Happy 5 months, Josiah!

This is the first month that really feels to me like Josiah has been part of our family forever. Having two kids is beginning to become so natural and we are getting better and better at anticipating and rolling with all that comes our way. As Josiah's personality continues to develop we just fall more and more in love. Who knew we could enjoy him more?! The big news for J-man this month is that he can add a number of states to his list of states visited. At his 5 month mark he has been in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky. (By his 6 monthiversary he will have added to his list Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.) Thankfully, thus far, he is a champ in the car.

Weight: ?
Length: ?
Head: ? 
Diaper: size 4 - I know this seems absurd (at least it does to me), but if the poop doesn't stay in consistently, we move up a size!
Clothing: 9-12 month- length and girth are where he is so long, we have to roll up the legs of 12 month pants
Likes: being tickled under his chin, attention from Sarah, jumping, tummy time, being just a little startled, stretching out, “blowing bubbles” as Sarah says when he buzzes his lips
Dislikes: not getting a meal or a nap fast enough, being left alone for his nap (we always come and get you, Little Man!), loud noises (train whistle at the zoo, fire truck sirens, etc)

Schedule: We have worked hard to stay home a little more this month and really fight for his naps. It has been a challenge for me to not run out to the grocery store or to take a walk every time he wakes up early. None-the-less, he is able to settle down to sleep so much better when he is getting good sleep.

7 am: Wake and nurse
7-8 am: Wake time
8-11am: Nap
11am: Wake and nurse
11-12 pm: Wake time
12-3 pm: Nap
3 pm: Wake and nurse
3-4:30 pm: Wake time
4:30-5:30 pm: Nap
5:30-7 pm
7 pm: Wake and nurse and back to bed not much later

Sleep: I am so encouraged to read back over his last month’s post and see how far Josiah has come in this area. He was generally getting sleep, but crying so much as he settled down. I can now rejoice to say that he rarely cries more than a few times before falling asleep! And that is only when he is tired, which has happened more since we left on vacation. It seems his side sleeping stage was short lived. He doesn’t roll around as much and is happy on his back. The biggest news is that we dropped the dream feed a few weeks ago. Whew! He loves his long sleep and I love going to bed whenever I am ready.

Food: Nursing is still going well and we have developed a deep reserve in the freezer. With our pending vacation we decided to wait to start solids. In our normal environment we would start letting him practice eating off the spoon, but he is quite satisfied with what he has and it made our travel routine that much simpler. We look forward to diving into some rice cereal when we get home!

Tricks (physical and verbal): Josiah is still rolling from his back to tummy, but not tummy to back. He loves some tummy time and is really growing strong. We have practiced sitting up lately and he certainly can’t do it on his own, but is starting to enjoy being upright. It will be fun to watch that skill develop. We have enjoyed watching him find his fingers. They fascinate him! Josiah hasn’t really started using any consonant sounds, but has started doing an ear splitting scream. It was like he discovered the back of his throat one day and liked the feeling. Now he tends to stretch his lungs when he starts to get tired or hungry, but isn't ready to let loose with a good cry.

Fun facts:         
-Sarah can now say the “Jo” of Josiah.

-His eyes are changing colors, but we will have to wait to see what we end up with. They are kind of a gray at this point.

-His hair is still short and light. He has a bit of a bald spot on the back of his head, but you have to look really hard to notice it.

-He and Sarah slept well in the same room over our time on the road. It isn’t our plan to have them sleep together, but it is good to know they can do it!

Next appointment: November 5, 10:20am

Go Pats!

Big boy PJs

Sibling snuggles

Sarah is already trying to sell him. The life of a little brother :)

He is a pretty good car sleeper

We don't remember what caught his attention

We just can't get over the look of our little guy asleep!

Somebody loves his Aunt Faye!

She is brushing his lack of hair

A sneak peak at an awesome photo shoot. There is even a video, so get excited!