The back of her head is still pretty flat and I've been worried about it and if it is going to permanently affect her brain. I can tell you that late night googling on your phone while lying in bed does not accomplish much except create more worrying. But when I called the pediatrician the other day to ask if there is anything we should do about it before our next appointment at 6 months, she says it shouldn't be a problem and will round out eventually. We still have been trying to have her off her back and the back of her head during most waking hours and we have also started propping her on her side to sleep sometimes, which makes me feel better.
She has grown in leaps and bounds as far as her development and what she is capable of doing. She grabs toys with both hands and brings them to her mouth. She also reaches with both arms for things she wants. For example, the other day we were sitting on the front deck when the neighbor dog, Levi, came up to us and Cora would reach her arms out to him every time he got close. Our cat, Rooney, has also lost a couple fistfuls of fur to similar situations. Cora is consistently rolling from her stomach to her back one direction and is very close to rolling from her back to her stomach (I'm excited for her to do this so maybe she isn't sleeping on the back of her head all the time!). She is not only sitting assisted, but today she sat for several minutes with no assistance! I'm just amazed at her sitting ability already. Tonight when we were swimming in the pool she was kicking her legs and paddling her arms and splashing in the water...maybe a future as a swimmer?!
She still loves reading books and is even grabbing and turning the pages now. She loves her stuffed animals and pretty much any toy that she can put in her mouth...chew toys, her rings, rattles, cups, Sophie the Giraffe, for example. Pretty much anything you put in front her she will reach for and grab. She loves being outside and going for walks. She pretty much loves anything that moves, which includes all animals. She has now seen the following animals in her short life: cats, dogs, birds, horses, donkey, and a pig. I think visiting the zoo will be on our agenda when we are in Minnesota this fall!
She now pushes her arms straight through her shirts when we get her dressed and always has her legs up high when changing her diaper, grabbing at her feet and legs. She looks at you when you say her name and she turns to see what is making a sound she hears. I've started having to nurse her in the rocking chair in her room because otherwise she is too distracted by anyone talking or walking by. She loves anything that has to do with Rooney and will watch him as long as she can. She turns to see him when he meows and will grin whenever she spots him.
She is still eating about 6 times per day and taking 3 somewhat regular naps during the day. Her typical schedule has been something like this. Wake up between 6:30am and 8am, eat, play with daddy or Coco and Grandpa Vern (while mama sleeps a little more), eat again around 9am, nap for 45 minutes to 1 hour sometime between 9 and 10:30, eat around 11:30 to noon, nap for 1-3 hours between 12:30 and 3, eat around 2:30-3:30, eat around 5:30-6, nap for 15 minutes to 1 hour between 6pm and 7pm, eat and bedtime at 8pm. She will get upset if she gets overtired (especially between 6pm and 8pm if she doesn't nap for very long) and it seems she needs to be put to sleep for her naps by either eating or rocking her away from any action. It's almost like there is just too much fun stuff to do and she doesn't want to miss out on any of it.
Her nighttime sleeping pattern has changed a bit in the last month, which unfortunately has resulted in me being a bit more tired than before. She can easily get her left arm out of the Halo swaddle sack no matter how tight we velcro it, so she'll sometimes wake up in the middle of the night with her one arm or both arms out. And then of course once I go into her room and wrap her back up and maybe change her diaper, then there's no way she's going back to sleep without eating again. We've been experimenting with putting her to sleep with one arm out or two arms out to get her used to that, but it doesn't appear that she is able to sleep quite as well with her arms free. With both arms out she will get upset and not even be able to fall asleep because of the startle reflex. With her left arm out she will sleep pretty well, but seems to wake up anywhere between 2am and 5am to eat. So, the last three nights I've just put her to bed with both arms swaddled. Two of those nights she slept until 5:30-6am and then last night she woke up at 2am with her arms out. After she fell back asleep around 3am then she slept until 8. Who knows what the pattern is exactly and I guess we will transition out of swaddled arms at some point soon. I did break down and order a Zipadee-zip online to see if it works for her at all. As soon as she can roll over both ways I'd love for her to sleep with her arms out free so she isn't always on the back of her head, but I also want her to continue sleeping through the night. We shall see!
Here are a few pictures from the last month. It just keeps getting more and more fun!
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