Stage 5 Clinger.

So, I haven't done a random "what's going on in the world of baby development" post in a while, so here we go!

Stage 5 Clinger

I believe Caroline is beginning the "clingy" phase I have read oh so much about. I think it is better titled the "woman, if you put me down I will SCREAM" phase. It comes complete with planking (see below). Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is a bad phase. I love that she loves to be held. I love that she loves me and Josh so much. However, I also love being able to get things done. This phase does not allow that to happen. If I put her down in her swing, she'll plank (again, see below). If I put her down in her activity saucer, she arches her back to see me and cries (it's the cutest thing, actually, but extremely sad). If I put her on her piano gym, she will cry and somehow manage to roll over so much she is facing the other direction, face-down on the carpet. If I put her in the highchair (unless there's food involved) the aforementioned planking begins. This has made evenings where it is just me (if Josh works late) difficult. But, like I mentioned, I love snuggling her so this phase isn't too bad. Dropping her off at daycare usually involves a moment of "OMG, where are you going, mom?" but she quickly realizes she's in a fun toy and starts jumping around.

Planking

For those who do not know, this is planking. Basically, they straighten their entire bodies so they are one, long plank. Caroline has become quite skilled at this. Her favorite places to plank: car seat, high chair, and swing. When she's being a "stage 5 clinger," she planks. She doesn't want to be put into the car seat, high chair, or swing; she wants to be held. So she stiffens her entire body to the point that it is impossible to sit her in these objects. She then gets her way and continues to be held. She's quite the smarty pants! This has also resulted in her having to be buckled into the swing so she doesn't flip herself out.

"Mmmmmm"

She is still in an "mmmmm" phase. I read that babies get fixated on one sound and make it repeatedly. She constantly goes "mmmmm" which turns into "mumumumum" which often sounds like "mumu" (mama) and once she yelled out a crystal clear "MOM" which was all kinds of amazing. We were in Target yesterday, and she seriously spent the entire 15 minutes in the cart going mmmMmmMMMMMmmmMMmmMMMmmmm. We call her our "zombie baby" or our "frankenstein baby" :)

Foods

She is doing so well with her big girl foods. She loves pears and apples the most. We tried sweet potatoes last night. I got the most adorable "WTF IS THIS?" face at first, but she ate quite a bit. She's still not a big fan of rice cereal, so we are going to try oatmeal next. She makes the "mmmm" sound while she eats. Did I mention how cute she is?

Mosh Pit Baby
Time in her saucer used to be spent pleasantly sitting and playing with toys. She now turns that thing into a freaking mosh pit. She knows how to start the music so she gets that going. And she proceeds to jump around like a maniac. It's SO CUTE. Heavy metal baby! If we wave our arms around while she's in there, she will wave hers around, too. She's getting really good at copying our movements.
 

Sitting Up

She is getting so good at sitting up on her own. I put a toy in front of her and she sat up on her own for well over a minute playing with it before she became the "leaning tower of Caroline." The strength is definitely there, but the balance still needs a little work. So, she never sits unattended. She's doing great in high chairs and shopping carts, which is nice. I'm still bringing her car seat in during quick shopping trips because taking her out and buckling her back into that thing is such a hassle.

Sleeping

She rarely wakes up at night. I'd say 80%-90% of the time she sleeps through the night. It's SO NICE. She rolls around like a wild child during the night and is never in the same position we put her to sleep in. She loves sleeping on her side. We always put her to sleep on her back and she often immediately rolls onto her side and falls asleep. It's adorable.

Car Seat

As seen in the photo below, Caroline is quickly outgrowing her infant car seat. The shoulder straps are now on the highest setting and the headrest is officially dunzo. We may be in the market for a full-sized car seat in the near future. Plus, that thing is getting heavy with her in it these days!