5 month update

Dear Will,

On August 25 you turned 5 months.  Which means next month is 6 months and... I just can't.  It's going too fast.  I say this in all honesty - I want you to stay FIVE MONTH Will forever.  This is it.  No more growing or changing or anything.  I absolutely love you at this age.  I have at every age before this and will continue to love you as you keep growing (because you won't listen to this request).... but 5 months is such a sweet age.

You smile, laugh, and express your joy in such BIG ways.  It's not enough just to smile.  You have to smile with your whole face.  Giggle?  No way.  Huge belly laughs.  This month you also started working on The Squeal which was fun for you but not so much for our eardrums.  This is a pretty tame version of rehearsal:

You can now roll over both ways, but even that you do in such a Chill Will way.  When rolling from back to front for example, you'll be lying on your back quite contentedly for a while, and then perhaps spot something interesting.  You'll sloooowly roll onto your side and stay there for a while - checking out your hands, sucking your thumb, whatever.  Finally, you'll go ahead an seal the deal and roll on over to your belly.  There's no rush at all.  I like that about you, and actually think your sister and I could learn a thing or two from you about slowing down and relaxing a bit.

Sleep continues to go well, and you're usually in a predictable 9, 1, 4 schedule now.  I didn't really have to work for it, you just kind of did it.  Of course there are days you sleep later or wake up earlier and we adjust a bit.  You're still waking once to eat at night, and after talking it over with my BFF Laura (also known as my sleep consultant) she agrees that this can be just fine and even necessary until about 9 months of age.  Do I wish you didn't need to eat during the night?  Sort of.  But, if that's what you need to be healthy and growing, then we'll do it.  Oh and thanks to rolling over I had to wean you off the swaddle, which went fine despite my fears!

Speaking of growing, I can't imagine that you're not doing a lot of that, since suddenly 90% of your clothes are too tight, too short, or simply won't button anymore.  Check out the off-the-shoulder action from your photoshoot:

All of this happened overnight of course.  You're eating solid food now, which I'm sure contributed even further to that.  I was "definitely going to wait" until you turned 6 months to introduce solid foods, but after seeing you literally drool over our food, grab for my fork, and watch every single bite, we just went for it.  So far you've had oatmeal, sweet potatoes, zucchini, peas, bananas, apples, chicken, and turkey.  Nothing has met resistance. :)  You also love to pull my hand to your mouth like you're feeding yourself, so I have my fingers crossed that you'll be feeding yourself ASAP.  Unlike sister.  That's another story.

This month you took your first long car ride to Florida.  Based on your previous disdain for the car, I buckled up for a wild ride.  Thankfully you did great.  There was lots of this,

A little of this (who are these babies that sleep in the car longer than 30 minutes??)

and yes, some of this, though thankfully not much:

Once there you did great adjusting to a new place and seemed to enjoy yourself.  But you always seem to enjoy yourself.

As always, I am so excited to see your relationship with Addie grow.  You two really love each other.

And I am a huge sucker for how snuggly you are.

I could go on and on about how sweet, content, and full of joy you are.  I want to always remember how you laugh a big gaspy laugh when I go in to get you up from a nap, how you reach for my face and hold it with both hands, how you play with my hair, how you splash like a fish in the bathtub.  We're crazier about you every day, William.  I don't know what any of us did without you!