Thanks for posting your recipe. It will help us get you dialed in. A few more questions and I think you'll be rocking and rolling.
First off, what is your level of brewing experience? Have you made wine or beer before?
This one has been going for 5 days now. What is your current gravity? Your hydrometer is your best friend when it comes to making mead. It can be the first indicator of problems or knowing when to do what. Doing things based on time is inconstent as your fermentation speed can be affected by several factors.
Do you have any idea what the contents of your yeast energizer are? The formulaes vary from brand to brand. Some are nothing more than dead yeast cells. Others may contain Uric Acid, DiAmmonium Phosphate, minerals, vitamins or a combination thereof.
Most folks on the board here have settled on a mixture of FermaidK (from Lallemand) and DAP for their nutrient needs. It provides the majority of things yeast need in a honey must and the dosing and scheduling are pretty well documented for a speedy well managed fermentation. FermaidK can be purchased from MoreWine.com if your LHBS doesn't stock it.
Honey lacks the in-built nutrients that a beer wort has and nutrient additions are vital to the health and speed of your fermentation. Without the proper nutrients, your yeast can become stressed. Slow or stuck fermentation, off flavors (fusel alchols, that rocket fuel taste), strange smells and other problems are symptoms of that stress.
The White Labs Sweet Mead Yeast is a fickle beast and known for it's inconsistency. Sometimes it has worked well for me and other times it has either stalled or never even started. With your OG of 1.125 you have a PABV of 16.8%. This yeast is rated for 15% so it may or may not leave you with the desired finished sweetness.
On another note, sweet and sparkling are pretty much mutually exclusive unless you force carbonate.
There should be no need for the gelatin finings. Time is your best fining agent and the extra age does wonder for building the character of your mead.
Shaking your carboy works fine for aeration as long as it's done vigorously. It can be awkward to do though. Aeration stones are a viable option but please note the caveats that Wrathwilde listed. Just be sure to aerate twice a day until your gravity drops by one third (known as the 1/3 sugar break). This would be about 1.083 or so with your starting gravity. After that point, gently swirl your must every day to keep your yeast in suspension where it can do it's work.
Have you added any nutrients yet? It's hard to recommend how much to add and when without knowing it's composition. Normal additions would be at the end of lag phase (when visible signs of fermentation have started) and again at the 1/3 sugar break with the possibility of another addition at the 2/3 break.
Get back to us with the above info and we'll get you dialed!
:cheers:
Wade