This week's update.

Hello everyone! I thought I'd sign in and let you know how things are going. We're in the middle of Maia's morning nap now, and she's sleeping like a champ. She's almost five months old and is getting bigger (in terms of body size and attitude) every day! Because of her age, I thought it would be wise to start working on some consistent daily routines; I don't really believe that it's appropriate to try to ask a newborn or even a three-month old to live according to schedules, but Maia seems like she's ready for them. We're keeping thngs very flexible, of course, but here's how our day tends to progress. All times are approximate, of course:

7:00 AM Wake up
10:00 AM First nap
2:00 PM Second nap
6:30 PM Begin bedtime routine
7:30 PM Bedtime!
1:00 AM First nighttime feeding
4:00 AM Second nighttime feeding

After a rough patch of sleep that lasted for about a month (ugh!), things seem to be calming down again. Maia slept very well last night, and her usual 4:00 AM waking for a very early breakfast actually didn't happen until 5:00, so we even got an extra hour of sleep! :)

In Milk Supply News, we're doing better there, too. We think that part of the problem was a faulty milk pump, which we replaced at Babies-R-Us over the weekend. It turns out I over-used and wore out the motor on the old one, which was intended for "occasional" use but I used on a daily basis. Things were a bit rocky there for a little while, and we were actually contemplating starting solid foods sooner rather than later, but we're feeling more confident now that we'll be able to go another month or so until Maia has her first solids. Good news! :)

Maia is laughing now, rolling over both ways (tummy to back and vice versa) and in both directions, and she usually turns to sleep on her left side now rather than on her back. She's obsessed with her feet and toes, and her insistence on holding onto them makes diaper changing a unique challenge. We're currently working on strengthening her back and ab muscles to get her ready for sitting up on her own; she's doing very well, and when she's propped up in a seated position, her back is much straighter and stronger than it was even a week ago.