5 Months Old

So I definitely planned on doing a "special" picture once a month so I could ooh and aah over house big Miss Everly is getting. As it turns out, life threw me a few loops and it just never happened. But that's okay, right? I still take pictures of her every single day. That's a win to me. I keep thinking she's bald because her cousin Lizzy has so.much.hair. Then I remind myself that a) Lizzie is 8 months older and b) it doesn't really matter anyway. Every month when I write these updates I look back and her previous updates and I realized something this month. She's no longer bald. I know, she was never actually bald, but she had such thin, light hair that it felt that way. Comparing her 3 month picture to now? She's definitely growing some hair. Yay baby!

• Everly sits up on her own now. Yes, she still falls over sometimes, but she's definitely got it down. She just has to want to do it. 
• She's started going to bed at 7:30 (!!!) most nights and after a lot of rocking together in the middle of the night she's figured out how to sleep all night. She still wakes up to eat but she goes right back to sleep afterwards. This I can handle.
• She now sits in her high chair and gnaws on real food. We're trying out baby led weaning (if you've never heard of it, click the link) and so far we love it. She gets to play and make a mess every day at dinner (just in time for a bath!) and I get to eat with both of my hands. Win-win. 
• Everly has eaten (or gnawed on, sucked on, and gummed on) watermelon, green beans, broccoli, banana, noodles, and a pancake. I don't think she's gotten much past her gums yet but she's really been having fun trying.
• She's suddenly decided her favorite thing to say is DADADADADADA as loud as she can. It literally started today and it's amazing. She doesn't know what (or who) it means but she knows I get really excited every time she does it. 

And on that note, when do you count it as their first word? She knows what she's saying now. She knows it means something. She doesn't know it means Aaron though. And she doesn't say dadada to get to him, she just says it. So is this her first word? I can't decide. Seriously, opinions?? 

xo Sue