#5

Oh. My. Goodness.

What an insane jump between 4 mos. & 5 mos.!!! Dave & I can't get over the big differences we are seeing in our little Mister. He is growing & changing quickly-- such joyous days!

Fun Facts for this Fifth Month:

1. He talks in this hoarse whispery voice that completely cracks us up!! Alas! We have only captured seconds of it on video-- every time he gets on a roll we're too late w/a recording device.

2. He folds his hands together a lot. It is too cute-- sometimes it looks like it's a worrying grasp, sometimes like he's about to pray-- whatever the mood, we love to see it. He is holding on to toys now, & just last week I watched him identify his pacifier, grab it & put it in his mouth!! If ONLY he could keep it there ;) (he also started this hands-on-hips thing my last days @ my parents'-- my mom & I LOVED it!)

3. The distance from his hands to his mouth is SHORT. EVERYTHING goes in to his mouth. Everything. Special favorites: skin & fabric.

4. He found his toes!! A delicious snack at any time of day ;)

5. He is still drooling like crazy, but no teeth yet...

6. He is batting at things & going after things. Those little legs are still kicking away, & since he now knows he can hold things, they are helping him go after them whenever he's in a position to.

7. He is becoming a roll-over pro-- though he mostly goes from back to stomach these days.

8. He is seeing more & more of his world. It is much more fun to go on walks now as he looks at things, not just blurs. The trees really get his attention.

9. He was sleeping through the night!! Oh! The tragedy of that past tense!! He did it for a week, & then we went to see my parents & it was quickly a very fond memory... He did pretty well last night, though, so I bet we're not far from him getting back in to the swing of things.

10. He is patient. At least my mother & I think he is-- & she doesn't say things just to be nice :) He doesn't mind waiting for things most of the time-- now, trust me, he let's me know when the waiting time is over :)

We finally got around to taking him in for his 4 month appointment this morning. We're off a month because I wanted Dave to be here since he had to get more shots; the 2 month shots were AWFUL & I was alone-- I didn't want to do that again! He absolutely hated the shots-- no doubt about that. He is doing great as far as all their checks go-- the only thing she pointed out is that he is on the slender side. Our doctor told us that it isn't so much what they weigh, but that they keep to a pattern-- like they don't want them to measure in the 20%, then the 90%, etc. which I found interesting-- it's nice to know when things don't matter! She also encouraged us to start being more disciplined w/letting him get himself to sleep... & even though I do love rocking that little baby, I have to admit that when I observed Ashley lay Emma down & leave the room I thought that wouldn't be so terrible either... We'll see!! Ash, I may be calling you crying :) Dr. Berry said she thought we'd probably have a tough week, but then it'd be over. "Better now than when they're 2"-- excellent advice.

She also went over the types of things I can expect him to be doing/responding to-- this kid is about to be drilled regularly on noises, faces, sounds, etc :) It is too fun to know that he's starting to learn more than eating & those other essential baby skills. Fun days ahead for sure!! Oh! & we get to expand his food horizons-- I will finally get to put my Beaba to use AND maybe we'll get that freezer for the basement!! (13 year old me would have NEVER believed that this is what excites the 36 year old me)

My sweet Father snapped these BEAUTIFUL pics while I was visiting-- I will not bore you with all 200 of them, but here are a few of my favorites: