5 month update and schedule

The girls are five months old now.  We are past a lot of the four month old areas I struggle with, which makes me so happy!  I think the hardest part about that stage is that a lot of things just take time to work out.  I like to be able to fix things!  Time works best though, and as predicted things have settled a bit.  The girls are back to sleeping all night.  The early wakings are getting so much better.  Naps are great more often than not.  Eating continues to go well.  I am blessed that these girls seem to be pretty flexible with their morning nap.  This is wonderful because it means we can get out to activities sometimes!  I try to not miss that nap more than one day in a row, and I hope the girls can keep doing so well this way.

Yay! This is about us!

Ali and Sam are doing everything they 'should be' for their age.  They have great head control, do well on tummy time, and smile constantly.  They grab toys and roll over.  They are working on rolling from back to front, which as a second time mom I am not overly enthused about.  They already manage to move enough just by wiggling.  I want all the time I can get before they are mobile! ;)  They for sure squeal and coo.  Man, are they some loud babies sometimes!  They love to grab their toys and play.  They do express displeasure when their sister grabs the same toy they have.  It seems that sibling problem of wanting what the other sibling has starts at birth.  They are always grabbing for the same things!  They can't yet sit without support, but they do very well in their special chairs.  They are no where near pulling themselves up to standing on their own, thank goodness.  Too soon!  Overall they are doing so well!

I remember five months being a wonderful time with Ben.  We had gotten past the four month challenges.  He was on a solid four hour schedule.  He napped well and slept well at night.  He was still just nursing, so there was no need to worry about solids yet.  Overall, it was a fun month for me.  I am hoping the same is true with the girls.  It looks like it will be so far. :)

Here is a quick version of the girls current schedule.  I would like to note they probably could go longer between feedings in the afternoon.  However, I am prioritizing having them nap at the same time as Ben.  This means I need to feed them before they go down for their afternoon nap.  I feed them again after to try to keep the eat, play, sleep cycle.  It also gives a little more time before bed.  I for sure want them to eat right before bedtime still.  I think five feedings will be the lowest we go for now until solids take up more of their meals.

7:30am: Wake up! Nurse
9-11am: Nap
11am: Nurse
2pm: Nurse
2-4:30pm: Nap after done nursing
4:30pm: Nurse
6:45pm: Bedtime routine, nurse, and then straight to bed.

There is a large gap of time between the 11am nursing and the 2pm nursing.  This is a long time to go without a nap.  We often go out during this time of day, giving the girls a chance to grab a catnap in the car.  If we are home I let them get a short nap during this time as well.  Like I said I want all three kids napping in the afternoon at the same time, so this allows for that.  I know this doesn't exactly follow the Babywise plan, but hey, it works for us.  It isn't ideal to have the girls napping in the car, but Ben needs to get out and have fun too.  The girls adjust to work into the family just like we adjust to fill their needs.

I love these little girls so much.  I am so blessed to have my sweet Ali, Sammy, and Ben.

-Kim