Warning: This post probably holds no interest to anyone other than myself and maybe Larkin's grandmothers. :) It is long (I feel like writing instead of doing chores this nap.) Still, I get so much joy out of writing these things down in the expectation I'll be able to go back someday and read them again. Watching Larkin grow reminds me of the verse in the bible where is says, after Jesus' birth "Mary treasured all these things in her heart". So it's been with me each month as I look back and treasure all the moments - the newness, growth and even frustrations. So, regardless of who reads, the following are things I've treasured looking back at month 5.
Wow, it's been a busy fifth month little buddy! And with Christmas just around the corner, Mommy is late this month with your updates!
I feel like this month's biggest developments are that you are officially sleeping through the night! Yay Larkin! You go down anywhere from 7:15-7:45, I dreamfeed you around 10:30 and then you sleep until about 7:00-7:30. Sometimes you wake up at 3 or 4 and cry for a few minutes and then go back to sleep. Another huge improvement this past month is that you no longer have a hard time going down at night. In the past, you would cry and cry and we would go give you the pacifier and you would cry some more. After 3 nights of letting you cry it out you stopped and now you have gone down each night without crying!
Your schedule is still pretty much the same. You wake up and eat around 7:15 then stay up around an hour and you are down again for a nap at about 8:30. You wake up around 10:00 to eat and play. We play in your exersaucer (with blankets supporting you still), practice tummy time, practice sitting, talk, sing, cry (usually that's just you ;)) and go to lunch. Then it's back for nap number 2 around 11:45. You sleep anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half and you are up again around 1-1:15 to eat. Afterwards we run errands or do the above activities again until it's time for your last nap around 2:45. You usually sleep for about an hour and a half and then wake up around 4-4:15 to eat again. After this nap we almost always get out of the house and run errands. This is your longest "wake-time" stretch of the day and I've found it helps changing your environment to keep you awake and less fussy. Then you eat at about 7, you get your bath and time for bed at about 7:15-7:30. I think this month we will introduce solids and work on spacing out your feedings so we can drop the third nap, but we will see!
You are still smiling a lot this month although we've noticed every once in a while you take a little longer to warm up to family and friends when they come to visit. Especially if you are extra tired, or feel scared or overwhelmed by all the excitement. You will purse your lower lip and erupt into huge sobs with crocodile tears falling down your cheeks. However, after warming up to them you are usually okay and we've noticed this is getting
a lot better.
The biggest smiles of your day are reserved for the moments you see mommy or daddy after they've been gone for a while, OR for your bathtimes. Both times are so precious. Most nights when daddy gets home as he comes in the door you have the BIGGEST smile on your face. It's so precious to watch you so excited to see him.
You do pretty well both at BSF nursery and the church nursery although by the end of the church service you are ready for your nap so when we go to pick you up, you are usually "walking the hallway" with one of the volunteers in an effort to ward off the coming fussiness and lately you won't take the bottle for the ladies in the nursery at BSF so you miss your morning nap and feeding on Wednesdays.
Bathtime is SO fun this month. Now, even when I go to turn on the bathwater you get a BIG smile on your face and when we put you in the warm water, you splish and splah and seem overcome with excitement!
You are also definitely in the teething process. You will bite and chew on EVERYTHING and you are drooling so much that you have a permanent rash beneath your bottom lip. Sometimes mommy lets you chew on her finger and then regrets it after pulling a sore pinky from your mouth.
This past month you celebrated your first Thanksgiving and we truly were so thankful, remembering that it was just a year ago we were announcing our pregnancy to family around this time. Nanny (your great grandmother and namesake) came down from Arkansas to look for places to live and you loved getting to spend time with her and celebrating our Thanksgiving with her, Nana, Uncle David and mom's Uncle Jim. We also enjoyed our time at Mimi and Pop's house and you did really well spending the night over there! Our final celebration was with grandpa at Cheesecake Factory where you loved to be held by your Uncle David and Grandpa. Both grandpas are very good with you!
Like I've said before you are definitely a little boy now, no longer just a baby (although you will always be my baby). Your hair is growing very long and you are holding yourself up so well. It really just happened this month where I can hold you in a sitting up position instead of a cradle position with my arms. You are finally able to support yourself. You are still a ways from sitting on your own but we continue to practice. Each time I sit you up it is only a second before you fall straight down again. You are reaching for EVERYTHING these days and seem to have a special interest in Mommy's phone and anything electronic. You are also so much more aware of Piper and love to watch her from your exersaucer or playmat. She seems uninterested in you until you spit up, then she is mommy's mop.
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| Practicing holding yourself up in the bouncy seat Mimi and Pop got you for Christmas |
This month you have made improvements on riding in your carseat. You no longer scream each time (only occasionally). Through all the busyness these past two holiday months have had, you've shown yourself to be an adaptable baby. I feel like your personality is emerging more and I see a good natured little boy who loves to cuddle (at the BSF nursery you are known as the cuddler). It's true and I love that about you. I'm hoping you won't grow out of this too fast, but for now I will enjoy this as a special blessing from the Lord- he knew mommy loves to cuddle.
Reflecting on your little personality now I would say that you seem like you will be a curious, kind, good natured little man who loves adventure and being around people. This being said, you have shown your independent side some this month too in the form of grunts and shrieks. If we are changing you and you don't want to be changed. You make this noise that can only be described as the noise that would come from an adult man trying to lift a heavy weight. Sometimes your face will get all read and you'll puff out your cheeks... you DO NOT want to be doing what we are asking you to do. In the beginning it was cute.
In the beginning. :)
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| You still love your playgroup. Here you just woke from a little nap so your sleepsack is on. |
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| Talking with your buddies |
I'm sure there are more milestones and things to record but they are eluding me right now. You are our most precious gift this Christmas!
We love you buddy!
XOXO, Mommy
