5 Months

I say this every month but really...wow...5 months! I think Charlie has grown the most developmentally this month. He is so funny.

It started out w/ his four month checkup where we were told that we could start solids. We did rice cereal a week later...hilarious. He seemed to want to eat it, but couldn't keep it in his mouth. He then got the hang of it and would actually reach out to the spoon to help guide it in his mouth. Two days ago we started with sweet potatoes. He also seems to like them but they are a mess! He has been doing this funny thing with eating lately. He will take the food then stick his thumb right in after it as if almost to help him suck it down. Then he takes his thumb out of his mouth and acts like a baby bird smacking his lips at me. I tried to feed him in the highchair but he looks so small in it. So, I've used hte bumbo seat but I also have been using this fisher price booster seat thing. He really likes it...so I'm going with it. He is so very interested in what I am eating and will try to grab at my fork. He also loves to grab at my glass when i am drinking. I bought him a sippy cup to just suck on and he picked it up right away.

Speaking of grabbing at things. He is grabbing at everything. Some of his favorites include noses, necks, hair, my cell phone and the TV clicker. He has a few favorite rattles that he loves to reach out and grab as well. It is so amazing to with his determination when he reaches out and grasps an object. OOOh...he is also grabbing his toes. This started on Christmas Eve. I was getting ready and had him in just a diaper on my bed. I looked over and he had each foot in each hand. He was just staring at them. He looked over at me like, "What the heck do I do now?" This morning was the first time I saw him actually bring his foot to his mouth.

He is a very loud little boy! He loves to coo, yell and he has started to babble a bit. His babbles sound like mem mem or mom mom...however I don't think he is doing it to call me. He has also laughed like a giggle a few times. It is awesome. He smiles all the time at me and pretty much anyone else that smiles at him.

He has been bearing weight on his legs for a while now and still enjoys doing this. He has been sitting assisted during the last month but has been able to stay seated alone for a minute or two within the last week. He likes being this way much better then laying on his back. He is still only rolling onto his side. In fact, he sleeps on his side with his thumb in his mouth. I love to go in at night to check on him before I go to bed. I actually can't stand how cute he is when he is sleeping. I also, like a crazy person, place my hand on his chest to make sure he is breathing.

As for his physical development...well he is a little on the skinny side. We went to stomach specialist (for his acid reflux) and he didn't gain as much weight as he should have. He was in the 25th for weight at 3 months, the 15th at 4 months and the 10th at 5 months. Great...I'm starving my child. He is still in the 65-75th for height...so that's good:) They told me they weren't that worried as he was developing in every other way. So, since I was weaning him anyway, I have to concentrate his formula for one bottle a day. I will also use the concentrated formula to make his rice cereal. Hopefully my little boy will pack on some lbs!

Sleep wise...he is amazing! He sleeps on average 10-12 a night. He will go to bed between 7-730 at night and wake up between 5-7. Naps...not so long. He will take a morning nap for about 30-40 minutes then two afternoon naps for about the same time.

All in all....this month was really great. He has such a big personality. I have to go back to work next Friday and I am really going to miss my days with Charlie:(

PS...Please pay no attention to the large pair of scissors in the pic w/ him sitting up. Dear God...I reeally was right there with him and supervising his sitting.