buddy's fifth month

Well, our little buddy is just shy of six months old, so I wanted to take a minute to reflect on his fifth month of life.

I call him my "little baby dinosaur," because he makes this sort of hissing sound when he talks to me. The noise is so cute and sounds just like a "little baby dinosaur" would sound. I also call him my "little boy blue" and "happy", and I bet you can figure out how these names came to be. But mainly, we all call him "buddy." Just buddy. "I'm taking buddy with me, go get buddy his paci, it's time for buddy's nap." My family is notorious for a multitude of nick names, and for the the life of us, Rob and I couldn't figure out what nick name would come from Carson. Well, he's a buddy now :) And Memms just loves her Buddy.

Schedule wise, we have made it to a four hour schedule, well sort of anyway. Generally, he nurses at 7 am, 11 am, 3 pm, around 6-7 pm, and the dream feed around 10-11 pm. On a perfect day, he naps from 9-11 am and 1-3 pm, with a 45 minute catnap around 5. Bedtime usually falls around 8 pm, and the last few days, he's been sleeping until 7 am. Although, it's not unusual for him to wake around the 6 am mark. The gym usually throws a kink in his schedule. He never gets a two hour morning nap in there, so I've learned to roll with the flow a bit, adjusting his schedule throughout the day, if I need to.

Most of you probably know that rolling with the flow is not my strong point, so this has been a huge accomplishment for me. With no family around to keep my kiddos and no babysitter, the gym is a very important outlet for me. Emma enjoys it too, so despite the scheduling difficulties, I've decided to keep on keeping on :)

Last week was a difficult week, for a multitude of reasons, but the biggest one being Carson. The pediatrician was worried about his flat head, so I'll spare you the details, worrying, and tears, and just let you know that we are now certain that he is perfect. In my heart I knew he was okay, but sometimes a pediatrician and the internet do an outstanding job of severely freaking out a mom. I am so very thankful to the Lord for both of my healthy children, and my heart goes out to all of the parents of sick little ones. I just can't even begin to imagine...

I bought Carson a sleep positioner, so the foam mat that he now sleeps on is much softer than his mattress. Since he can roll now, sometimes I sleep him on his stomach for naps, and when he's awake, I try my best to keep him off of his head, utilizing the exersaucer, walker, bumbo, tummy time, or my moby wrap. At night, he still sleeps swaddled, on his back, and yes, I gave the paci back. He rarely wakes up in the middle of the night needing his paci and usually spits it out after falling asleep, so it hasn't been a problem.

Buddy has no teeth yet, but is working so very hard on some. At times, he just seems miserable, chewing on his fingers, fussing, and struggling to nurse. He looks like this when he's fitful...

Carson has rolled from tummy to back and back to tummy, but is so laid back, that his rolling is ever so rare. And, he kind of sat up for me this morning, while we were playing on the floor.

No solids have been introduced yet. I am waiting until he is six months old; which, even though I can't believe it, is just around the corner. He sleeps beautifully, so I am confident that he is getting everything that he needs from nursing. When he turns six months, I will probably start with single grain oatmeal and move onto butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and avocado from there. I don't give my babies rice cereal. It's just a personal opinion of mine. I am so excited that I get to make baby food again :)

Carson's personality is wonderful. I am so lucky that he is so easy going! He smiles constantly and has the most beautiful laugh. I enjoy my time with him so much. He is very ticklish, and it is so much fun to see him wiggle, squirm, and giggle. Bath time is his favorite. He has started to kick and splash. Although he is super happy most of the time, he does love to be held. If I'm holding him and walking around, he is absolutely quiet and content. When I wear him in the moby, he's like a little monkey hanging onto his momma. I'll leave you with this one. Please congratulate me on his "tummy strength." We've been working so so hard :)