As of this morning, Eleanor now weighs 15.6 lbs, has a head circumference of 16.2"and is 26 1/4" tall. Compare her to William at 5 months. For the last month, Nora's sleep has been horrendous. Naps during the day only last 40 minutes or less, and there are only 2 or 3 of them (just a month ago she was sleeping at least 5-6 hours during the day) if I am lucky. Nights have been a little better, with her getting up once or twice a night, but as she was sleeping through the night a month ago, its definitely a backslide. Also getting her to go to bed at night in the first place is tough. It has required both Michael and I to go in there 3 or 4 times for an hour or two (until 10pm or later), taking turns rocking or nursing her. Finally, in the last week, she has gone down at 8pm without a fight, and has even slept through the night completely a couple of times (I cant wait until that starts happening all the time). Day time naps have also slowly started to somewhat improve, so I am hoping that we are starting to emerge from whatever rough developmental sleep phase she was in and get back into a better routine! I know I shouldn't complain because even in her worst she was still not a truly terrible sleeper, but in contrast to how she used to be, it felt like she was back to how she used to be as a newborn and that was a little rough.
When she is hungry she tries to latch onto anything and everything. Its very often the case that we are walking back to the nursery so I can feed her, and she starts sucking on my cheek in desperate hope that milk will come out. And when we sit in the rocker and I get her into position, she opens her mouth and turns her head toward me in anticipation of the nipple going into her mouth. Its pretty funny. She is a snacker and most of her feeds last between 1-2 minutes. Its a little aggravating actually because she never drains a boob unless she is starving (which is rare, and even then the feed will last no more than 5-8 minutes long), so I always have to pump after each feed to maintain my supply. Another thing she loves to do, that drives me crazy, is to vigorously
grope my face during nursing sessions. She will stick her fingers up my
nose, into my mouth, grab my nose or ears or cheeks, and dig her little
nails in. I have had to keep her nails really short, not so she doesn't
cut herself, but so that she won't cut me! Little stinker! She still chokes on milk all the time (at least 3-4 times a day), but I feel like it is slowly starting to get better. It no longer happens at every feeding, and the episodes are shorter and she recovers faster. Still though, I will be glad when she outgrows that! 
We have been giving her a bottle every night at bedtime (prior to this she refused to take ANY kind of false nipple. So this feels like a victory). So far its
going well and most nights she eagerly takes it. Unlike Will however,
who used to put away 10oz each night, she will only take between 2-2.5oz.
Occasionally I can get her to take as many as 3oz but that is pushing
it. Usually I will also breastfeed her after that to put her to sleep. She is a work in progress sleep wise! We
will get there, eventually. Another funny thing is that she has never transferred from my arms to
the crib well, so I have developed this technique wherein I keep her on
the boob, even after I lie her down in the crib. So for about 30-60
seconds or so after I lay her down, she is still suckling at the boob.
Its pretty awkward to say the least, leaning so far over the crib rail
to keep my boob in her mouth. Maybe if my boobs were bigger it would be
easier! Once we lower the crib this move will be impossible, so I have
my fingers crossed that she learns to transfer better before then. 
Developmentally speaking, she learned to roll from back to front a month ago, but she has yet to learn how to go from front to back. That was annoying at first because she would flip to her front, and then require us to rescue her. But over time her neck has gotten stronger and stronger and now she can tolerate being on her belly for up to 15 or 20 minutes at a time. I keep wondering what her next mobile development will be (not that I am in ANY hurry!). One other development is that Nora has finally discovered the joy of pacifiers. It feels like a small miracle! The bonus
is that she is now dextrous enough that she can take it out and put it
back in herself. We give her a Wubanub, which is a pacifier with a small stuffed animal attached so that its easier for them to hold and maneuver. Now instead of becoming wiggly and fussy when she is slightly hungry or tired (but not actually hungry or tired enough to eat or sleep), I can pop that pacifier in and we have bought ourselves a few more quiet, calm moments. Halleluiah! 
She is just starting to teethe and she will suck on everything she can get into her mouth, vigorously. My shoulder is always wet these days from her sucking on it. Also it smells a bit like spit up. Lovely. She has also discovered her tongue and has started blowing raspberries left and right. She also thinks its funny when we do it as well. Shes becomming more adventurous and likes to be raised into the air. Just a few weeks ago, when I would hold her up in the air, she would grimace and frown. Now she smiles and giggles. I seem to remember Will starting to like that at this age too.
Nora's favorite thing to do is to grab my left arm during diaper
changes, and hug it to her chest. Then when I say, "hey did you grab my
arm you stinker?!" she giggles. For a young baby she had a pretty good
sense of humor and is always smiling or laughing. She LOVES any kind of
social interaction and will actively seek out mine or Michael's gaze.
And as soon as we look at her, she will break out into a huge smile or
sometimes a giggle. She really hates to be left alone in a room and so I
have taken to picking her up and taking her with me, or putting her in
her chair and bringing that with me, wherever I go. She is very aware of Will and watches him everywhere he goes. He can
make her laugh now and her laughing gets him to start laughing as well.
Its hilarious! She has also starting to become more adventurous and likes to be raised
into the air. Just a few weeks ago, when I would hold her up in the air,
she would grimace and frown. Now she smiles and giggles. I seem to
remember Will starting to like that at this age too. She also loves to go on neighborhood walks in the Ergo carrier and will often fall asleep right on my chest. I love that! 
With Nora being the second child, its really become abundantly clear, just how fast babyhood goes. I am really trying to cherish her right now, because she is so adorably soft and squishy and cuddly and easy to hold, and good smelling. I know it will only be a short time before she is a wiggly toddler that is all scrawny knees and elbows, who is not at all easy or nice to hold or smell. This time is precious! I am hoping that writing this all down helps me to remember what it was like to have a small baby. Time goes by too fast and my memory is too crappy to truly keep these thoughts, feelings and memories in my mind, so writing about it is as close as I will get. I just know that in this moment of time, I am really really enjoying having another baby and am trying my hardest not to take it for granted, and not to focus on the not so great aspects of it. I just adore her!
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