5 Months with our Stinkerbell

5 months. She’s our stinkerbell, our grabby lil hermit crab, a lil pink piglet with mudfish cheeks. The stink in her nickname stems from the latin word for "goat's milk vomit", a scent wondering the halls of our home and likely embedded in its walls. We are now the parents saying loud and weird oogles in public places to get a smile, in clothes that are more functional than fashionable. Please pass the white SUV with reliable airbags and an extra row.

In true us style we turned her first flight into 4 legs and 3 destinations. We love a good overcommitment. This little rockstar slept like a (good) baby on the first 3 flights (stay tuned for 4). She spends most of her time in airports yelling at other kids, them all showing off their fancy running legs and yelling all these big ole real words. She smiles at strangers. She woos us with this fantastic grin that cuts through two plump, rosy cheeks, and she has continued to pass her social milestones ahead of the game. She LOVES baths guys. IFYKYK. She still hates clothes and we try to explain how inappropriate it is for a young lady to roll around the house topless. She. Don’t. Care. She’s going streaking.

There’s a consensus from her viewership that she is a beautiful baby, which naturally shifts me into pageant mom mode and too many clothes in her color coordinated closet. But for all her beauty, she will projectile spit up goats milk across the room and it is this (and only this!) that’s keeping her from winning Miss Baby 2024.

So, yes, the reflux still exists (cool), but it’s a little more tolerable. We accept a life that smells. The scent of colic could put hair on the chest. If only it could put it back in my postpartum head...

There is this real person emerging from the wee little squish baby and we just love watching her evolve. I savor every moment at this phase, even the whole her daddy is her favorite thing. She talks his ears off about nothing and he listens to every word. She’s this living, breathing, giggling proof I picked the best guy out there to partner up with in life.