In the fifth month of your baby's life you'll observe some of the following milestones:

• She is now capable of drawing one leg underneath her while she lays on her stomach. This allows for her to be able to pull both legs under her so that she can crawl. While she may be able to get both legs underneath her, as of yet, they are unable to support her body weight.
• She may rock back and forth while on her hands and knees or roll from front to back or back to front.
• Her back is strong enough for her to hold up her chest and head and to reach out to grasp an object placed in front of her face.
• Her back is also strong enough for her to straighten and stretch out her arms and legs when she is lying on her stomach. This airplane-type of movement is important because it is part of the preparation to strengthen her core muscles utilized in crawling, sitting up, rolling over and walking.

And there's more!

• She can move her head closer to objects when she is on her back by moving it forward so that her chin rests on her chest.
• Her ability to reach and grasp her toys has improved dramatically. Whenever she sees an object she wants, she will reach for it with her fingers outstretched and ready to grasp the target.
• Her hands will now accommodate for the various shapes that she reaches for so that she can grab them with both of her hands and maneuver them toward her face.
• She utilizes her dexterity by turning objects over, transferring them from one hand to the other and by dropping them and picking them up. Those games may appear inadvertent, but they are actually important, hidden exercises teaching her object permanence. She is beginning to know the pleasure of teaching and learning from her own experiences.
• She will grace you with her squeals of joy, which are true reflections of her growing intrinsic pride.
• She will demonstrate burst-pause dialogue through mumbles, humming, razzes, humming and vowels sounds.
• She is capable of giving different responses to people based upon the level of comfort she has established with that person. Of course, Mom and Dad always receive the best of the welcomes!
• She has found out how wonderful she looks and loves to watch herself in the mirror. She reaches for and makes wonderful sounds as she tries to communicate with her reflection.
• She is capable of sitting upright for up to 30 minutes. She may need support, such as a pillow, around her waist. Make sure you are always with her as she sits up and plays in case she tires and falls forward or backward.
• She will now lean over to watch a fallen object. When her toy falls off her high chair tray, she will lean over the side and watch it. She may also return to her upright position and then a few seconds later look over the side again to the spot where it landed.
• She may watch fast-moving objects passing by such as cars or a jogger running past her stroller.

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