Five Months!

Happy Five Months Jack!  You are already getting so big.  We love to watch you grow!

I will say these past months have quickly crawled by.  Doesn't make sense, does it?  Really the days were super long because I never really slept.  It is kind of like one never ending day all rolled together.  I think that's why the first few months with a new baby are often called "the haze."  Even though the days never seemed to end, the weeks ticked by one after the other rather quickly.  And now here we are with our five month old little guy. Kind of hard to believe that his "newborness" is gone.  We are on to one of my favorite stages though.  We have an interactive curious baby who smiles and giggles a whole lot.  It's kind of fantastic.

Jack started solids right after he turned four months.  He was NOT into the rice cereal at all so we quickly moved onto veggies.  He loves anything orange.  Sweet potatoes.  Carrots.  Squash.  All winners.  He is not a fan of any of the "P" foods including pears, peaches, and peas.  Funny, right?

Jack has been very stubborn about taking a bottle and turned his nose up to formula.  I mean the kid acted like we were trying to make him drink vinegar.  I put Jack in "bottle boot camp."  After three days of completely refusing it, he finally gave in and drank formula from a bottle.  It seems we may have a very determined little guy on our hands.  What he has yet to realize is that he has an equally determined Mommy who will win these battles.  Just ask George and Clara.   In addition to his solids twice a day, he drinks one bottle of formula once a day and nurses the rest of the time.

 Sleeping is still a challenge so right before he turned five months we started to let him cry to go to bed at night.  We decided to get rid of all the vices at the same time.  No more sleeping in our room.  No more swaddle.  No more middle of the night feedings.  It is horrible to hear him cry.  It completely sets me on edge.  Thank God for superstar Daddies who can handle sad little babies.  When he cries we go in and soothe him but never pick him up.  We do this periodically until he falls asleep.  We are in the middle of it still so I hope at his 6 month update I will be able to say there are no more tears and we are sleeping through the night!

Jack is rolling all over the floor when he plays on his back.  He can also scoot himself around on his back to get to toys.  Jack is able to sit up and play now also.  We still sit behind him or put a pillow behind him just in case he loses his balance.  He enjoys the jumper and is able to bounce now.  We call Jack Mr. Grabby because lately that is all he does.  He grabs at toys, jewelery, plates, food, hair, noses.  He wants to reach out and touch everything.  His curiosity is awesome to watch.

Watching the bond between our three monkeys grow is possibly one of the most beautiful things.  Thinking toward the future knowing how connected they will be gives me such an overwhelming feeling of joy.  Nothing sweeter...

Where are these teeth?  We still have two little teeth buds sitting under his bottom gums.  He is drooling and chewing on everything!  Some days it seems like they bother him so I am ready for these suckers to pop through.  Any day now...

Jack enjoyed his first time floating in our pool.  He is getting used to the water and being splashed by his siblings.

Jack is such a sweet and happy baby boy.  I enjoy our time together cuddling, giggling, and playing.  Nothing but love for our little guy!!

Summer Camp

George and Clara attended their first summer day camp at our church.  They had a great time each week participating in themed activities.  They enjoyed having fun with new friends.  Looking forward to next year!

First Day.  Ready for fun!

 Disco Days!

 Construction, construction!

 Under the Big Top!

 Round and Round!

Sweet Siblings

Jack's Fourth Month

Happy Four Months Little Jack!  You are growing so fast and learning so much.  It's so fun to be your Mommy!

This month Jack became very interested in using hands.  He is able to get a hold of toys and bring them to his mouth.  He also found his feet.  Jack stared at them for a long time determined to grab them.  Now he even grabs at toys and people with his feet.

Jack can roll over from tummy to back.  As soon as we put him on his tummy he tends to roll right over onto his back. Jack has rolled from his back to his tummy but the few times he has, it scared him.  He is much more comfortable rolling from his back to his side and hanging out there.

Jack is a really happy little guy and laughs often.  I love hearing his belly laugh when something really gets him going.  Such a sweet sound.  Jack is learning how to make lots of new sounds too.  He even screeches and squeals.

Jack is very interested in his toys and seems to love a soft lamb.  He enjoys his activity mat now and even has gone in the jumper a few times.  He hasn't figured out how to jump yet but he enjoys sitting up.  Jack also spends a lot of time in the Bumbo chair.  I can tell it is really strengthening his stomach and back muscles.  He will be sitting alone soon! Jack also loves to be carried around in the Baby Bjorn.  This is great for me so I can hold him while having free hands.  Great for picking up the house!

 Jack chews on everything.  Toys, fingers, blankets, pacifiers.  I can see the beginnings of two teeth on the bottom.  Sometimes it can take a long time for those suckers to push through.  I hope it will be sooner rather then later because he can have some fussy days and I always wonder if it is his teeth.

Four months of sleep deprivation is pretty terrible.  Jack's sleeping is a total mess.  He wins the prize for the worst sleeper in the family.  Even Clara slept better then Jack.  He has had nights when he only wakes up once...glorious!  But most nights he is up every 2-3 hours.  He wants to be cuddled or nursed back to sleep.  This is a habit that we will probably eventually have to break.

We tried to unswaddle him and move him into his crib from our bedroom.  As soon as we put him down on the first night he rolled right onto his side to sleep.  We tried sleeping in the crib for 2.5 weeks.  As the days progressed the sleeping got less and less and the fussiness increased.  After a discussion with our doctor she thinks it is his reflux and he may need to be elevated at night until 6 months.  She also thinks his sleeping will change for the better once we start solids.  So he is back down in our bedroom for now until we can figure out a solution.  At this point I don't want to walk up and down the stairs three or more times at night anyway to feed him or comfort him.  Looks like the transition into his crib and getting rid of any "bad sleeping habits" will all happen at once. 

We have had more baby play dates with our best bud Evan.  We also were able to see another good friend's baby girl named Caroline.  She is a month younger then the boys.  Sweet little ones!

 Jack adores his older brother and sister.  He is constantly looking for them, smiling at them, and now grabbing at them.  George and Clara really enjoy this since he is finally starting to interact with them a little bit.  George often tells me "I want Jack to stay a baby forever!"  It is amazing to watch their bond grow.

There is no way around being completely exhausted with a young baby but all of the sweet moments this new little person brings into our family make it totally worth it.