5 Months!

Ben is five months old today!

                   

FIVE. As in the number right before SIX, which is the number right before EIGHTEEN AND OFF TO COLLEGE!

I know I say this every month, but time...she really does fly. It was inevitable that I would feel remorse for not enjoying those early days a little more. Mommy amnesia has already begun to set in and if it were not for this blog I would be well on my way to forgetting just how tired I was...and by extension beating myself up for said lack of enjoyment. Thank goodness I did write those exhausted posts. Not only do I look back at them now and appreciate how hard it was but I also have a much deeper gratitude for just how great things are now.

Likes: Lily, cuddling, taking baths with Lily, Dr. Brown pacis, putting everything in his mouth, the exersaucer (ie the circle of neglect), being swaddled, nursing, "kiss-tickling", the swing, and more Lily.

Dislikes: Loud noises (specifically the vacuum and Lily's shrill screaming...not Mommy's favorite either), tummy time, being able to see his bottle but not being able to reach it, being put down.

Milestones: This month marked a few exciting milestones. Ben started sleeping through the night. Can I get an Amen? Amazingly, just like his sister, he accomplished this feat for the first time at Mimi and Doe's house. More on this in a minute. Other notables this month, holding his own bottle and really taking a paci for comfort.

Feeding: Ben is still nursing great and taking two bottles a day. We have upped the ounces to 7 in the morning and before bed. I have been taking Fenugreek for the past few days to try and up my milk production a little (which seems insane given how much milk I had a few weeks ago) before we head to Florida on Tuesday. We are leaving Ben and Lily with Matt's mom for an overnight while we are there and I want to make very sure that Ben will have all of the milk he needs. When we get home from Florida I will start thinking about solids, gasp.

Sleeping: Aaaaahhhhhhhh. There are no words for how wonderful this is. Both of my kids sleep through the night. (cue manic laughter!) This time last month I literally thought we were months from this blissful place. We are still using the escape proof swaddle trick and have recently upgraded to the large size swaddle me. Right now Ben is still waking a little earlier than we would like (between 6-6:30, I know eye roll. What can I say we are not morning people). That is not a complaint of course just a statement. Other than sleeping through the night there haven't really been any changes to his sleeping routine. Ben still takes two long naps during the day and all in all things are so wonderful in the sleep department I could jump for joy.

Odds and Ends: Ben continues to be a very happy baby. He prefers to be held but is much more tolerant of being put down as long as he has a toy to cram into his mouth. I am a little concerned about his unwillingness to roll. When he is tired of being on his belly he simply flails and screams, it is more than a little pathetic. I know he can roll, or at least he used to be able to, but for now no dice.

Ben has found his voice. Our days are now filled with what my brother affectionately calls dinosaur noises. He squawks and squeals loudly at his toys and really gets going when he thinks Lily is listening.

Toys, toys, toys. The baby gear invasion has begun. We brought out the exersaucer, which Ben is actually tall enough to use. I also pulled out all of the teethers, rattles, and baby doodads. For the first time since he was born Lily now views Ben as a threat (because he has toys?!?) and we have seen signs of a tiny green eyed monster.

Matt and I are both looking forward to, and dreading, our trip. We'll see how our two do on a three hour nonstop flight at 6:30pm. I've heard that getting on a plane 30 minutes before your kids typically go to bed is an excellent idea.

Up next: 6 months, trick or treats, and solid food.