playing together.

Montessori-style tummy time when Mommy's in charge (no commercial tummy-time contraption with wild prints, just a plain towel and one wooden toy).

Tummy time when Jackson's in charge- bring anything that can roll to her towel.

Jackson loves playing with "nka" (Mika), cooking, washing dishes in his "sink," trying to dress himself, helping with Mika. I am reading some Montessori books and he loves the activities I make him.

practicing pouring

This kid LOVES cooking. 

shredding cheese

He loves setting the table with his new place mat that shows where everything goes.

practicing scooping beans from bowl to carton and carton to bowl

sorting shapes

*Disclaimer- I'll be totally honest that while it looks like I'm doing lots of nice activities with the kids, the TV is still on a lot. I'm still trying to figure out how to balance these two kids.