5 months old!? My sweet E!? ALREADY!? How can this BE!?

I just realized my title rhymes.  How clever am I? :-)

I cannot believe that my Ethan is already 5 months old.  I can still remember every second of the day he was born like it was yesterday.  I know that sounds cliche, but it's true!  The thing that is so wonderful and surprising is that this motherhood thing just keeps getting better!  Just when I think he can't possibly get any cuter, or be any more fun, he goes and does it!  He is just a big ball of sunshine- smiley, laughing, and playful.  I am so blessed to be able to spend my days with him!  Every morning when I hear him stirring in his crib, usually before the sun is even up, I groggily stumble to his crib wishing coffee could be taken intravenously.  But then he SMILES and I'm instantly, happily awake.  And it's not just a run of the mill, generic smile- he lifts his eyebrows and makes this face that looks like he means to say, "Hey mama!  It's YOU!  I'm so glad you came to get me up!"  He's the most wonderful alarm clock a person could ask for.

Sweet boy

Here are some of the new stats on our guy: at his 4 month check up he weighed 15 1/2 lbs, and was 24 3/4  inches long, which puts him in the 75th percentile for weight and the 50th for height.  I think he might have inherited my looooong torso, because although he fits into his clothes, the pants always seem a bit long for him.  Hopefully male clothing will be a lot friendlier to that body type; growing up I had a terrible time finding certain types of clothes.  Let's just say "low rise" jeans were TOO low on me!

Looking too cute in his snazzy outfit.  I love love love love LOVE that sweet grin!

He is still very chatty, and has added squealing LOUDLY to his vocal reportoire.  For some reason he really gets going any time he's on the changing table.  And he's really laughing now too, which obviously delights us.  It makes us feel like he might like us just as much as we like him! ;-)

He has accomplished a few more "firsts" since I last posted...this list is in order of when they occurred (from 4 months to 5 months):

First time traveling: visiting Florida at Christmas.  Although I didn't get any pictures of our actual Christmas, here's a picture of Ethan and Clay at the tree lot!

  

As you can see, Ethan is absolutely thrilled to be a part of the selection process...

First time eating solid food: rice cereal.  He LOVED it! Made a big mess the first time, since he was getting the hang of the spoon, and you have to make it so watery for the first time (he definitely does better with it when it's thicker), but he has eaten it like a champ ever since.  I didn't originally plan to give him solids at 4 months (I figured we'd wait until he was 6 months), but it got to where any time Clay or I ate anything, the kid would watch us like a hawk!  I am not kidding, his little eyes just bored holes into us...so I got the message that he might be ready, ha ha!

The aftermath

First time rolling continuously.  He mastered flipping from tummy to back at 2 months, and back to tummy at 3 months, but something clicked at month 4, and he realized he could put the two together and MOVE!

First time using his exersaucer.  It was so funny, the first time he got in it, you could tell he is an engineer's son.  He examined every inch of that thing, like he needed to understand how it worked before he could play in it.  I love this precious look of concentration!

Fascinated!  Can't you just see the little cogs in his head turning?

First time using his jumper.  This was a Hallelujah moment for me as a mama.  Dinner time had become the most fraught part of my day because Clay wasn't home yet, I was trying to get things done in the kitchen, but still entertain Ethan, who was winding down for the day (read: getting fussy), and believe it or not, hard kitchen floors aren't the best for baby play.  Thankfully, my parents sent the jumper, which was immediately installed in the doorway between our kitchen and dining room, where it is used every. single. day.  I love it!!  It keeps Ethan safe and in my line of vision, while keeping him entertained and happy, HANDS FREE!  Luckily, Ethan likes it too.  It's funny, because for about the first month he didn't really jump in it...he just kinda swung around in it, batting at the toys.  In fact, the first time he actually jumped, it must have been an accident- I turned around because I heard him jump, and he looked so surprised!  But now that he's learned how to do it, he goes to town!

You can't see me, but I'm in the background doing a dance of celebration! :-)

First time eating fruit: I chose nature's super-food, the mighty avocado!  I am making Ethan's baby food, and this was the best option all around for my first try!  It is a rock star nutritionally, but you also can't find an easier food to make baby friendly.  All I had to do was mash it up, add a tad bit of water to thin it out, smush it through a strainer, and voila!  Baby food!  Ethan loved it, just like me!  I like to imagine that some sweet day the two of us will gorge ourselves on tortilla chips and guacamole together! ;-) 

First time sitting up!  He is all but mastered this skill.  The picture below shows him with his Boppy behind him for support, but he really doesn't use it at all.  These days we sit him down without it, and with the exception of a few times (like if he reaches too far to one side, he'll roll down), he stays up on his own!

Smiling at daddy!

That's about all I have to report for now.  I am going to try to be better about posting more frequently.  It's my neurotic nature- I feel like I need to get everything just right before I post, and with a 5 1/2 month old, there's not much time for that kind of perfectionism.  Going forward I hope to focus more on just capturing the little things that I'll want to remember when we're older, and not worry so much about stupid things like the dang number of spaces between the photos and the text! Yes, I do pay attention to that kind of stuff, and yes, I think God sent me a strong-willed child to teach me how to relinquish control.  Until next time! :-)