Happy Five Months!

Dear Reid,

Your dad and I didn't think it was possible, but our love for you continues to grow with every passing day.  It's hard to believe that you turning five months old today means you've only been in our lives for five months.  I can hardly recall what life was like before you graced us with your magnificent presence (I know everyone always says this, but now I'm actually experiencing it for myself).  

You are our angel.  My favorite thing to do is sit and stare into your beautiful eyes (and make funny faces at you!).  You love that kind of close interaction, and it usually results in a big, sweet smile from you. It's hard to describe what your smile does to me.  It represents all that is good in the world.  It's unconditional love, innocence, grace and sheer wonder.  I just pray that your dad and I are doing what we need to do in order to raise you in the manner you deserve. For as long as I can remember, your Mimi has had a plaque in her house with the Serenity Prayer on it.  As a child I recall not quite understanding the full breadth of it, but I still read it and reread it every chance I got. I now refer to that prayer often, and my hope is that one day it will help guide you as well.  

God grant me the serenity 

to accept the things I cannot change; 

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Stay in the Light.

Love,

mommy


All things Reid:

• As I wrote about in this blog post, you've found those adorable feet that you've only been able to stare at for the last couple of months.  Now that you've figured out how to grab them, you do it every chance you get.  Next up: open mouth, insert foot.  Strangely, I'm actually looking forward to the first time you do this.  They need to rename the "hand and face" wipes - the hand, face and foot wipes because mom will certainly start wiping down those feet as much as she does your hands.  :)
• You get better and better by the day at mimicking others.  Your latest feat is blowing bubbles.  It's the cutest.thing.ever.  Note to self:  must get the bubble blowing on video soon.
• I think I say this at every update, but you are so much more animated and interactive than you were a month ago.  You love to talk {loud}, squeal & laugh, and dad's reported that sometimes you "talk" to him all the way to school in the morning.  
• Your animation doesn't stop with sounds though.  You have a new action that mom and dad are not necessarily too fond of - the arching of your back.  We used to love it when you did it as part of your stretching routine as a newborn.  It was so cute!  However, it is NOT so cute any longer.  I think daddy and I are getting a taste of what your future tantrums might be like. When we're trying to get you to do something you don't want to do - like sit in your car seat, sit in your swing or bumbo, or when you're just rebelling while in our arms - you straighten your chubby legs, point your feet, arch your back just as much as you possibly can, and toss your head back in dissent.  Is this what your grandparents meant when they told your dad and me to "wait until you have children of your own?"  I guess payback really is H-E-double-hockey sticks!  ;)
• In case you haven't noticed from all the photos, everything goes in your mouth!  From your hands to Sophie to your lovie, you're willing to try it all out for taste.
• Speaking of taste, you are oh-so-close to starting solid foods!  Mommy just has a little more research to do, but all signs point to GO.  When we put you in your chair at the kitchen table, you stare longingly at our food.  We're going to start giving you your own spoon, fork and plate to play with this week, and by next week, you'll have likely gotten your first taste of pureed veggie goodness.  
• You have mastered the art of a daily schedule, and I am SO proud of you {and thankful} for that.  You take a one hour nap in the morning usually from 9-10ish, and you take a two hour nap in the afternoon usually from 1-3ish.  You are on a great eating rotation of every four hours.  You eat approximately 7 oz of breast milk at 7am, 11am, 3pm & 7pm.  And best of all...you sleep!  We put you down around 7pm every night after your last feeding of the day, and you {typically} sleep until 7am each morning.  Now, this doesn't mean we're completely in the clear yet.  We usually have to go in to soothe you anywhere from 1-4 times during the night if you wake and can't quite put yourself back to sleep (although there have been a few nights when you've soothed yourself back to sleep and we didn't have to go in at all!).  All our "soothing" entails is reinserting your pacifier and giving you your lovie, and you're good to go. Sleep really is life-changing.  I can vouch for that.

I promised myself that I'd try to make this monthly post more succinct, but alas, I did not.  I could go on and on about you, my sweet child.  You are our world.  I'll conclude with your amazing father's words of wisdom.  I asked him the other day to "start thinking about" what he thought I should include about you as a five month old.  I couldn't end this post without including his wisdom:

• "The bald spot on the back of his head is getting bigger."
• "His poop smells worse."