Dear Liam,
Happy 5 months my littlest love! Months with you are flying by and you are growing up just too fast!
You are weighing in at 16.4 pounds (45 percentile) and measuring 25.5 inches tall (28.9 percentile). You are wearing size 2 diapers during the day you absolutely hate a wet diaper though, so we have invested in size 3 night diapers at night. You flew right through 6 month sleepers and have moved into 9 month sleepers for length. You are still in 6 month pants and onesies.
This month continued to be pretty difficult in the ways of reflux. While the increased medicine seemed to help you still just were pretty uncomfortable and the next step for us was to go to a GI specialist. Several people recommended that we try out a chiropractor because it had worked wonders for their child. We were a little skeptical but we decided to give it a try. The way that Dr. Peterson explained it to us is that when you are formed as a fetus you are formed and grow in a ball & when you are born things don't always straighten out correctly. We have had 5 adjustments and it has been amazing to us what a different person you are! You don't seem to have any more discomfort, no more arching, crying, can't get comfortable episodes. You are eating more and better & you aren't having nearly as many loud and uncomfortable burps or gas episodes. We are very thankful we found such a natural solution! This smile was missing for a few weeks and it never felt better to get back!
You are still drinking Mama's milk. Since visiting the chiropractor, I have been able to add coffee & some tomato products back into my diet. This makes Mama's heart so happy!! I have joked that when you and Mason have your own little newborn children I am going to tell you: "Now cut out the coffee & let me know how it goes." Haha! You are a very picky little eater. You don't like to take your milk from anyone except your Mama. You also seem to prefer a bottle to nursing if you have your choice. After your first bottle of the day you decide you will just take bottles for the rest of the day. It makes me a little sad but fed is best & you're still getting my milk so I'm just going with it. You also prefer it to be perfectly quiet while you're drinking. If it isn't quiet then you want me to be walking around. You are a particular little guy. This was quite difficult in the beginning to keep Mason quiet during your feedings but he has adjusted to this for the most part. I think he also secretly appreciates it because this is the time he gets into all of his curious little troubles, like getting the blue body wash and putting it all over his cars to make them "Dinoco blue", because he knows that I'm stuck and now is his chance.
We did start some single grain oatmeal cereal with you this month at the recommendation of our pediatrician to help with your reflux. I didn't have high hopes this would go well because your brother hated it so much. But you are the exact opposite. You absolutely cannot get enough of it & we cannot get it in your mouth fast enough. If you could have it for every meal it would probably thrill you to death. Currently you are just getting 3 TBSP at dinner time with 2oz of Mama's milk. I also may have let you get away with chowing down on a banana one day.
As for a schedule, that is pretty much just shot. You want to make your own schedule & I have found days that I try to get you to stick to a schedule the both of us are just frustrated. However, letting you follow your own patterns you have kind of created a little bit of a schedule for yourself. Starting out the month your wakeful window was about 60 minutes. It was supposed to be around 90-120 minutes so we have stretched that out a little over time. Your morning wakeful window is the shortest. You can make it a max of 60 minutes and you want back in your bed for a quick nap. The rest of the time your wakeful windows are generally around 90-100 minutes, there are rare stretches you can make it Naps are a little laughable but we are rolling with it. Your average nap is about 40 minutes SOMETIMES you make it to 50-60 minutes. However, I know the second you go down if I want to get anything done I need to get after it NOW. In the last week you have started taking a few 2 hour naps in the morning. They are few and far between but a very delightful little surprise!
Your little self-made schedule(ish) looks about like this:
Your personality is still coming out more and more every month. You absolutely love to be outside & for the most part when you aren't hungry or wet you are generally really laid back. You love physical touch and quality time. You very much want to be held or at least where you can see us. We do a lot of baby wearing. At night when we are nearing bedtime you love to chase Mason around in the umbrella stroller. You know exactly what you want and you aren't afraid to do what you need to do to get it. That can sometimes get very loud. You absolutely hate a wet diaper. HATE. IT. I feel like we go through diapers quickly with you, but you are very insistent if you are wet that we change you. You are a TALKER! At first we would think that you were upset but you just love to talk and talk and talk from the minute you are awake until the next time you go to sleep.
As for looks, you are 100% Daddy and Poppy. We were sitting out back one evening and when I looked over at you all I saw was your Poppy.
You are 110% Mama's boy. Any time you are upset or want something the second you come into my arms you are immediately calmed down. Like I mentioned above, you only want your Mama to feed you and you prefer that Mama puts you down as well. I am sure a lot of this is because you and I spend every day together as opposed to you needing to go to a sitter. It just comes easier for me to read your cues or know what is coming next.
As much of a Mama's boy as you are, I think you are more of a Mason's boy. I say this every time but your relationship with Mason beyond exceeds anything I could have imagined. You love him more than anything in the world. The second you see him your face lights up and absolutely nothing can make you laugh the same way he can. It's like you two already have some kind of secret code or language. I was telling Daddy just the other day, I don't think Mason will ever truly know just how much you look up to and adore him. While you are boys, I pray daily that you two will have the same bond that I have with your Aunt Lisa & Aunt Amy. Growing up I looked up to them the same way I see you looking up to Mason & I know that is God answering my prayers.
This month you mastered rolling over from your back to your tummy & you do it constantly! However, I think learning this skill made you forget how to roll from your tummy to back all of the sudden. You get flipped over and get very ANGRY that you can't get back over. But I know in just a short time you will be rolling all over the place.
You are really wanting to meet skills quickly it seems. I think it is because you have Mason to watch and want to jump in with him. You prefer to be standing & try to move your feet like you are walking. While we aren't even close to walking your face lights up when we hold your hands and walk behind you and you can "take some steps." You have also started trying to sit by yourself this month. I wouldn't say you've mastered it at all because you are normally folded in half and will sit like that happily until you fall over to one side, but we will get there.
We completely unswaddled you this month when sleeping. It was such an easy transition as you were never really in love with it anyway. We just didn't put it on one night because it was dirty and then we just never put it on again after that. You seem to really prefer that. Since we have unswaddled you have really become a side sleeper. Every time we put you down to sleep you roll over to your left side and fall asleep. This is the exact same thing your Daddy does when he goes to sleep at night. The one downfall to the side sleeping this month is you seem to roll onto your stomach in the middle of the night and can't get flipped back over. But like I said, we will get there in a no time at all.
Liam Hayes, I love getting to know you more every single month. Being your Mommy is just the biggest blessing. You have a smile that melts my heart and lights up the room. You look at life with so much joy and a sparkle in your eye. I pray that this is always the case for you. You truly are such a happy addition to our little family of 4. You bring more happiness to each of us than you will ever know. We love you, sweet boy!!
Love,
Mommy
Mommy
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