Baby Victoria's 5th Month Update | Milestones!

So this post is a bit overdue, since Victoria's 5th month mark was on July 17th, but I am sure you all understand how busy life can get with a baby! And a dog! And a husband who is currently in the *study-or-die* mode, as he is getting ready for his dental boards exam that is in under a week from now (I mean, he's at home, but we don't even see him at all - he studies from 9am to 3 am!).

But I digress.

Victoria is growing so fast! It feels like just a week ago she was this tiny little bean who didn't know (nor care) what was going on around her. And now? She is all over everything. Suddenly, everything is a great chew toy - from her own adorable toes, to mommy's cellphone. Food is looking more and more interesting, especially if you can reach that colorful plate and knock it to the floor! She's drooling at a rate that makes me worried she'll get dehydrated. She's screaming at the dog, screaming at the toys, laughing at FRIENDS on TV.. It's just been an awfully eventful month and watching her reach milestone after milestone was more than rewarding and breathtaking experience. It was also delightfully entertaining, moving and unforgettable! 

Eating:

• She's eating anywhere from 4-5oz of formula (sadly, my milk has dried up completely in this past month, so we're doing exclusively formula now. She got 4,5 months of breast milk, and even though I was really hoping to keep it up till she was at least 6 months old, it just didn't work out. She's doing great on the formula, though, and did not have any problems switching or getting used to it.) 
• We have started her on rice cereal. She is eating 2 spoons with almost every bottle throughout the day, and 4 spoons of it with her last evening feeding, which really helps her sleep through most of the night. 
• We have started her on some solid foods, too. So far, she has tried carrot, apple and sweet potato. Sweet potato seems to be her favorite. She did not particularly like the Gerber Baby's First Food Apple, though she does love the REAL thing, so I sometimes puree some for her. 
• She eats every 4-5 hours now (just a month ago it was 3-4 h). 
• Only one night-time feeding, and only 4 oz of milk. Usually around 3:00-4:00 am.

Sleeping:

• She used to go to sleep around 8:00-9:00 pm, now she insists on doing that earlier with every day. I honestly don't know what's the deal here, but yesterday she went to bed at 6:30 pm. This seems to be her new routine.
• She sleeps from 7:00 pm to 6:00 am, with one night-time feeding which she usually half-sleeps through. 
• Ever since her acid reflux problem went away, she sleeps much better.
• She can't seem to make up her mind about being swaddled these days - she will do everything (and I mean EVERYTHING, the bed is shaking when she's kicking around in it) to break out of the swaddle, but she literally can't / won't fall asleep without it. So every time when she breaks out, I need to get up, swaddle her again, give her the pacifier and then go back to bed. This can happen anywhere from 5-10 times in a raw. Night-time workout anyone?
• Naps. What naps? She barely sleeps during day time anymore. It's like there's just SO MUCH TO DO and SEE! She naps for about 30 minutes in the morning 45 minutes around 1 pm, and 30 minutes in the afternoon (and that's if I'm lucky!).

Overall health:

• At her last check-up she was 16 pounds 5 oz and 21.3 inch long.
• Acid reflux is completely gone! Yay!
• No diaper rash, skin problems or any other health issues. 

Milestones:

• Tried solid foods & rice cereal.
• Laughed continuously for 3 minutes.
• Started grabbing at toys and, well, anything else within her reach. She is finally interacting with the excer-saucer toys. She is able to hold her chew toys and bring them up to her mouth all on her own, and she doesn't poke her eye with the teething giraffe anymore. 
• Managed to put her foot in her mouth (hey, it's quite an achievement!).
• Started noticing the dog. Before she would ignore him completely, now she's squeeling when she sees him and when he comes around to check on her (and he does that all the time). 
• Was able to roll over from back to side and from belly to side. But only a couple of times, for the most part she is still like beetle on her back. 
• She discovered her tongue and all the weird stuff you can do with it. 
• She is now able to sit in her washPOD all by herself without any support.

What else is new?

• She doesn't fall asleep in the stroller when we're taking a walk anymore. Instead, she looks around. Trees are her new thing, she is amazed by the them. 
• She had a picnic with her grandparents at Niagara Falls, and loved the trees there, too.
• She enjoys me reading to her playing cartoons on Amazon Vine. I try not to let her watch cartoons too much (maybe 15 minutes a day?), but it's definitely a fun time for her.