Can time slow down for one bit?! I am having a really hard time understanding that Zoe is already 5 months old. The bittersweetness of watching her grow (rapidly) and missing her newborn days is still there, but I am mostly so happy to see this baby thriving and happy.
As usual, I missed my timing to post 4-month updates, so I am doing updates on the last 2 months in one (ha)!
Highlights from month 3 to 4:
Zoe had her first major road trip! We traveled to DesMoines, IA, for Z’s middle school friend’s wedding. it was a 6-hour drive from St. Louis and she handled it like a champ. Our drive took longer to get there, but that was to be expected with a baby.
We had a playdate with a friend of mine who had her first baby a month after Zoe was born. It’s so funny how my source of entertainment these days is watching babies lie on the floor and cooing LOL. She continued to sleep well through the night and regularly drinking 5-6oz of breastmilk each bottle.
My college friend Erika and her family came for a brief visit/dinner (they were passing through after visiting relatives in Illinois) – her baby and mine met for the first time! It was way past Zoe’s bedtime so she had more of RBF look going on than curiosity of meeting a baby like her, but Erika and I had so much fun watching them meet for the first time.
She had sweet potato for the first time and absolutely loved it!
Likes: Zoe was most certainly enjoying bath time, going out, morning routine with Grandma Lee, cooing, tummy time, attempting to hold her own bottle, rolling from back to tummy (and occasional tummy to back), and sitting and observing.
Zoe turned 5 months just yesterday, and what a fun month it has been development-wise! It’s amazing to see how quickly she is growing and her ability to learn new things feels like accelerating (or maybe because I am away most of the day).
Highlights from month 4 to 5:
This past month was packed with new and exciting things for Zoe and us as parents. She went on her first major trip by air to see her other grandparents (aka my parents) in Buffalo, NY. Honestly, I was a nervous wreck not knowing how to deal with a one hour time change (makes it a huge difference for a baby’s sleeping routine), going through multiple airports, feeding her on the go, pumping on the go, and etc. Honestly, I would have never considered making this trip without my mother-in-law’s help. Traveling with all the baby gears (and the said baby!) is no joke! Going to Buffalo was actually very smooth and trouble-free; coming back was a complete nightmare. Thankfully, coming back Z was with us to handle the nightmarish flight reroute, several hours of delay, and loss of luggage (we eventually got them back) so that I can focus on taking care of Zoe. What was supposed to be a quick 6-hour trip turned into 13 hours from leaving my parents’ house to arriving at ours; Zoe amazingly handled it all well.
While in Buffalo, my parents go to spend time with her as much as possible; she met my kindergarten teacher, my first friend/best friend, my parents’ neighbors who threw a baby shower for her (!!!), and had her first international trip by crossing over to Canada 😉
She got to meet Hoi Yan, who is my friend from high school. She had a medical school interview in Kansas City and decided to take a detour to St. Loius to meet her before going back home in California!
She had her first Halloween dressed up as Mini Mouse and took a stroll around the neighborhood.
Grandma Lee gifted her a baby walker so she could explore around the house when she is able! The dogs are in trouble LOL.
Very recently tried avocado – another new favorite!
The end of Daylight Savings Time definitely created all sorts of mess to her sleeping routine. She is wanting to sleep at 5pm and wake at 4am…we are still working on getting back her on track.
Unfortunately, she has begun to show preference to being with me or with her grandma (Z’s mom), which means she starts to cry or fuss when Z holds her :(. The biggest challenge has been when Z is trying to give her a bath alone; so far, it resulted in her having a full meltdown. It probably doesn’t help that he has been so busy with fellowship interviews (more on that) and being a chief resident this year.
Likes: Lots of babbling, making splashes during the bath, evening stroll, trying to touch Stark or stare at him, holding her own bottle, watching us eat, standing with help, putting literally everything in her mouth, chowing down 6oz milk/formula every 3 hours, car rides, and meeting new people.
I could probably write a novel already about a 5-month-old baby, but I’ll end it here…haha. Motherhood is definitely the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life, but this baby makes all worthwhile. We simply had no idea how much joy and happiness Zoe could bring to our life.
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