Mostly the Kids: Cameron, Five Month (6/14/2014)

Five Month (6/14/2014)

Dear Cameron,

It’s officially summer! School ended after Memorial Day and now everyone is home full time every day. You have been going with the flow – to the park, to swim lessons, to soccer practice, to the grocery store. I am very grateful that we now have a play structure in our backyard thanks to Daddy! The older kids can run out there to play while I take care of things inside or while you nap. I spend a lot of time wearing you in the Ergo carrier to give me more freedom of movement and especially to free up my hands. I am a serious pro at grocery shopping with all three of you kiddos!

Daily Activities and Playing

When you are awake you are generally pretty happy, but if you get sad for any reason (usually related to needing sleep) you are difficult to soothe. You prefer to be bounced up and down while vertical… it is a great opportunity for me to do calf raises and mini squats. You rolled over again (from front to back) at 4.5 months and 5 months. You occasionally try to roll from back to front but haven’t had any success yet. I am not sure if you are not able or don’t have enough opportunities, but you just don’t seem interested in rolling at this point. You have been rolling onto your side and sometimes fall asleep best on your side with someone patting your back. You are trying to sit up in the bouncer and bathtub, so your days of reclining like an infant are limited.

Sibling

Ian and Ellen are still very much in love with you. We will see how long it lasts when you start taking their toys! You give the biggest smiles and laughs to your brother and sister. Their faces light up when they realize they were the ones who made you so happy. Both are constantly bringing you toys and talking to us. Ellen is sometimes a little torn and decides to play with your teddy bear instead of bring it to you. However, if you are ever crying she is quick to look for a toy or pacifier to bring you comfort.

Eating
At 4.5 months you went back to sleeping through the night fairly consistently and nursing 4 times per day every 4 hours. This month has continued to see a fluctuation of 4-6 feedings per day. If we are spending a lot of time outside in the heat, you nurse more frequently. I will also go ahead and nurse you after 3 or 3.5 hours if you wake up from a nap early and can’t get back to sleep. You started sitting at the table with us right around five months. Although you haven’t started eating any food yet, I can tell that your interest is growing. Every time we are eating and drinking you stare with fascination. Even though solid food can be a pain to deal with, I am looking forward to that next milestone in the coming months.

Sleeping

You have been sleeping about 13-14 hours per day, going to bed for the night between 8 and 9 and waking at 6:30 or 7. Some days you go back to sleep for a few hours after that first morning feeding, especially if it is earlier than usual. You are still having trouble staying asleep for a full nap most days so I usually have to spend time getting you back to sleep. There are some days where you just want to be held during nap time. Sometimes I use that downtime as my own rest time and others I put you in the Ergo and try to get some things done! In general, your naps get interrupted by the sibling school or activity schedule and you have to sleep on the go instead of in your crib.

We finally decided to ditch the swaddle as you completely bust out of it every time. Instead of swaddling your arms, we give you several stuffed animals to snuggle. You seem to like having something in your arms and it usually keeps you from ripping the pacifier out of your mouth. The most surefire way of getting you to sleep is while vertical on my chest, either in the ergo or just holding you. I would put you to sleep on your tummy but since you still aren't loving tummy time when awake I am afraid you would wake up and be angry instead of quietly put yourself back to sleep.

Special Events
The weekend you turned five months, we went back to Tyler State Park to go camping with some friends. There were a ton of kids (six including the kids in our family) and everyone had a lot of fun! We hiked two miles on Saturday and one on Sunday. You did better at night than during the previous trip, but it was very hot and humid during the day! You got a little overheated from being held so closely during the day and would get pretty fussy. I am hoping that we can go somewhere/sometime a little cooler next time.

Please enjoy this edition of weekly photos... we seem to be featuring Cameron's tongue and tonsils this month as he displays an array of hugely open mouthed smiles.