Friday, January 3, 2014

five months - overcome with love


My Levi is five months old today and I am more overcome with love than ever before. I'm not sure if it is because of all the holiday travel, seeing him through my family's eyes, or the fact that his personality is shinning through more than ever, but I have never felt so much love. You think you reached your capacity for love, and then it grows.

The past four weeks have been spent at my in-laws. It hasn't been easy being away from home for so long, but Levi has adapted beautifully. We even spent a weekend bopping around Chicago, and it makes me more hopeful than ever that we can continue to travel despite having children. Levi started the month sleeping beautifully, falling to sleep for naps on his own and waking once per night for a quick meal. As the month comes to a close, he is waking more and more and needing more help to get back to sleep. I think we may have some sleep training around the corner but I hope getting back home will reset things a bit for us. He started eating solids this month too- I was planning to wait a bit longer, but he became so interested in what we were eating at the table, it was clear he was ready before I was. I'm trying baby-led weaning and offering purees as well- we'll just see where Levi takes us.

He's also made it very clear that he is no longer content to just chill on his back to play. This baby wants to move! In particular, he wants to walk and will have us hold him up so that he can shuffle his feet to his destination. His mind is much more advanced than is body - there is a will but not really a way just yet. He's not so interested in crawling just yet- seems to have skipped that. He's also taken to quick phases of a new sound - doing it for a day or two and then retiring it all together. He was blowing bubbles constantly for about 48 hours, and hasn't done it since. The past few days has been all about getting his voice as high as it can go.

I love to see him grow and develop around all his family at Christmas time. He liked grabbing at the paper on his many gifts and exploring his new toys. He loved the classical Christmas music that we kept going all season and would reach his hand out to the tree as you walked him close to touch the needles or to take off an ornament. He's become very tactile, running his hands along new textures and patterns.

He is in the next room as I write this and all I want to do is go in and hold him. This has been the first month where he has started to show a real preference for me to comfort him. I know his favorite place when he is tired is in my arms. All season people have offered to watch him or hold him, to 'give us a break.' But I'm more attached than ever. I can't get enough of his bright eyes, sweet smile, gleeful chuckle, and serious furrowed brow. He's growing up so fast - that has been incredibly clear to me this past month - and he's no longer my little newborn. He'll never be as small as he is this very moment and I want to cherish every second.

Favorites from this month include:
Mortimer the Moose - we've had this from the start but it's become a favorite.
Halo Fleece Sleep Sack - It keeps him warm and we zip those little arms in to transition away from the swaddle.
BundleMe - no need for coats - even in Chicago - with this thing (bought on craigslist).

Welcome!

Welcome!