Hellobee

Month five went in like a lion and out like a lamb!

Scribble turned five months a few days before Christmas, so technically the holiday was a part of his fifth month. We had a great Christmas season. Scribble was showered with gifts from his very generous grandparents. His parents enjoyed visiting with family, seeing friends who were home for the holidays, and enjoying much-needed unstructured downtime. It was a blissful week and we were sorry to see it go.

A few days after Christmas, when he was about 4 months and 1 week old, Scribble sprouted his bottom two teeth! At the same time! We were hoping that this would signal the end of his month-and-a-half-long sleep regression, but nothing seemed to change even after his teething settled down. So after lots of hand-wringing we decided to sleep train. By this point Scribble was 18 weeks and around 4.5 months old. It took us about 3 weeks to sleep train Scribble, mostly because we worked in stages– tackling bedtime, then naps, and now night waking. We also swaddle weaned the same time and, without really meaning to, we pretty much pacifier weaned. I will write a post detailing our sleep training experience (it seems to be “in the water” around Hellobee right now!), but I have been satisfied with the results. Everyone in our home is a lot happier, including baby.

Scribble’s naps consolidated last month, and it is usually very easy to put him down for a nap now. He takes two or three naps a day, depending on the quality and length of the naps. He always naps at 9:00, and always begins his second nap around noon. Sometimes if his second nap lasts a long time, he will skip a third nap, but I try to sneak one in on most days, even if it is just in the car or in a buggy when we are out shopping. He has taken naps as long as three hours! But usually they’re around 1.5– 2 hours long. He still can’t manage to stay up more than about an hour and a half between naps, and that includes meals. He can usually go longer in the early evening. He is normally asleep between 6:00–6:30 depending on when his last nap ended.

Nursing has been very easy this month. I have never attempted to put Scribble on any sort of eating schedule, but now that he is napping on schedule, we have naturally fallen into a routine. He usually eats before every nap, before bedtime, and twice at night. Sometimes he will eat in the morning when he wakes up, depending on what time he ate during the night. Scribble stopped taking a bottle in month four, so we are going to try a a sippy next month. Even though he won’t take a bottle, nursing is very convenient for me because we are in such a rhythm, plus he doesn’t have to eat as often as he once did.

Teething seemed to slow Scribble’s progress toward some milestones. He stopped “talking” for a few weeks while he sorted out his teething issues, but now he is babbling and laughing more than ever before; he wakes up talking to himself every morning, and usually talks to himself while he is settling down to sleep at night.

He still hates rolling belly-to-back and has not rolled back-to-belly, but he loves to roll onto his side now. He sleeps on his side every night(just like his folks!). Diaper changing has become a real challenge now that he always wants to roll onto his side to look around.

Toward the end of month five, Scribble started taking more of an interest in toys. He enjoys playing with his Winkel on car trips, and gives more attention to the toys dangling off his jumperoo than he did in the beginning of month five. He still isn’t very interested in teethers– he would rather chew his hands!

I can’t help but worry that Scribble hasn’t mastered some milestones quickly. But I am also learning that this milestone stuff is gradual– it isn’t like a baby just starts sitting up on his own overnight; it takes a little while to perfect these things! I do wish he would show some more interest in rolling over.

He is starting to show a touch of separation anxiety: he hates to be left in his crib unless it is nap or bed time, and is more resistant to being held by anyone other than his parents.

Like all babies, Scribble loves mirrors. We usually “stand” in front of the floor-length mirror once or twice a day and sing and laugh together. I think he is really ready to interact with some other babies because he loves to laugh at himself in the mirror! I wiggle him around and sing “Twist and Shout” while he stares at his reflection.  Here’s hoping that by a year he is dancing to that song on cue; that is a trick I picked up from some of our friends who have older babies.

Scribble is able to tripod-sit for a few seconds before toppling, and enjoys sitting in the Super Seat. At the end of month five he was showing some fleeting interest in his feet; now in the first week of month six he is obsessed with them!

The past month was a great time for our family. We are starting to settle into a routine and things feel a little more predictable. Having a schedule severely curbed some of our former habits (going out to dinner or visiting family and friends in the evening), but we are learning how to work around it. I am still scared of how fast he is growing. Fortunately, sticking to a routine has helped me to feel less panic so I am able to enjoy my time with him more than I did in previous months.

How was your month five? Any milestones you were worried that your child had yet to master? Did things seem to “fall into place” for you around this time?