nash {5 months}

Dear Sweet Nash-

Oh sweet boy, you are such a joy! You make being a Mommy so easy.  You are the TRUE definition of an easy baby.  You just go with the flow and as long as you can fall asleep you are rarely fussy.  I know everyone thinks they have the cutest baby on the block, but we think you are extra cute with your big blue eyes and that beautiful smile.  We just love you to pieces and love watching you grow!!

Sleeping: 

Not much has changed in the sleeping department.  You are pretty much on the same schedule.  You are still a great sleep, however you aren't quite as predictable as Pearson was.  He was cranky and ready for bed right at 7pm and woke up on the dot at 7am.  You go to bed anywhere between 7-8 and wake up around 6:30-7:30.  While I wish you were a bit more predictable, it is nice that you are flexible since we are out more in the evenings with you!  Morning naps are still your best.  You take a full two hour nap without making a peep.  Sometimes if we don't have anywhere to be (which seems rare these days) you will sleep even longer.  You typically need about a 30 minute mid-day nap.  You usually fall asleep in the car while we are out and about but if we are home, this nap will sometimes turn into an hour nap.  Then I try to get both you and Pearson down in the afternoon at 2pm.  You will usually sleep until 4pm but wake up a couple times needing your paci.  Sadly I've gotten in a bad habit of rocking you to sleep.  I HAD to do it with Pearson when he was a baby so it was just kind of habit to do it with you.  It takes way less time to get you to sleep……maybe 5 minutes tops of rocking will get you right to sleep.  

Eating:

And not much has really changed in the eating department either.  You nurse every 3-3.5 hours during the day and go 11-12 hours at night.  I think we are going to wait to transition to a 4 hour nursing schedule until after you start solids next month.   Most of the time you go about 3.5 hours in between feedings.  On a typical day our schedule is 7:00, 10:30, 2:00, 5:00, 7:30.  You have learned to like the bottle again, however I still nurse you most of the time.  You might get 1-2 bottles a week.  

New Tricks/Activities/Accomplishments: 
You are a super smiley baby and pretty giggly too.  You laugh the most at your brother.  You think he is so funny.  You have started grabbing and reaching for toys and love to look at yourself in the mirror on your playmat.  You have also found your voice this month.  You have the cutest little high pitched scream.  It's kind of hard to tell if it's a mad scream or a happy scream because it is quite loud.  You love to hear yourself.  You talk to us a lot at the dinner table.  I wonder if you are trying to tell us you are ready to eat too?? You have rolled to your back a few times after you have woken up from your nap but we have yet to see you do it on your own.  You are taking your sweet time on learning to roll.  You have started to do the tripod sit but you are still pretty wobbly.  I think you are little ways away from sitting on your own.  With your little gums still bothering you, you have discovered teething toys.  You will chew on them for a minute but quickly drop them and go straight for your hands.

Likes:
Sleeping and eating are still at the top of the list of your favorite things.  You love your big brother and watching him do anything.  You LOVE being in your Johnny Jumper and still enjoy laying under the mobile or your playmate.  You love splashing bath time, being rocked at nap time, and hanging out with Mommy in the K'Link.

Dislikes:
I don't think you really like being swaddled at night anymore, but I can't let you sleep on your tummy yet since you aren't rolling.  If we leave you unswaddled you can't fall asleep and your arms go all over the place.  When your gums/new teeth coming in bother you at bedtime.  You don't like being sleepy.  That's really the only time you are mega fussy.  

Other Random Facts:

• We are still going to therapy once a week for your torticollis.  
• We got your DocBand on June 19th and it hasn't bothered you one bit.  
• Your little teeth STILL haven't come in yet, even thought I have been able to see them under the gums for over a month now.  
• The doctor diagnosed you with excema on your head and face and gave us a magic oil that totally cleared it up.  Sadly we can't use the oil anymore on your head because of your helmet so you have a little patch on the top where your head is exposed that is all crusty.  As soon as we are done with the helmet, I know our magic oil will clear it right up. 
• You are starting to get a little more hair, but it's still so light and thin that you look pretty bald. 
• I only use Aveeno product on your skin since it's a little sensitive. 
• We took our first long road trip to Fredericksburg.  You did great in the car but slept AWFUL in the hotel.  You woke up at least 5 times.  I never had to nurse you, but you just couldn't stay asleep.
• You went through a little phase where you spit up all the time but it seems to have stopped.  You just spit up one a day or so. 
• Every single stinking poopie diaper is a blow-out.  I have literally tried every single kind of diaper and nothing can hold your poop in.  You only go about every 3-4 days so it just all comes out at once.  And I guess sitting in the carseat gets you in the perfect position because it always happened in the carseat.  Grrrrr.  
• When I tell people that you are only 5 months old, they usually don't believe me.  You are so chubby!!

And we had to include a picture of our biggest change this month.  Clearly you can see he isn't bothered by it one bit. 

5 month Stats

Weight: 18lbs 10oz (ish)

Length: ?
Head Circumference: ?

Eating: nursing exclusively around 7, 11, 2, 5, 7:30 (ish)

Bedtime: around 7:30pm

Awake: around 7pm

Naps: 3 naps (8:30-10:30/11ish, 12:30-1, 2:30-5)

Diapers: size 3 (starting on July 1st)

Clothes: 9 months (squeezing into a few 6 months and starting to wear 12 month hand-me-downs)

 Here is Pearson at 5 months and Nash at 5 months.

Look how you have changed!!