So, like most things in my life these days, I am late with Henry's 5 month post. I know a lot of it has to do with me not being able to organize anything in my life and feel like we are in a constant state of chaos. I am attributing this to having 2 children, working 3 days a week, and some major electrical work being done in our kitchen, which requires me to clean most of the first floor every other day. I am blaming the latter for most of the chaos! I am also kind of bored with the blog so it has been put on the back burner...majorly! I am struggling with that because it sure doesn't seem fair to Henry that his cute little mug is lacking face time on what should be the best way to track milestones and happenings. Not to mention his big brother was the center of the blog universe for quite some time.
Anyway, on to Henry and month 5....
While I can't believe Henry is 5 months old, there were parts of this month that went by SOOOOO SLOOOOOOOW! Mostly the last 2 weeks of January, when it seems as though the 2 boys put sleep at the bottom of their list!
Let's start with the negative (well, what used to be negative)...sleep! Let me give you a little background since I skipped the 3rd and 4th month detailed updates. Right around Christmas time, Henry started sleeping like a champ...going 9-10 hour stretches consistently. Napping was never his strong suit, but he would cat nap throughout the day. Fine! Well, the week I went back to work, Mr. Henry decided to start waking up a couple of times in the middle of the night Because Ethan's room is within feet of Henry's, I would always run right up there and basically nurse him back to sleep because one child awake in the middle of the night was bad enough, I didn't need two! Well, the little bugger got used to this and started waking up several times, just to see his mama! I love him to pieces, but I also love my sleep. Especially when I have a 5 a.m. wake up call. Ethan must have gotten wind that his brother was getting some TLC in the middle of the night so he started to wake up and pay us a visit. Of course, it was after I had just fed Henry and fell back to sleep. It got so bad that I resorted to sleeping in my car in the parking lot at work...yes, I was desperate!
When we went for Henry's 4 month well visit, the Dr. and I chatted about what was going on and she suggested reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. Basically the theory behind the book is the more your child sleeps during the day, the more you child will sleep at night. Great, sleeping during the day was not on Henry's to do list! So, Dr. Flanagan told me to let him cry for 45 minutes each time I put him down for a nap, let him sleep at least an hour and he can't be up for more than 2 hours at a time, no napping after 4, and a 6 p.m. bed time. Yes, easier said than done, especially for working moms and dads. So, long story short, it took some time and a few tries, but it worked! Henry is still not taking great naps during the day, but he does go to bed around 6:30, wakes up one time between 4 and 5 to eat and is back down until 7:30 or 8. Hallelujah!!!
Before I move on, a couple pictures of our happy guy...
As you can see, Henry has discovered his feet! He loves them and doesn't hesitate to put them in his mouth, along with anything else he can pick up. He especially loves his fingers and Sophie! After weeks of drooling, a tooth finally popped up (see post below). The drooling hasn't stopped and I am thinking we are going to see another tooth any day now. We haven't eliminated the paci fully so Henry does use it on occasion to soothe himself, otherwise you will probably just find him chewing on it.
He has also started rolling from his back to his belly consistently. I have been a bad mother since the beginning and let him sleep on his belly (shhhh, don't tell DCFS!). I think, because of this, he doesn't mind when he does flip over...just goes right back to sleep, peacefully! He moves all over his crib when he sleeps and often times I find his little hand or foot peeking out the slats. I just love it!
Henry also started mush (solids) shortly after our visit to the Dr. in January. We started a little early with this in hopes it would help with his sleeping. I don't know if cereal had anything to do with it, but he did start sleeping better after he started eating solids consistently. He has tried rice cereal, oatmeal, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, and bananas. He loves the veggies, but is not too sure about the bananas. I am sure he will grow to love them! Henry is a spitter and it seems that the rice cereal and oatmeal is easier for him to digest allowing a lot less burp cloths to be used during the day. Don't get me wrong, we still use our fair share, but it is much less.
He continues to be a very chill baby. He lights up when he sees us and is genuinely happy. He does have his moments, sure (like when he is in his bouncy too long), but all in all he is one happy little guy. He loves to be held and talked too and I cherish my time with him right before bed. He is just so sweet!
He also loves his brother so much and is constantly being entertained by all that Ethan does. Already, he is his best pal and calms down immediately upon hearing Ethan's voice. It really is amazing the bond that they already have. Two boys who will always be buddies!
I said this before with Ethan and I will say it again. I truly believe each stage gets better and better. As much as I miss him being a newborn and the sweetness of watching him sleep, I can't help but love all the smiles, laughs, coos, amazement and curiosity that comes along with an infant. Sure we hit a rough patch for a couple of weeks, but the funny thing is, I barely remember it now. That time did pass and sometimes I am kicking myself for getting so mad during those nights. As he gets older (Ethan too), I am trying to cherish each moment because it will not last forever. Someday I am going to miss those late night snuggles and constantly wanting to be picked up or held. Ahh, my boys, I love you!
I apologize for the horrible photos...I am hoping to take this class sometime in the near future so I can really learn how to use our camera. Or maybe receive it as a birthday gift or something!!
Anyway, on to Henry and month 5....
While I can't believe Henry is 5 months old, there were parts of this month that went by SOOOOO SLOOOOOOOW! Mostly the last 2 weeks of January, when it seems as though the 2 boys put sleep at the bottom of their list!Let's start with the negative (well, what used to be negative)...sleep! Let me give you a little background since I skipped the 3rd and 4th month detailed updates. Right around Christmas time, Henry started sleeping like a champ...going 9-10 hour stretches consistently. Napping was never his strong suit, but he would cat nap throughout the day. Fine! Well, the week I went back to work, Mr. Henry decided to start waking up a couple of times in the middle of the night Because Ethan's room is within feet of Henry's, I would always run right up there and basically nurse him back to sleep because one child awake in the middle of the night was bad enough, I didn't need two! Well, the little bugger got used to this and started waking up several times, just to see his mama! I love him to pieces, but I also love my sleep. Especially when I have a 5 a.m. wake up call. Ethan must have gotten wind that his brother was getting some TLC in the middle of the night so he started to wake up and pay us a visit. Of course, it was after I had just fed Henry and fell back to sleep. It got so bad that I resorted to sleeping in my car in the parking lot at work...yes, I was desperate!
When we went for Henry's 4 month well visit, the Dr. and I chatted about what was going on and she suggested reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. Basically the theory behind the book is the more your child sleeps during the day, the more you child will sleep at night. Great, sleeping during the day was not on Henry's to do list! So, Dr. Flanagan told me to let him cry for 45 minutes each time I put him down for a nap, let him sleep at least an hour and he can't be up for more than 2 hours at a time, no napping after 4, and a 6 p.m. bed time. Yes, easier said than done, especially for working moms and dads. So, long story short, it took some time and a few tries, but it worked! Henry is still not taking great naps during the day, but he does go to bed around 6:30, wakes up one time between 4 and 5 to eat and is back down until 7:30 or 8. Hallelujah!!!
Before I move on, a couple pictures of our happy guy...
As you can see, Henry has discovered his feet! He loves them and doesn't hesitate to put them in his mouth, along with anything else he can pick up. He especially loves his fingers and Sophie! After weeks of drooling, a tooth finally popped up (see post below). The drooling hasn't stopped and I am thinking we are going to see another tooth any day now. We haven't eliminated the paci fully so Henry does use it on occasion to soothe himself, otherwise you will probably just find him chewing on it.He has also started rolling from his back to his belly consistently. I have been a bad mother since the beginning and let him sleep on his belly (shhhh, don't tell DCFS!). I think, because of this, he doesn't mind when he does flip over...just goes right back to sleep, peacefully! He moves all over his crib when he sleeps and often times I find his little hand or foot peeking out the slats. I just love it!
Henry also started mush (solids) shortly after our visit to the Dr. in January. We started a little early with this in hopes it would help with his sleeping. I don't know if cereal had anything to do with it, but he did start sleeping better after he started eating solids consistently. He has tried rice cereal, oatmeal, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, and bananas. He loves the veggies, but is not too sure about the bananas. I am sure he will grow to love them! Henry is a spitter and it seems that the rice cereal and oatmeal is easier for him to digest allowing a lot less burp cloths to be used during the day. Don't get me wrong, we still use our fair share, but it is much less.He continues to be a very chill baby. He lights up when he sees us and is genuinely happy. He does have his moments, sure (like when he is in his bouncy too long), but all in all he is one happy little guy. He loves to be held and talked too and I cherish my time with him right before bed. He is just so sweet!
He also loves his brother so much and is constantly being entertained by all that Ethan does. Already, he is his best pal and calms down immediately upon hearing Ethan's voice. It really is amazing the bond that they already have. Two boys who will always be buddies!I said this before with Ethan and I will say it again. I truly believe each stage gets better and better. As much as I miss him being a newborn and the sweetness of watching him sleep, I can't help but love all the smiles, laughs, coos, amazement and curiosity that comes along with an infant. Sure we hit a rough patch for a couple of weeks, but the funny thing is, I barely remember it now. That time did pass and sometimes I am kicking myself for getting so mad during those nights. As he gets older (Ethan too), I am trying to cherish each moment because it will not last forever. Someday I am going to miss those late night snuggles and constantly wanting to be picked up or held. Ahh, my boys, I love you!
I apologize for the horrible photos...I am hoping to take this class sometime in the near future so I can really learn how to use our camera. Or maybe receive it as a birthday gift or something!!
I spotted 
