5 Months Old!
I’m not even sure where to start on this. For the first 6–8 weeks, time seemed to slow down. Each 3 hour cycle of food, sleep, food broke up the day to seem like continuous streams of time. Once he hit that 2 month mark, time accelerated — and fast. I cannot believe our little baby boy turned 5 months old today.
He is a wonder to watch every day. He seems to learn something new all the time. He began to smile around two and a half months. Now he can’t stop smiling. There is so much personality in every smile. He has an overjoyed smile when he sees Rachel and I focusing on him. It stretches his little face as far as it can go and forces his eyes closed. Sometimes it even comes with a coo or a loud squeak. He has a sly smile he gives when he’s comfortable snuggled up to one of us and looking at the other. It starts with an inquisitive stare for 2–3 seconds, then a slight pull on one side of his mouth and rise of one eyebrow. He usually finishes it by digging his chin into his chest, raising his shoulders and snuggling deeper into whoever his holding him.
He is getting so strong. Between 3 and 4 months he began to rock side to side. Then one day he made it all the way to one side. The next day he was able to roll onto his stomach. The next day he was rolling onto his stomach and then on to his back again. He’s got a very strong kick as well and is always trying to move to a new place by kicking his legs to get free. He has learned how to use his hips to free himself from the grasp of mommy and daddy. He will dig his heels into us, arch his back, come off the ground so only his heels and his head are on the floor and roll over. This is especially tricky in the shower.
He has discovered a whole new world of toys. He has a ball made up of plastic rings with a shaker in the middle that is easy for him to hold. He loves to sit under his hanging toys and play the piano with his feet. Grandma has a little chair with toys that he can spin in circles. Last week, he got a bouncy seat that has toys all the way around it. He has gotten very good at bouncing himself for long stretches. One of his favorite toys is a crinkly bag, like a bag a chips. He has torn apart several of those and loves the noise it makes.
Rachel went back to work at 3 months. It was a transition for everyone. She has enjoyed being back around her work community and is getting back into the swing of the job. I get to spend mornings with Drew, which are some of my favorite times. He is such a happy morning baby. Grandma Lindsay watches Drew during the day. He has gotten used to the big dogs and little cat that run around the house. He can be a handful, but overall it’s been a really good system.
He has started eating real food! We started with peas & spinach. He was not a huge fan. He was still having trouble learning how to eat real food. He would try to push his tongue out to bring it in, which would result in peas and spinach going everywhere. He has started to get the hang of it. He has eaten peas & spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, carrots and some rice. The rice in the evening has kept him full and he has slept all the way through the night. On average, he wakes up once around 4 or 5 in the morning. He does sleep in his own crib and is usually sleeping on his stomach.
He got to meet his Uncle Drew in February. Drew was in town for the NBA all star game and had a chance to come to Orange County and spend some time. Little Drew was asleep most of the time. He has also had a couple of trips from Grandma Bartlett. She has taken him on lots of walks and babysat and gotten a few smiles out of him as well.
It has been fun watching Drew take on his little personality. His face displays so many different emotions. He has such big smiles for everyone that gives him some attention. He cries like there’s no tomorrow when a bottle isn’t ready the exact minute he’s hungry. He likes to giggle at Daddy and feel safe and sleepy with Mommy. He touches our face when we pull him in close. He loves watching live music on TV. He’s growing so fast. He was 15 lbs and 25in the last time we took him to the doctor.
The coolest thing to see is how he seems to be taking on the best qualities of Rachel and I. He loves to be in groups of people and you can see him trying to talk and engage with people. There are other times when you can see him sitting back and observing situations and everything around him. He has such a good nature. He wakes up every morning with a big grin. He is the perfect little person. It’s going too fast now. We try to appreciate every minute we spend with him and are excited about the adventures that lay ahead!
