5 months old!

I have waited to post this so that it would be in chronological order...but I wrote it on 1-19-12.

Max is 5 months old today.  I am seriously amazed by that.  I still can't believe that I made it through 9 months of pregnancy let alone that it's been 5 months since Max was born.  He is awesome.  I adore him.  I crave him when I am away from him.  I still check him multiple times a day to make sure he is breathing during his naps or at night.  I guess that's part of my disbelief about the whole thing - no way is it possible that after so long of not getting pregnant that we are on the other side of it...maybe it's a dream and not real...

I got in the car the other day (he was home with Peter) and I smelled Max and instantly missed him.  I didn't realize he had a smell but he does, and I know that smell. 

I love watching him...watching him play...watching him sleep...watching him learn...watching him grow...even watching him cry...

I am a pushover when it comes to him.  I can't let him "cry it out".  His cries push me over the edge and I cave in. 

With each new day he is a more happy baby.  He is particular/picky about only a few things - how he goes to sleep and how you hold him (always upright - ever since the reflux he does not like being cradled).  But other than that, he's easy going.  He likes to be held but he also likes to lay on the floor and play by himself. 

I am eager to see his personality come out more and more but at the same time I love how he is right now.  I love how he lights up when he sees Peter.  I love how lays his head on my shoulder (briefly) when he's tired.  I love how he sucks on my cheeks and my chin if I haven't caught on to the fact that he's hungry.  I love how he chews my fingers if I let him.  I knew I'd love my son but man, I really love my son.  I think he's just the most precious, perfect, lovable, and cute baby EVER.      

Things I want to remember about Max at 5 months:
He sneezes in multiples - usually 3 or 4
He holds his feet together in the air
He is starting to giggle and laugh
He smiles all the time
His hair is starting to grow but it's light so you can't tell
You still can't tell what color his eyes are - sometimes they look blue, sometimes gray, sometimes hazel
He is starting to play and explore his activity jumper
He is starting to move a little, mostly turns, when on tummy time but by the way he's moving his legs I think some form of scooching is not far off
He can sit by himself for anywhere from a few seconds to 1/2 minute before toppling over - if you support him just a little bit like with the boppy pillow, he's good forever
He still no sleep schedule
He pulls his pouty face with his pouty lip when he's scared - it will tear your heart out to see it
I've put baby Einstein on a few times and he likes baby Bach more than baby Beethoven
He doesn't cry every time we are in the car anymore
He started doing a serious grunt sound
He drools a lot
He's great at taking his medicine
He is having more interaction with landen - he took a toy that landen brought him today
Hayden is starting to play with him - loves to give him kisses
He's fascinated with people eating and food
He talks, especially when he's laying on the floor
He arches his back when he wants to be picked up
He sometimes rolls from his tummy to his back
He has not yet rolled from back to tummy but he's good at arching his back and getting to his side
He doesn't often have gas problems anymore but can struggle to poop
He hasn't spent anytime in the baby bjorn since I broke my foot
He often wants daddy when he's fussy because he gets frustrated that I won't stand up and hold him
It is finally getting better about taking him out to dinner with us - he'll usually last for an hour
He would probably love to eat but I really want to nurse exclusively until he's 6 months based on multiple things I've read about the benefits of waiting that long to give him solids
He has yet to ever sleep in the nice, beautiful crib in his room


Likes:

Bedtime routine: turn on the white noise machine, read a couple board books, then I swaddle him, give him his Vitamin D, kiss him and lay him down in our bed.  Turn the lights off and then I then lay next to him (close enough that he can touch noses if he wants) and either hum (one note, loudly), sing (Ahhhhhhh, again one note, loudly) or sign a made-up song to him.  In rare instances, he's tired enough to turn his head and close his eyes and go to sleep without me making any noise.

He likes looking at the TV screen, cell phone screen, laptop screen

being sung to (and sometimes singing along)

playing pat-a-cake with Momma

vit d drops

the changing table - usually he smiles and talks up a storm

his play mat - he's a pro at grabbing the toys and bringing them to his mouth

tummy time - who'd have thought? he finally likes it and will now will go much longer before he starts crying

to read books and is now reaching out to either hold the book/touch the pages

eating the stuffed animals he got for Christmas

his Aunt Brittany

his Uncle Joe

Hayden and Landen

Dislikes:

getting his nose sucked out

when mom gets the camera out to take a picture/video - he'll usually stop doing whatever I wanted to capture

mom eating while he's nursing.  it totally distracts him

the sound of mom coughing - it wakes him up,
waking up in the morning - used to wake up happy, now when he wakes up around 7:30/8:00 he wakes up crying and it takes a while to get him to come off automatic and stop the fussing

when he's hungry and not being fed - he can really scream!

Max all bundled up in the morning

Max and Momma during our lunch time visit

Time for bed

Here's a movie of Max on his 5 month birthday.  He likes playing a game I call "up and down".  He stands up only holding onto your hands for balance and then when you say "down" he sits down.  You say "up" and he stands back up and so on...  It may be hard to tell but he really is doing it all himself.  It's so silly and makes me laugh each time because when he goes "down" he usually just collapses hard on his rear.