Five Months Old!

Here are some ways Ian has changed over the last month:

1. He gained more weight in the last 3 weeks than he did in the previous 4+ months of his life! My guess is that he now weighs over 13lbs. I won't be able to weigh him until we get back to PA. Using the scale has gone from a sad, nerve wracking experience to one that is exciting. :-)

2. He now nurses without a shield and also drinks FAR more formula than he did the first 4 months. So far he still really enjoys nursing. In fact just this morning he gave me a HUGE smile when he saw I was about to nurse him. What a relief! I hope this continues for many more months. To illustrate the difference in how much formula he is now consuming, the first few months we threw away a small can even though it wasn't empty because it had been open for a month. That size can now only lasts 3 days. In a couple of weeks I'm going to have to start buying formula. I'm grateful that we had enough free samples to carry us thus far. I plan to start him on solid foods in the next couple of weeks.

3. He spits up even more than he used to. I am doing more laundry these days!!! I carry around a cloth diaper (which I use as a burp cloth) all the time. Ian grabs on to them now. I think it might become his security blanket since he's so used to being on one All The Time. Unique security blanket, eh? :-)

4. He laughs a lot more! It is very easy to get him to laugh - he'll even laugh just because I'm laughing!
5. He loves taking a bubble bath with his sister, which is a big change as he used to HATE his baths.

6. Sleeping at night has been worse this month compared to last month, but he's doing better with his naps. Hopefully next month I can say that he's doing better sleeping at night. :-)

7. He doesn't like his pacifier any more. He sometimes sucks the back of his hand. If he stays with that habit, it should be easier to break than thumb sucking.

8. This isn't something new, but I keep forgetting to mention what a grabber he has been since birth. When I'm holding him (he's facing my chest), he grabs onto something with both hands - my hair, shirt, etc. He has quite a grip! Even when I am changing his clothes he'll hold on tightly to his own sleeve which made it a challenge to take it off. Nadia didn't do this.

9. He's gotten better and holding up his head while sitting and also while on his belly. Tummy time is going better particularly if it's not a situation where he's just lying on his belly on the floor

10. He is doing a great job of tracking with his eyes and continues to love looking at lights, ceiling fans, etc.

11. He's just started to enjoy holding a toy - that is until he accidently hits himself in the head with it. OOPS!

P.S. It helps to remember that if he came on his EDD, he'd only be 3 months old right now.