5 Months

On the 27th of May, Griffin turned 5 months old. Each month birthday is bittersweet for me... My little newborn baby isn't quite so new anymore, yet he is becoming more and more fun each day, with his developing personality, physical abilities, and...well...i must say he keeps getting cuter and cuter! This past month, Griffin has:
1. conquered rolling over from back to front to the right (he's still working on the left & front to back rolling)
2. begun clinging a bit more to me when I hold him, which makes it a bit easier to lug around all 18+ lbs. of him!
3. started eating solid foods (rice cereal+breastmilk, bananas, avocados, and sweet potatoes)
4. started including more consonant sounds in his baby talk (some b's, d's, g's, and raspberry sounds...lots of "ah-gookkss")
5. grown into his exersaucer a bit more and has figured out how to play with most of the toys (especially the buttons that make animal noises and music, the spinning wheels, and the chewy starfish). He can turn himself around and stand with much more balance control and stability (=no more blankets stuffed down in the seat to hold him up)
6. started recognizing and responding enthusiastically to certain signs (We started using sign language with him about 3 weeks ago). Signs he CLEARLY recognizes: milk, up, diaper change, up, eat, more, all done. Signs we currently use with him regularly: eat, drink, milk, more, cereal, banana, all done, up, diaper change, change clothes, bath, sleep, bed, yes, mama, papa.
7. begun to pull himself into a balancing sitting position in the high chair...mainly in attempt to lean forward with an open mouth to dive at the spoon hahah, but nevertheless...
8. continued to love standing while you hold his hands or waist
9. started splashing in the tub
10. started screeching and screaming when he gets excited. Also, when excited, he tends to make an "o" with his lips, open his eyes wide, and start kicking and flailing his arms around! So cute!
11. started passing an item from one hand to the other. He did this for the first time TODAY, actually!
12. begun to get scared by certain people, loud noises, and scary sounds. These things induce severe pouting and, sometimes, all-out crying.
13. started to pout when he is tired or upset. That bottom lip just melts your heart! Pictures to follow... :)
14. started to sleep 10-13 hours at a time through the night (PRAISE THE LORD!) This has not been the case for the past 4-5 days or so, as he has been waking at 4-5 for a feeding; however, since the introduction of solid foods, those nights have been the exception and not the rule.
15. started sleep training using Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child as my guide. It has been very, very challenging, but extremely worth it. I've learned that it is much better to protect your child's sleep times and have a family that is getting adequate rest than going and doing whenever and having a family that is tired, cranky, and short-fused. Griffin is learning how to fall asleep, self-soothe, and take regular naps that last longer than an hour. It's a process and definitely not one that is easy or quick. You have to be dedicated and consistent, and the Lord is really teaching me and using this for my sanctification because I am anything but consistent in my own life. I suppose the extra motivation of Griffin's well-being is helping me to stay the course on this one...but I have a feeling it has more to do with the grace of God and the support of my wonderful, attentive, helpful husband.
16. started sleeping UNSWADDLED! It was definitely time as he had outgrown every swaddler known to man, and he could break out of the most intense swaddle I could come up with. Not only that, but he was starting to try to roll over in his swaddle. Well, we couldn't have that! So, it's been two difficult weeks of Griffin having to learn how to sleep and stay asleep with his arms free. He tends to disturb himself quite frequently by pulling out or messing with his nuk, clawing his face, and trying to roll over constantly (which, if he succeeds will cause him to scream until he flipped back over since he will not allow himself to fall asleep on his belly).
17. started really, truly examining people and the environment. He's been very observant since he was born, but it seems as though his vision has matured and he is seeing everything for the very first time all over again! Things he has spent hours of his life staring at are intriguing anew!
18. started stroking my face, hair, hands, and chest as I rock him before naps and bedtime. This is one of the mama times I treasure the most in my day with him.
19. started belly laughing more frequently with tickling, funny noises/words/phrases/voices/faces. The most common time for these giggly spells is during his massage before bedtime.