22 & 23 weeks

I missed writing last week and it's quite amazing how much Baby Girl has changed and developed in these two weeks.
The biggest developments:
She is on the verge of crawling; currently she is in the stage of rocking on her hands and knees. She has also figured out how to push up to a sitting position from her hands and knees and can sit in short spurts by herself.
Her noises are broadening to include raspberries and humming. I think she's going to take after her mommy in her humming habit. She talks to herself a lot in coos, squeals, and grunts.
Her mobility is not just limited to floor movement; just today she discovered the ability to push herself around in her walker. She promptly tried to catch Sushi.
Her schedule is changing again- she is awake quite a bit now and we've eliminated her midday nap. Fortunately she hasn't stopped sleeping through the night; she also takes a long am and pm nap, with a short shuteye between her 5pm feeding and dinner time.
As she approaches six months, she is becoming more and more fun to play with, be around, and have a part of our day. She is the sweetest, happiest baby and as her personality continues to emerge we are seeing glimpses of her own individuality. She entertains herself very well, yet loves to hang out with mommy and daddy. Her favorite toys include her baby Einstein piano (she figured out how to switch between the different sounds), her pink carousel rattle, her owl Taggie blanket, and mommy's phone (no she's not allowed to play with it but she sure likes looking at herself in the camera mode...).
Her cutest giggle moments are when daddy 'chews' on her and growls, when she's tickled under her chin, and when daddy 'throws' her in the air. When she's not smiling her sweet smile that crinkles her little nose, she's inquisitively studying every detail in her visual surroundings.

5 months!

Sweet baby girl is 5 months old- development includes:
Hands and knees- yes, she has figured it out. Won't be long before the little darling is crawling.
Refined motor skills- she has definitely gotten better at grabbing for things she sees, moving to them if she's not close enough, and responding to the coolness of them. She will pick at the taggies on her Taggie blanket for what seems like hours, carefully examining each one before it goes to the mouth.
Increased vocabulary- lots more syllabic sounds and vowel/consonant sounds.
Recognition- she knows her mommy by sight. She sees me and her whole face smiles. Her daddy makes her pretty happy too.
Patience- Lyssa could teach me a thing or two. On our long (long, long, long) drive to and from MN, she responded like a seasoned traveler. She alternatively played, slept, talked, ate, and charmed us with her sweetness. There were only 2 instances where she fussed and even then it was only for 5 minutes. Then she stopped, looked at me, and held onto my hand not making a peep. Sweet girl!
She has experienced her first holiday season, complete with visiting family and 13 different states. We are all looking forward to what this new year is bringing!

21 weeks

I missed this past Sunday's 21 week birthday because we were visiting family in MN. Matthew's family always holds a big holiday get-together on the Saturday following Christmas and we've not made it to one yet since being married. Of course, we have a little extra incentive this year... Lyssa definitely needed to meet her daddy's family. So we packed up and drove 1156 miles through 7 states to the Cole family Christmas celebration. And what a time we had!
We arrived at Grandma's on Friday night; the next morning we bundled up (it was a frigid 3 degrees and snowing!) and headed to Tim and Tami's where we met aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, cousins once removed, great aunts and uncles, and of course, her Nana-great. All in all, there were 54 people and Lyssa loved it. She has become quite a social little thing.
The rest of the time we spent visiting Nana-great and Grandma, as well as various others who were around. We had a wonderful time. But we sure are looking forward to being home!!
Lyssa has been an amazing traveler. She plays, talks, sleeps, and wiggles... The only times she cries are at the end of a long day and she's ready to be out of her carseat. Once we arrive at our destination for the day, she is back to her happy, smiling self. We can't believe how lucky we are to have such a sweet little doll.