Picking up steam

Two days ago, Hayley turned 5 months old. To celebrate, she had her first cereal/bowl/spoon experience. Our pediatrician (like most these days) recommends waiting until 6 months to start cereal. Hayley has been showing signs of being ready for weeks now, so we decided to give a try. The food doesn't replace any of her actual meals, i.e. her bottles, as it's more about learning how to eat. For anyone unfamiliar with baby cereal, it's not a whole lot different from formula. Mix powder with water. Done. Depending on the ratio, you get thick or thin cereal, and it's barely thicker than formula at first. Like I said, it's really about teaching Hayley a new skill. So here's video of her first non-milk feeding:



I'm happy to report that after only 3 tries now, she's already getting better at it. This comes as no surprise to me though. This kid is a quick study. Hayley is more capable than I could have imagined at 5 months. As Miranda mentioned in previous posts, she can wiggle all the way out of her car seat and is on the verge of sitting unassisted. Today at her playdate, Hayley rolled over with absolutely no help, gravitational or otherwise. Speaking of playdates, she is making friends left and right, taking after her mother with the social skills. Here's a video of her hanging out with her cousin Caiden:



That actually took place a while ago. I've got a few other old videos here that I should have posted last month. This is Hayley finding her voice. Her babbling has increased a lot, and in the process she discovered higher registers:



Recently the babbling has leveled off. She pretty much only does it when she is on her changing table or when she gets excited about something. One of the things Hayley gets really excited about is her new activity center. We bought this to celebrate her 4 month birthday, and she now uses it every single day:



Hayley is hitting her stride when it comes to playing. Whether it's in the activity center, lying in her crib with her toys, or simply playing with her pacifier, this baby wants to either hit or eat everything in sight. One night she was playing with her paci when we introduced Hayley to frozen teethers:



It's pretty much non-stop entertainment when you've got a 5-month-old!