5 month update

From Nicholas - Month 5

No official stats this month, but our guess is that he has gained less than a pound but a lot of length. I'm ballparking 18 1/2 pounds and 27 inches.

Nicholas' big accomplishment this month was learning how to roll onto his tummy. The amount of time he now spends on his tummy has at least quadrupled, so he may actually crawl eventually.

From Nicholas - Month 5

This new skill has further increased his tendency to move all around his crib. Mostly it just amuses us to see how he has managed to re-orient himself, but sometimes he gets himself in trouble. We switched to a mesh bumper after I found him with his face up against the one we had and since he can now roll over but isn't good about remembering he can roll back. However, the mesh bumper is so thin that he often now gets his arms stuck between it and the mattress. And earlier this week he discovered that when up on his arms the crib railing was at mouth height, chomped down, but then his hands slipped down the side of the mattress and he couldn't get his mouth back off the railing. Luckily he doesn't have teeth yet. And, yes, the drop side is now up.

Nicholas also got much better at sitting up this month. He is strong enough to do it, but doesn't seem to understand the concept and so often throws himself backwards. Hence, you can't just leave him sitting up and walk away. But if there is a toy in front of him that he wants to play with and you bend him a little forward towards it, he can sit and play with it on his own for long periods.

We've decided that this ability makes him meet the criteria of "can sit independently" that is required for using the jumping contraption (I'm too lazy to get up to look at the name). He hasn't figured out that he can jump in it yet, but loves the new toys that are attached to it. Once he figures out he can jump, I think it will be his favorite place.

From Nicholas - Month 5

The other thing he has learned to do is reach for things that are just out of reach and find the edges to grab them. In fact, anything that is just a couple inches out of reach is instantly more exciting. He loves pulling things off the table, pulling games off the shelf, etc. Since he isn't yet mobile and so we can control what he has access to, we don't mind too much, but I have visions of the destruction he will be able to cause in a few months.

It is impossible to quantify, but he has also gotten noticeably stronger this month. When he swats at hanging toys, he does so with such force that they fly and bang into each other. And sometimes I swear he is just hitting at them to see how much he can make them hit each other.

Somehow he has become even more of a momma's boy this month. It is hard to believe this is the same child who would only smile for Joe at first. He screams when he realizes I'm leaving and if he can see me he only wants me. It seems that he is fine without me if he doesn't know I'm around, but seeing me or hearing my voice sets him off. I'm glad he loves me, but this is getting a bit absurd.

In the past couple weeks we have started enforcing naptime in his crib more consistently. And for the most part he is doing okay. He often wakes up before he is really rested, but the pathetic "I'm so tired. Why am I awake?" cries are a good sign to us to leave him there. About 2/3 of the time he falls back asleep. The other times, however, make for awful afternoons because he is too tired to function well but won't sleep.

Nicholas desperately wants to be able to eat real food. Yes, he puts everything in his mouth, but he seems to know the difference between food and other things. He just chomps on toys, but if he gets within reach of my food, he licks at it, trying to eat it. Since he eats like it is baby food (licking, mostly) rather than adult food, I sometimes let him taste, figuring he won't actually get enough to swallow or have it be dangerous. Just one more month, buddy. Then you can eat real-ish food.

We have had a very full month of outings, and Nicholas loves them. He gets so excited when we walk out of the apartment and into the stairwell, seemingly knowing we're going out. In many senses it doesn't even matter where we go, as long as there is new stuff to see. And if he can be carried or in the Baby Bjorn instead of the stroller, even better. And if there is music as well, he is in seventh heaven.

This is during music at the aquarium this past week:

From Nicholas - Month 5

Music has become like magic with this child. It didn't seem to calm him when he was a little baby and so we had written it off, but we have to remember to try things again every couple months because he changes so much. Recently I can keep him calm long enough to make my lunch or change clothes by setting him where he can see me and singing to him. We need to learn some more kids' songs, though, because I am really getting bored of the ABCs.

There are a bunch more pictures in the Peanut Gallery, but here is one more of our sweet 5-month old who desperately wishes he was 5 years old instead:

From Nicholas - Month 5

We love you so much, buddy. You'll be playing with the big kids all too soon.