Five Months


I've been avoiding the blogs these past couple weeks because I wanted to pretend that everything was okay for a friend. I wanted to much for this to be her cycle and couldn't bear the thought that reality might have other plans. My mom and husband kept asking me for news and I kept telling them that I was hoping for the best. I am so sorry, heartbroken really, to read about this recent loss.


*****
My baby cakes is nearly five months old. Unbelievable.
I celebrated mother day as a real life mother. Unbelievable.
It has been the most intense ride, and I am filled with gratitude everyday to be on it. 


Sleep:  
As much as you do sleep, its just not enough for me. 8pm has become a very predictable bedtime. We have a little bedtime routine with you and I taking a nice hot bath together. You float and splash for a while then I pull you up onto my belly so that you can nurse for a bit. We call for daddy when you are done and he comes in and scoops you into a towel. We give you a 'baby blow job' with the hairdryer, then lather you up with oil for a baby massage. We dress you in a sleeper and wrap you in a swaddle and I nurse you to sleep. We have a big air filter set up in your room to make some white noise, but you are much less dependent on it now than you were a few months ago. You are actually really to put down for bed. We've almost completely transitioned you from the swing to your crib. Once your eyes are fluttering we can set you in your crib and you'll drift off to sleep.  You sleep an average of 6-8 hours in that first stretch, then we bring you into bed with us when you wake up. I nurse you every hour or two once you come to bed with us until you wake up for good at about 7am. We've had a few nights where you slept for 9 or 10 hours straight, which was beyond awesome!


We are still waiting for a predictable nap pattern to work itself out. Once you get tired you fall asleep pretty quickly once you are swaddled and bounced in your quiet room. We've realized that we pay dearly if we mess with your naps, which is a real challenge since we can't predict when you will want to sleep. Daddy talks about the 'nap lottery' because we ever have any idea how long your nap will last - 2 hours is like a jackpot, but sometimes we only get like 5 minutes.


Weight & Height:  
At your four month appointment you weighed 18 lbs 8 ozs and were 26.5 inches long. You are one big boy! It is fun to see how fast you are closing in on M - He is 5 months older than you but only 2 lbs bigger! And Baby C is two months younger but already over 15 lbs! We seriously need to be taking more pictures of you boys!

Diaper Size:  
We jumped to a size 3 a while back and that seemed to solve the problem with blowouts.. until last week when I changed two massive blowouts that left you covered in poop and me trying to change you diaper in parking lots. You got your first owie last week while I was trying to clean you up and you rolled off the poopy blanket onto the asphalt where you got a bit of road burn on your arm. It was such a big mess, and I was late for lunch, so I just left the pile of dirty next to the car tire until I came back after lunch with a trash bag to scoop it all into. Sometimes your blowouts are so massive that it is just easier to dispose of your outfit than try to get it clean again.  You've always been an every couple day pooper, and save up for lots of action on those days. 

Clothes Size:  
You just keep growing! Last week I cleared out your dresser and filled it with 9 and 12 month clothing. We now have a few different channels of hand me down clothes coming our way - so much more clothing than you could ever wear. We sent big bags of clothing home for C and M. I also set some favorite outfits aside for your future cousins :)


Hair Color:  
Your hair is getting thicker and is looking very light - like a strawberry blonde, or very light brown. We need it to grow a little more before we can tell what the color will be. 

Eye Color:
Your eye color is the topic of much discussion around our house. We are seeing more and more green, still some blue, maybe a hazel? The color seems to change everytime we change your clothes!

Funniest Moment this week:  
You are a super social little dude. Totally bored by dad and I at home, and all smiles when we leave the house. Eveyone talks about what a happy baby you are while we are out in public. Its like a mean little joke you play on us - with one personality when we are at home and another when we are out in public. I went out to lunch with some of the moms from baby class. You'd missed a nap and were non-stop action and activity - like you tend to be at home. The other babies sat in their carseats, took naps on their mama's shoulders, and sat quietly while we ate and talked. You were constant action, constant noise, reaching for everything on the table, too distracted to nurse, the intense little boy that I see all day at home. By the end of lunch one of the other mama's commented about how exhausting it was to simply watch you! I was funny, only because if I didn't laugh i'd cry. 



Milestones and Firsts and Stuff:  
- We broke the BOB out of its box on Mothers Day and took it out for a ride with Baby C. OMG you love that stroller, I do too. And you seem to really love being outdoors.
- You are rolling around every which way, and trying so hard to push your torso up that you are actually pushing yourself backwards. You want so badly to move, and I bet that yo'll be crawling before too soon. 
- I've been taking you to so many meetings. Everyone in town knows you and those who get to see you at meetings feel extra special and even brag about it on facebook! so much fun :)
- Auntie graduated from college last weekend. We are SO proud of her. Your great uncles came down to celebrate and got to meet you for the first time. They love you SO much and were SO sweet with you. We took a ton of pictures. At the graduation party you were passed around the room to just about everyone there. Daddy said we should have named you 'doobie' since you were passed around like a little joint! You were SO happy to hang out with so many people all day. 
- We took you to the carmel river this past weekend and dipped you into it. The water was very cold but you loved it anyways. 
- So many giggles these days. I can tickle your belly and you burst into laughter. I love love love your giggles. 
- oh and everyone says that you are an exceptionally beautiful baby. I can't help but brag aout how adorable you are. Your sweet round cheeks and long dark eyelashes are big-time attention getters. Everyone comments on your stunning features. and I agree :)


Daddy Says:
You know what you want and can't reach any of it. You love the outdoors. You have all the ladies wrapped around your little finger, which makes you a great wingman!


Favorite Toy:  
Oh my gosh, you want to touch and taste EVERYTHING! Hands are still a favorite, but you also like anything that I am holding. Your special owl is still a favorite, and keeps you entertained in the car on almost every trip. The activity mat is getting boring and you outgrew your tummytub. 


Other Thoughts:  

- You spend a lot of time with Daddy since I've started back to work. It is actually a pretty awesome arrangement. I miss my work so much more than I thought I would, and you are so exhausting that I relish the chance to be out of the house for a break. I am only working 20-25 hours week, and I do miss you on the long days that I am gone, but it makes me appreciate my time with you so much more. It is pretty special that you get to be with both daddy and I, and are developing a special unique relationship with both of us. 
- Grandma still comes over a few nights a week. You stop in your tracks and smile when you hear her voice. It is so sweet. She is so in love with you. 
- Those first few months were brutal. Really. You really put us thru a parenting crash course, and I am not totally sure how we survived. It is getting easier, but you are still quite an intense little person. I think it is your personality shining through, since day 1. It is especially clear at baby class when we watch you in comparison to the other babies your age. You have so much energy and demand so much more attention from those around you. I am so excited to see who you are going to grow up to be.  


Photobucket

9 comments :

Stephanie said...

Haha, I love the look he is giving in that picture. He sounds like such a strong boy, and that he's definitely keeping you busy! Chloe puts everything in her mouth too, I can't wrap my head around the idea that some babies just don't put things in their mouths, wouldn't that be nice?! :)

Rach said...

Aw, he is so sweet! Sounds like he's a really good and fun baby. We had Ava's 9mo appt today and she is 18lb 13oz! So you have a big healthy boy there!!

Marianne said...

He is toooooo cute!!! Sounds like life is getting easier-here too! So glad life is good. Xoxo

Emms said...

Awe he is so cute! Glad to hear an update and that things are going well!

Emms said...

Awe he is so cute! Glad to hear an update and that things are going well!

Emms said...

Awe he is so cute! Glad to hear an update and that things are going well!

Emms said...

Awe he is so cute! Glad to hear an update and that things are going well!

Anonymous said...

What a cute photo! Thank you for the update. I am so happy everything is going well for you guys. I think of you often.

E and R said...

I don't know how I missed your post! Anyway, glad to hear that things are going well. He is adorable!!

 

My Foxy Family | Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial License | Especially for Foxy Designed by Giggly Girl Designs