Austin: Five Months

I went back to look at Connor’s monthly wrap-up when he was five months old and I just loved reading about him so I’m going to try to do a monthly post about Austin going forward.  I know down the road I will regret not taking the time to do it.

So what’s our not-so-little guy up to these days?  One typical milestone at this age is rolling over, at least back to tummy.  Austin isn’t doing that yet but he’ll get himself contorted with his head bent back toward his bum and be on his side so he looks like a backwards “C”…and then he stays like that.  I think I’m hindering that progress by having him in a sleep sack that contains his arms but we’re not ready to give up the sleep sack yet so if he’s a late roller, so be it.

I wrote most of this post on a Friday and over the course of the weekend, Austin decided he was ready to be a roller.  He's not the most consistent with it yet, but I don't think it'll take long for him to figure out how to do it more smoothly and without trapping his one arm under him every dang time.

Austin is still getting a dream feed at night anywhere from 9:30 to 11 or so depending on when the McHusband is going to bed.  That seems to reliably get him through til about 5 or so when he wakes up and must think it’s time to start his day.  Luckily he’s normally pretty happy just hanging out in his crib until I get him as close to 6 as possible.  I’ve been setting my alarm for between 3 and 4 to give him another dream feed so that he’ll continue sleeping and I’ve had mixed results.  Sometimes it’s kept him asleep until almost 7, sometimes he’s still awake around 5:00.  Or, in one case, woke up around 4:45 after I laid him back down once he'd finished his bottle and never went back to sleep.  

He is (and has been) wearing 6 month clothes, and I even have him in some 6-9 month stuff.  I think he has a few 9-month pajamas that fit him alarmingly well.

Austin loves his big brother and always gives Connor big smiles.  Similarly, he loves the baby in the mirror and so far, seems to be quite the mama’s boy.  He has an adorable laugh that’s music to all our ears.  Still won’t take a pacifier so I think that ship has sailed.  Based on how he rubs his hands, which are tucked into his sleep sack, on his face, I’m pretty sure I’ll have another blankie-lover on my hands, which is just fine with me.

No teeth yet but he has been practicing his gnawing – on toys, teethers, and my knuckles.  I hardly even knew when Connor was getting a tooth so, because they have been so different thus far, I’m expecting Austin will be miserable and, therefore, so will I.  Fingers crossed he proves me wrong.

We made it to five months and one day with some amount of breast milk every day, but that ship, too, has sailed.  It got to the point where I was pumping 4 to 5 times a day and averaging one ounce per pump.  That was enough for one bottle, which was fine for a while, but then I was just over struggling for every drop.  Connor is healthy and smart and a great eater and he transitioned to all formula closer to 4 months so hopefully Austin is no different in those areas.

Austin likes to sit with assistance and one of his favorite places to be now is in Connor’s high chair.  We put him in there with some toys on the tray and he’s a happy camper for quite some time.  At daycare, his teacher said he really enjoys having two Boppies stacked behind him so he can sit up.  And I have him in the actual stroller now instead of in the car seat on walks and he loves to look out at the world.

We've just completed house repairs thanks to a leaking pipe under the house and now that everything that was on the hardwoods is out of the den, we can bring down the activity chair for Austin to sit in.  And we'll get the bouncy seat hung up as well.  Connor loved to jump jump jump in that thing and I imagine Austin'll like it, too.

Austin is more Awesome and less Awful every day.  If he could just be a better sleeper (not waking up quite so early and taking better/more consistent naps), I'd say he had secured his title of Awesome Austin.  Maybe in his six-month post...