five months old.

Last night Carly refused to go to sleep until after 2 am.

Her schedule is seriously askew.

We laid her between us and she told us stories in the dark.

A good way to celebrate her 5-month mark, I think.

Carly, at five months you . . .

*talk a lot. And you talk loud. You are starting to make distinct sounds, like "na na na", "bububu", and "dah!"

*are pretty close to sitting up on your own. I'm guessing by 6 months old you will.

*grab everything. You're spilling glasses of water and throwing things on the ground and putting everything in your mouth.

*smile as big and beautiful as ever. I love you smile because it doesn't grow like a normal smile. It bursts onto your face.

*like to put on a show. When a crowd is big enough but not too big, you'll talk and squawk and growl and smile like you're showing off.

*require constant entertainment. I can't just put you down and let you play by yourself. You like a lot of stimulation and people to look at and play with.

*have lots of energy! You wiggle a lot and look at kids who are walking like "Hey, how do you do that?"

*giggle more frequently, especially when daddy is playing with you.

*love mommy's hair. You like to put it in your mouth. When you put someone else's hair in your mouth you make a disgusted look and spit it out.

*are so fun and so cute and getting more and more wonderful every day. We can't believe how fast you're growing.

Happy five months, Car. We're glad you joined us.