5 Months

Liam David you are 5 months old (and it is Grammy's birthday today, too!).  We cannot believe how fast you're growing and all of the new things you're up to!  You really are a happy little guy and you have a way of sharing that joy with everyone you meet.  People just dote on you and you love the attention.  You are happy go lucky but you have a very strong will, you're observant and curious.  You're really blooming into your own little person!  And your Daddy and I feel so complete now.

Stats (mommy/daddy estimates)

Weight: 14lbs
Height: 25 1/4 inches
Head: 44.5 cm

If our measurements are accurate, that would mean you've gained a little over a pound, grown an inch and your head is almost 2cm larger!  You've really been BUSY this past month.  WOW.  Growing so fast and you still have time to charm mommy, daddy and the rest of the world with your bubbly personality.  What a precious little miracle you truly are.

You are still in size 2 diapers.  And you still wear 3-6 month clothes, which fit perfectly!

Babycenter.com says you should have mastered the following by now:
• Distinguishes between bold colors--you are really interested in the floor and sides of your play gym which has brightly colored animals/insects on it.  You can gaze at them for a great deal of time now.
• Plays with his hands and feet--you love your feet!  We took you to the zoo today and you spent a great deal of your time gazing at your feet.  SILLY BOY, we could have done that at home.  HA!

The following are emerging skills (half of babies can do):

• Recognizes own name--you've got this down (I think I blogged on that sometime last month).  You used to look only for mommy, but now anyone who says your name you will look at.  You definitely know your name.
• Turns toward new sounds--surprised to see this here, you've ALWAYS been curious about new sounds.  You will stop whatever you're doing (including nursing) if you hear a sound!
• Rolls over in both directions--you know you definitely do (in your crib we will find you on your back when we placed you on your tummy and we'll find you on your tummy when you've been placed on your back) BUT you're not crazy about showing us that you can roll from your back to your tummy any other time.  Apparently your crib is the only place you show off this skill.  However, you will roll from your tummy to your back occasionally during the day.

Advanced skills (a few kids can do):
• Sits momentarily without support--you're sitting up longer and longer unassisted (5-7 min. is your usual).  You mostly sit hunched over your belly (staring at your toes--doesn't look comfortable to mama, but you like it). You'll be sitting up without support in no time!
• Mouths objects--ha!  is there anything that doesn't go into your mouth is more like it.
• Separation anxiety may begin--not sure on this one.  Maybe that's why you won't sleep through the night?  So far, this doesn't seem to be any more of a problem than it has been in the past (you're very much so a mama's boy, you cling to me like glue--and I wouldn't have it any other way, so it would be hard to say).

Here are some other things you've been doing:

You just started spitting (gasp!! who taught you that?!)

You are trying hard to crawl and you prove it by traveling all over your crib at night!

Speaking of nights, you gave mommy and daddy 2 consecutive nights of sleeping through the night (last week) before giving up on it again (we had a brief stint with you sleeping through the night around 3 months old, I think). Now, you're up 2-3 times a night for some patting on the back and/or to have your paci put back in!  BUT you do not nurse in the night time (and haven't since around 4 months old and the pediatrician said NOT to let you start doing it again).

You go to bed between 7-8pm and sleep until 5-7am.

You eat oatmeal at night before bed and LOVE IT (you really were tired of the rice cereal).  Other than that it is strictly breast milk for you still.

You LOVE people (esp. little girls!).  Today at a restaurant you were cooing and babbling to a little girl who really loved staring at you and talking to you--she even offered you a french fry!  When we go out you love people watching and you put the charm on for anyone who stops to talk to you.

You LOVE your dogs.  You've taken a new interest in watching them in their daily activities.  You love to "pet" them (or grab their fur) and drool on them.

Speaking of drool, it has gotten a bit better, but you are DEFINITELY teething, so with that comes some drooling, right?  We see your teeth right underneath the gums.  We're hoping you cut them soon (maybe that's why you're no longer sleeping through the night?!)

You love "talking" (babbling) and will sometimes answer us when we ask you something.  We think we've heard "mama" a couple of times!  But "uuuwww" continues to be your favorite!

Today I saw you switch your rattle from your left hand to your right.  Really surprised me, but you looked at me like it was no big deal!

You're really starting to enjoy being read to (you used to not be able to sit still long enough).  You seem to love it now.  You even grab the pages and try to turn them sometimes (maybe you want mama or daddy to read faster?).

You laugh out loud when we tickle you and you've recently started laughing out loud when we talk silly to you or make funny faces.  Your laugh, just like your coos just melt my heart.  Here's a photo of you being tickled, look at your expression, silly boy:

You hold your legs up while we change your diaper.  Too funny!  You're so helpful.  Here's a photo of it:

 

You love to touch!  You're favorite is holding mommy or daddy's hands (especially while you sleep or drift off to sleep--it's as if you're saying "don't leave me!").  You still hold mommy's shirt when you nurse or my hand. 

Speaking of sleep, sleeping through the night obviously seems to be a thing of the past (again, we think it's your gums bothering you).  As far as naps go, you've been taking a lot of them in mommy or daddy's arms (we just love snuggling you and you prefer it too), but you still go down in your crib for naps occasionally and you always sleep in your crib at night.  Unfortunately, you must be put into your crib asleep (you wake slightly when we put you down, but you do fine putting yourself to sleep).  Sometimes you self soothe during your middle of the night wake ups, but most times we have to help you get back to sleep.

Your car seat is hit or miss these days (sometimes you'll cry in it, other times you're pretty content).  You have started putting yourself to sleep in it (we used to have to shake the seat back and forth a bit to calm you and help you get to sleep).

Yesterday daddy had the day off so we took you out to Avila Beach for the afternoon.  You were so good--you charmed anyone and everyone who would listen to you babble or watch you spit!  We saw DOLPHINS & SEALS!  We had so much fun as a family just relaxing and strolling around with nowhere to be, nothing to stress about and absolutely no agenda! 

Today we took you to the Atascadero Zoo (it was military appreciation day).  It was really relaxing and fun.  You napped on the way there and woke when we turned the car off, but you seemed to stay in a daze (very quiet, calm and relaxed in daddy's arms).  However, the tiger and parrots caught your interest (you LOVE your "Larry Bird" as daddy calls him, which is a red parrot you have on your jumperoo, attached to your mirror in the car and on your bounce chair) so it is no wonder a real life parrot was the only attraction you really paid attention to!

It was a wonderful weekend and it has been a fabulous 5 months with you!  We are so excited to watch you continue to grow and learn new skills.  You amaze us more and more each day (and we never think it's possible).  Liam, I have never loved anything as much as I love you (and each day my love for you grows more & more)...

Happy 5 Months sweet boy & Happy Growing!