Five Months Old!

Well, the Bear is 5 months! Whoa! This last month went by in such a haze that this has legitimately taken me off guard.

The GOOD

Bear gets more mellow and jolly as he ages, which is nice. He smiles all the time. It's adorable. He rides well in the stroller and carrier now, as needed, and takes great naps during the day (at home). He likes to laugh, roll over, try to crawl and attempt to sit unassisted. He loves baths and loves being naked post-bath even more.

We started solids with him per his doctor's recommendation since he wasn't drinking milk at daycare and was a very sad baby as a result. Fortunately, we solved that problem, but since he took to solids like a duck to water we've kept with it. His first time he had no tongue thrust and swallowed easily while mashing his jaws. (?!) He's enjoyed avocado, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, peas and oatmeal thus far, and just this week started eating Baby Mum-Mums, which he is crazy about. He hated the green beans, alas. He nurses very well and is getting quite chubby!

Bear is also adding to his vocabulary. He especially likes, "bla bla bla!" right now, but has thrown in a "mamamama" on occasion.

The BAD

Bear is still not a great car companion on a semi-regular basis, which is not fun for any of us. Z is particularly not amused when his brother decides to scream to high heaven when we are driving somewhere. If he decides he's not happy about his car life, there is basically nothing you can do to stop him.This is really where the majority of his crying in life occurs. In his day to day he doesn't really cry very much because he grumbles like an crabby old man for quite awhile before he will resort to all out crying.

Bear also appears to be having a growth spurt, which I was not expecting. He started waking more frequently to eat in the night with intense fervor just a couple days before turning 5 months. The silver lining is he eats very rapidly (10 minutes?) and then is back to sleep. The downside is that I really have to make sure he burps after that frenzied gulping or things can get gross. Like, shower gross. The other bright side is he has stopped any nocturnal pooping, so I never have to change his diaper in the night anymore. Win!

Bear also appears to be working pretty hard on teeth that just. won't. cut. BAH! Poor guy.

The AWESOME

Guys, he smiles all the time. I am not joking. This kid is so smiley, it is crazy. He wakes up and smiles. He finishes eating, looks at me, and smiles. He sees me from across the room and smiles. He sees Z do anything and smiles abound. Joe gets near him, he smiles. A random stranger talks to him, he smiles. You get the picture. He is just a really happy baby. We love him!