5 months

Dear Blaise,

Holy Wow! You are 5 months old! You have changed SO much in the past month and you've had many adventures already.

You've been rolling over {both ways} for quite some time now. It's only been in the past night that you've rolled onto your belly during the night and refused to roll back and cried for some help.

You've been reaching for our food and mimicking our mouths as we chew our food. You had your first taste of congee {homemade rice porridge} yesterday and you weren't really a fan. We'll keep trying, though and see if you get the hang of it.

You smile and laugh and absolutely ADORE your brothers. Noah can make you smile and laugh more than anyone else. You are obliging {if not happy} of being held by others. I left you with some lovely childcare workers when we were in Spain and although usually not for more than 2 hours at a time, you did well and gave Mama a bit of a break.

You still breastfeed every 2-3 hours {day and night!}. It's not ideal {for me}, but it seems to be what you need at this point so I'm just going with it. Perhaps when you get the hang of solid foods that will help you to be content for a bit longer.

You went on your first plane ride{s} as we all traveled to Spain! You did pretty well on the flights, nursing and sleeping in my arms. You giggled and smiled at strangers who would make funny faces at you and talk to you, charming just about everyone around you.

I'm hoping that this month is the month when you sleep a bit longer at night, but I'm not holding out for that to happen.

You can sit! And you're quite proud of yourself. I've brought the pack 'n play out to the living room to have a place for you to play where you won't roll of the couch or get smothered by your well-meaning brothers. You can usually last for anywhere from 5 minutes to sometimes 15 or 20.

And you're sick. A cough and a runny nose have plagued you since we were in Barcelona. I made your Daddy buy a too-expensive snot sucker {read: nasal aspirator} to help you to breathe better. I really hope this cold passes soon because it's no fun for any of us {and also I'm hoping you sleep longer once you're not sick}. I took you to the doctor because you were really tugging on your ear so I thought you might have an ear infection. You don't. Thankfully. But you were really good at the doctor's. You let her listen to your heart  and breathing/lungs and happily let the nurse measure your weight, length and head circumference. You are 18lbs5oz! Quite the chunker. Looks like those 2-3 hour feedings are paying off.

Oh and you are napping longer then 20 minutes which is fantastic even though I'm already getting used to your 45 minutes naps. Occasionally you'll take a longer nap lasting anywhere from 1-2 hours which is fantastic. Can you make a habit out of this, please?

Your hair is falling. No more spikey mohawk. I still love that you have so much hair.
And I love you. So very, very much.

love,
Mama

*watch Blaise grow!