5 months and counting…

 

These first 5 months have been nothing short of amazing; tough, stressful and tiring as well, but truly amazing.  To watch your little one grow and learn through their eyes is like no other experience I have ever had.  I have so much more love and respect for my parents and all that they did for me, now that I have seen how much time, effort and love is put into raising a child (and we are just getting started!)

He changes each and everyday and has come so far from the little 6lb 7oz nugget that he started out as.  I (we) fall in love with him more and more and am so happy to share his growth with all of you – enjoy!

 

Such a little ham.

 

• New tricks:

-Everett has become much better at tummy time (not always smiles, but definitely not as many tears)!

 

 

-He can roll from tummy to back like a champ (I think it’s just to get out of tummy time), and he’s working on back to tummy – won’t be long!  He is halfway over and has apparently started sleeping on his side (with his feet through his crib, no less).

 

-Everett loves to laugh during playtime, at funny noises and when tickled; the rougher the play the better!  He is definitely all boy.

 

-He has definitely become Mr. Grabby Hands.  He loves to reach and grab anything nearby and has been holding his bottle on his own about 80% of the time.

 

 

 

-He “talks” up a storm, and has even started getting a few squeals in.  He has been talking himself to sleep some nights lately and even woke up at 3:00am one morning and 5:30 am the other morning, had a conversation with himself and then went back to sleep.  It’s the cutest thing.

 

-E loves to look at and follow everything with his eyes; very inquisitive and loves to look at books and hear stories!

 

• Sleeping and Schedules:

-Daily Schedule: E is on a pretty solid daily schedule now (which is easier since I’m off for the summer) which helps him (and me) know how to go about our day.  Here’s a sample day (rough estimations):

• 7-7:30 – wake up, morning bottle
• 7:45-8:30 – mom eats breakfast, E swings, then story, play and tummy time
• 8:30-10 or 10:30 – naptime in crib
• 10:30-11 – playtime or run with mom
• 11:00 – bottle
• 11:15-12:15 – story, play, tummy time
• 12:30-2 – out and about (I usually have to get out of the house at least once a day to stay sane) – E usually naps while we are running errands.
• 2-3 – play, swing, walking around in the Baby Bjorn carrier (usually helping me get dinner prepped)
• 3:00 – bottle
• 3:15-4:15 – play, swing, tummy time
• 4:15-6:00 – Dad’s home!!!  More play, maybe another small nap, sometimes a long one depending on his mid-afternoon nap length.  Mom and dad eat dinner.
• 6:00 – 7:00 – Witching hour!  We are planning on incorporating a small walk during this time to get fresh air, practice riding in his new stroller and give him a change of scenery since this is his only “real” cranky time.
• 7:00-7:45 – evening bottle, tummy time, bath, story, bed

 

 

-Naps:  Since I have been home this summer we have been working on our napping length and nap schedule.  He has started taking a very good morning nap (which according to the book I’m reading starts to develop around 4 months) anywhere from 1 1/2 – 2 hours and is getting better at his afternoon nap (which begins to develop a little later so “the experts” say).

I can definitely tell when he needs a longer nap, or another one!  He loves to cuddle with his swaddle blankets and pretty soon after that he’s out!

 

-Nighttime routine:  We have the same nighttime routine which includes his last bottle of the day anywhere from 6:30-7pm followed by tummy time, bath time, story and bed.  He’s usually in bed by 7:45-8 and will sleep until around 7 – 7:30 am. 

In the next couple of days we are going to start moving his bedtime (and feedings) up a few minutes everyday to get ready for August when he will have to get up around 6am every morning when school starts for me and daycare starts for him.  The goal will be a new bedtime of 6:45-7.  We shall see!

***He is also sleeping unswaddled now!  We stopped swaddling about 2 1/2 weeks ago when he was teething pretty badly.  He had one night of a few wakeups, but since then has adapted like a champ.  I actually think he sleeps better since he can move around and soothe himself with his sleep sack (he likes to chew on it) and his hands.  He does however end up either sideways or upside down in his crib every morning – such an active sleeper!

 

 

• Teething

We have two teeth already!  Holy moly!

Gransie discovered the first one, and then I discovered the second one about a week later.  Drool baby.

 

The bottom teeth are super hard to photograph, but this was tooth #1, and then about 3 days later tooth #2 popped up right next to it!

-E wasn’t too sure about the teething rings/toys we had for him at first.  I think mainly because he started teething at such a young age, he didn’t quite know how to get them into his mouth.  So his favorite things to chew on were his hands, burp cloths and blankets. 

He finally figured out his banana brush and George the Giraffe (her real name is Sophie, but Mike renamed her) and now is a pro, but they didn’t help much in the beginning stages!

 

 

 

• Things I have learned in the first 5 months:

-Meltdowns at other people’s houses during party/get togethers will happen, just have a plan and play it through in your head. 

If he is all out of sorts, where will you go to calm him? How long will you try to soothe before you make the decision to leave if it doesn’t work?  Is he tired, overstimulated or is something else wrong?   If something unexpected happens, be sure to discuss it with your partner afterwards so you know how you will handle it next time. 

We learned this the hard way after an ultra meltdown at my friend Lynn’s house.  It was rough, but we learned so much about how to handle it next time and the experience was actually very beneficial.

 

-I always just fear that the worst is going to happen, so I always have to say to myself “Give him a chance, he might surprise you”.  It’s all about giving your children the opportunity to learn, even though it’s outside of your comfort zone.  95% of the time he proves me wrong and is a rockstar.

-We as humans want things to happen immediately, but give your little one a chance to figure it out on their own for a few minutes…even if that means crying for 3, 5 or 10 minutes, don’t try to fix everything right away, sometimes that makes it worse and they can figure it out independently.

-You can still go to your favorite restaurants, just go early before the crowds or, go for a lunch date.  Mike and I found that our favorite (usually packed) sushi place was the perfect place at lunchtime.  Not crowded and fast service.  Score!

 

 

• Travel tips:

*Disclaimer- we have only attempted two overnight trips so far (one to my mom’s and one to a hotel at the beach); but we have gone on many day trips and many late night gatherings on which to base these tips…I’m sure I will have plenty more after our upcoming trips to WI in September and December!

-If flying, just take the essentials with you and then buy what you need (diapers, snacks, wipes, formula) when you get to your destination (if staying for more than a few days).  You won’t have room in your bags for this stuff anyway!

-take along dish soap and sponge to wash bottles in the hotel room sink

-Disposable wash cloths are quick, easy and get thrown away.  Score!

 

-Take along, or buy water bottles for formula mixing (if needed).  We use bottled water at home (in a 2 gallon container) and decided to take a bunch of small water bottles with us when we traveled to the beach.  It worked out great, and since they were room temp, we didn’t have to worry about warming at all.  Very quick and easy!

-Wipe off bibs or disposable bibs; no worries about washing or staining while on vacation!

 

 

 

• Good ideas:

-Off clip-on fan for outdoor gatherings.  Our friend had one of these on during our 4th of July cookout and we all thought it was a great idea.  The mosquitos were out in full force and the sensitive skin of our little ones can’t quite take bug spray yet!

 

 

-LL Bean Jr. Backpack for traveling and/or transporting items to and from daycare.  My friend Ferg had these made for her two little ones and they are SO CUTE.  She says she loves them and they are perfect for transporting anything anywhere.  This is definitely on my wish list for E, especially since daycare starts soon!

 

*I have had the adult sized version of this for over 10 years and I love it – it still looks like new!

 

-Always keep an extra sun hat in the diaper bag.  You never know when you will be outside and in need of some shade for your little one!  After going to meet my friend Jill and Everett’s girlfriend Kennedy for a early morning stroll around Lake Eola without a hat, I knew I had to keep an extra with me at all times, it was so bright and hot!

Thank goodness I had a blanket!

 

Everett has quite a few sunhats, but I just recently purchased this one (by iPlay) and love how much coverage it offers (head and neck).  I found mine at Buy Buy Baby, but they can also be found on Amazon.

 

 

 

 

• Excited about (I think):

-more independence

-crawling

-sitting up; working hard on that one too…should be soon!

 

 

• Not that excited about:

-sleep training (if needed)

-more teething

 

 

 

Can’t wait to see what he has in store for us next!