5 months (22 weeks)

Miles is 5 months!  I'm just amazed at how it feels like his growth is flying by and I'm missing it when I felt like Julian's dragged and I couldn't wait until the next milestone.  I just read J's 5 month post and somethings are spot on and some things M isn't even close to doing.

• I started the mesh feeder yesterday.  Apple yesterday and banana today.  I know, I know.  He's not 6 months and you're suppose to wait every 4 days before introducing a new food.  Miles loved them.  He didn't want to stop eating.  
• He holds his head up while holding him and sitting up, but doesn't really like the bumbo and for sure cannot sit up on his own on the floor.  J was sitting in a tripod around 16 weeks, but I think I pushed him.  I'm not "working" with M very much.  
• M doesn't roll.  He hasn't rolled over in a month or more.  He just plays on his tummy and then cries when he's tired.  I have started him on his back and rolled him to his tummy.  I have pushed him on his side to see if he'd go on his back or tummy.  Nothing gets him to move much, so I hope I haven't neglected him too much with his physical development.
• M is now very interested in books.  He sits through J's long books that don't have many pictures (Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad... and Mouse Soup).  He has started to "turn the page" of his baby board books.  I love it and I'm reminded of Julian again.
• M is so laid back.  He'll let anyone hold him and he smiles up a storm.  He has a huge smile and I love it.  He giggles if you whisper in his ear, tickle under his collar bones, and "bite" his feet.  He has been giggling for no apparent reason.  Today we heard him laughing in his carseat, but we couldn't tell at what it was.  
• J had separation anxiety by this time, but M doesn't.  He doesn't like it when I leave the room all the time, but I have to leave quite a bit with bathroom breaks, getting J food, etc.  I guess he's used to entertaining himself a bit more since he's had to and J never did.
• Miles loves Sophie the giraffe teether.  Wow, he kills it.  J was never interested.  M also has a hanging elephant on his carseat that pulls and rattles when it's released and he does it all the time.  I didn't even know it was possible since J wasn't interested in that either.
• He has not liked the 3 times we've tried the johnny jump up, but he's getting bigger and maybe he'll like it.  He's still a peanut compared to what J was at this time. His plunket visit is tomorrow, so I'll post his stats on there.
• He loves the mirror.
• He won't make eye contact with the one who is holding him.  J was the same.
• He's starting to grab my side like a hug when he nurses.  
• He likes the denim carrier so he can face out but gets tired holding his head up for a long time and I turn him around and he sleeps.  He also is fine with the hotsling but I wonder how long he'll let me squish him in there.
• He likes to grab us (me, Dan and Julian).  He likes hair and skin (uh oh to skin!).  
• M adjusted to the time change well.
• He only likes to sleep/nap in my lap or arms, but I'm trying to not do it too often.  But if I had to look back in 5 or 10 years, I will not regret holding him as much as I can.  I don't hold him as much as I did Julian, but he's getting plenty of snuggles and cuddles.  I will not regret that even if it's bad sleep habits.  

Sleep hasn't been good.  I don't know for how long, but he is up around 1 or 2, feeds for less than 10 minutes sometimes but gulps a bunch of air.  I try to burp him but I can't get a burp up.  I try to wake him to feed more since he barely ate.  I can never wake him.  I put him down and he's up right away or 20 min later after I doze to sleep and am groggy.  I pick him up and he burps.  Then I feed him on the other side and the same thing happens.  He'll fall asleep instantly and then I can't get him down because of gas bubbles in his tummy and the bassinet is too cold (I think).  I stopped swaddling, because I hate taking his hands from him.  He likes to chew on them, but won't soothe himself with them.  I did swaddle last night out of desperation because we went 2 nights with very little sleep due to vaccines, feverish, tylenol, etc.  He was up at 1:30 for 30 min and 5:30.  J got up just before 6.  Then M was up at 7:30.  

I'm open to having him cry a bit.  M actually never cries unless he's really over tired and I missed that "sleep window" or he's in some kind of pain.  Anyway, I'm fine letting him grizzle, but he's so loud and we don't want him to wake J, so I don't know what we're going to do.  I want them in the same room soon, but then what happens when we're on vacation and traveling to lots of places?  Routine will be saved for February I guess.  He is outgrowing the bassinet though and we'll have to figure out some place for him to sleep.

I slept so well with J in bed with us but I don't with Miles.  He's very gassy and restless and I just don't sleep when he's in bed if I can't get him down in his cot.  Tomorrow I'll ask the plunket nurse if she has ideas, but I'm sure it's all the same.  Get him sleepy and not asleep, put him down and let him be.  He's a peanut though and low in weight, so I'm sure she'll tell me to continue feeding through the night.

I think M will be one to wean early.  He's just not that interested.  Yes, it's his only food source and he eats, but it's not a huge thing for him like it seemed for J.  M never nurses for comfort.

Speaking of, he got his vaccines (3 month for NZ but I wanted to follow the US schedule at 4 months but he was too sick, so it ended up being 5 months).  J went with me and it was so cute.  He first of all said he wanted to get the shots for Miles so he didn't get hurt.  J stayed up by his head telling M it was ok and M stopped crying instantly.  It was amazing and I want it recorded in my memory forever.