5 months!

Oh baby boy, another month! It is a weird feeling when you hit a new month. One part of my heart feels like this first year is flying by and I want it to slow down so I can soak up every moment. The other part of me feels like being your momma just keeps getting better and better that I want to speed things up to see what is around the next corner.

This month was a fun one my little boy. You continue to be so much more content and willing to explore the world around you. Your personality is starting to come through more. For the most part, you tend to be fairly serious and very inquisitive. You love to look at objects and study

them. You definitely don't like loud noises and you tend to startle fairly easily. You're starting to have a preference for people and you definitely know who your mom and dad are. It's so special for me to watch you light up when you see dad come in the door. You look around at the sound of his voice as if thinking "finally a new face besides mom!" (dad says you aren't thinking this, but I think so). One funny thing as a parent is that if one parent can get you to laugh doing something, the other one will try so hard to mimic it to get the same result. However hard I try, no one can make you smile and laugh when doing peek a boo like your dad. The minute I pick up the blue blanket and try, you just stare at me :). However, I can claim that no one can blow on your thighs and back and get the rise out of you like I can.

You still love books which makes momma so happy. I usually read 5 or 6 at a time and you are starting to try to help me turn pages, or maybe you are trying to shove the corners in your mouth :) At this point, no book compares to the book "tails." I haven't made you smell the skunk scratch and sniff yet, icky. You can look at the picture of the peacock for so long. Probably because the feathers have a blue krinkle texture. Speaking of your mouth, everything continues to find its way into to that little opening of yours. One day (before I figured out you weren't teething, but rather dying for solids) I got a wash cloth wet and put an ice cube in it. You sucked and sucked and sucked on that ice cube through the wash cloth until it was all gone! When we go on walks now, I generally give you some sort of towel to chew on. Of course the big moment this month was when you started solids. You are allll about them!

You are starting to get a little frustrated with lying on your back. You would much rather be standing up looking at something, or sitting up. I have started to get out some of the "big kid" toys for you to play with. We have a small table that has different activities on it that you love to stand at and play with. You also like it when I stack up your alphabet blocks way over your head. I don't think you realize you are doing it, but in the process of trying to grab the blocks, you always knock over the tower and it surprises you every time! I've also started standing you up in the bath sometimes and you try to grab the stream of water coming out the faucet. It's so cute. You have stopped doing it now, but for a few days you would hold out your arm and open and

close your hand like you were waving. Other times you would just hold your arm out with a fist and wave it around. We called that your band conductor move.

One other talent you have developed this month is pinching. You seriously can pinch child! Everything has met those little fingers of yours! The worst is carrying you in the front pack. At first it seems like we're having a sweet moment of your hands resting on my arms and then wham you use both hands and do some serious flesh grabbing!

You are SO close to rolling from your back to your stomach. You can flip to the side, you just

can't quite get that little arm of yours tucked under. soon baby. You are also getting so much better at sitting up by yourself. I always have to be really close because I never know when you

are going to topple forwards or to the side. You are getting SO strong. You also found your toes this last month. It is so sweet to watch you pull so hard at your sock trying to get it to your

mouth.

Sleeping is getting better and better, although we still have our challenges! Lately you've been doing one normal nap a day, and then I'm having to ergo you for the 2nd one. Hey, having a 2 hour break is amazing though, so thank you. The nights are improving as well. You are normally asleep by 7 and lately (besides last night) you sleep until about 4 and then go back until 6:30 or

sometimes 7. I have so appreciated the increased time of sleep.. it's still hard for me to stay up past 7:30 though :) We are in the process of weaning the swaddle. Your legs have been out for close to 2 weeks, but we haven't made the plunge of leaving out one of your arms.

You are still in 3-6 month clothes and size 3 diapers. Some of your clothes are getting small, including my favorite plaid shirt, tear. Please act excited when I give you that shirt when you are an adult. It's special.

Do we even need to talk about your hair? Yes, it's still there and it's still growing! We get comments on your hair everywhere. where. we. go. I wouldn't be surprised if your future wife falls in love with your hair when she meets you. We get comments all the time on how cute you are. We are biased, but you are pretty darn cute.

One of my favorite moments of the day is when I carry you up the stairs for your nap. It's like you know it's time and you start to burrow your head into my chest. I love that sweet cuddle moment. I love you big boy. You are just getting sweeter and sweeter.