Graeme, today is Friday – just four days ago you turned 5 months old. You wake mommy up too early most mornings but your smiling face when I come get you from your rock’n’play makes it OK. You still nurse like a champ – it’s crazy to think how difficult it was for the both of us at the beginning. I am SO glad we stuck it out! After your breakfast, it’s a diaper change and then you patiently hang out on my hip while I make my breakfast. Oatmeal with raisins and a glass of milk – same thing every single morning, but I do it because it’s suppose to be good for my milk supply. I’ve been eating it since day one home from the hospital! You sit in my lap out on the front porch while I eat my oatmeal and we watch the morning commuters head off to work. You love watching cars and trucks drive by! Even if I’m done eating, we have to wait for the school bus – you like it best of all 🙂

You hang out on your piano play mat and “talk” while mommy cleans up the kitchen and starts a load of laundry. You usually last about 15 minutes before you’re ready for your morning nap. You’ve been awake for an hour and I’m ready for my nap as well. It never takes more than a couple minutes of walking and bouncing in the hallway, under the AC vent, before you’re out. I lay you down in your crib on your tummy, place my hand on your back until you stop squirming, pull the blanket over your legs and back, turn the Angelcare monitor on, and head to my bed.

Forty-five minutes to an hour later and you’re awake. Mommy could use another hour, buddy. I walk in to find you rolled onto your side, clutching your blanket with both hands, and “talking” up a storm. You smile up at me as soon as I come into view and I’m reminded of my life’s purpose. It’s not yet time for you to eat again (you eat every 3-3.5 hours) so I change your diaper and put in your onesie/outfit for the day. We stay on the changing table and you explore my face (and hair and mouth!) with your tiny hands and fingers while I tell to you about my dreams from the night before and ask you about yours. You watch my lips so intently when I talk. Sometimes, you move your lips like you’re talking too! If it’s not raining, we’ll sit out in the front yard on a blanket and watch cars drive by and practice sitting up. You’re getting so strong! You’re still unsteady side-to-side but can hold yourself up with your hands and arms when leaning slightly forward. I sit behind you and you lean back against me when you get tired. Suddenly, you start fussing and I know you’re hungry.

We head inside and down the hall into your nursery. I can’t nurse you anywhere else because you’re very distractible and unlatch for the simplest things. A month or so ago, I started holding your hand to keep you focused. Now, you grab for my finger or thumb when we start. If I have to let go for any reason, your little arm starts flailing in the air, searching for what’s missing from your grasp. Many things depending, you’ll sometimes nurse off of one side and be done, and other times you’ll want both sides. When you’re full but still crave the comfort of sucking, you’ll look up at me. I smile and you smile, milk dribbles out the side of your mouth. You make a mess sometimes but I never care. Breastfeeding/nursing you is my most favorite part of my day. I am so thankful that we’ve been able to do it successfully this long – I hope you’ll let me nurse you at least 7 more months!

You only last around 2 hours between most naps and we’ve already spent a quarter of that time outside on the blanket so I sit you in your bouncy seat while I change and get ready for the day. I took the whole month of August off from pumping once a day, which I shouldn’t have done because now I have to work my way back up to pumping a decent amount, but my freezer stash is running low and fall portrait season is about to begin. On Wednesdays and Fridays I’m home alone with you, and you’re not great at playing by yourself for more than 10 or 15 minutes. On days like today, I’ll drive over to your Mimi’s or Nana’s for a quick visit and I’ll pump while you’re entertained. Once you start sitting up and playing in the floor, I’ll be able to take a full 30 minutes to myself and pump. It might be inconvenient but I’m determined. And blessed by your grandmothers’ willingness to help!

It’s approaching your nap time again so we drive home and head straight over to our next door neighbor’s. They don’t live there and have given us permission to swing on the front porch whenever we want. Big score because you love to swing! Around 15 minutes of swinging and you’re dosing off so I carry you back to our house and inside to your crib. Same routine as before (all naps are the same), except the morning nap is the only time I nap with you. This time I make myself lunch and sit down at my desk in the kitchen to eat and chip away at my inbox. I don’t hold office hours on Wednesdays and Fridays but get in as much work as I can when you nap… and dream of the days I can watch Gilmore Girls again!

When you wake up from your nap, I nurse you, change your diaper, and out the door we go! You’re getting better every day, but you use to be awful at riding in the car so I try to run an errand once a day just to help you get use to it. Today, we went to Babies R Us to buy a few onesies for you. I grab a cart from the parking lot, set up your shopping cart carrier thing, and load you, Monkey, and Ockie into the cart. I about had a breakdown there the other day while shopping for your clothes. You see, although you just turned 5 months old, you’ve consistently ranked 85% for length and you’re already ready for 6-9 month clothes now. Where did my baby go?!? If you turning 5 months old, one month short of 6 months!!!, wasn’t enough, putting up your 3-6 months clothes already is about killing me. Because it’s not just putting away your 3-6 clothes, it’s putting a onesie/outfit on you, realizing it doesn’t quite fit anymore, and then having to get out your 6-9 month clothes. I spent most of the yesterday evening pulling clothes off hangers, rolling them up and putting them in your giant storage container (that’s almost full of clothes he’s already out grown), pulling out new clothes from your other giant storage container (that, as of last night, is now empty…sob!), washing new clothes, and hanging new clothes up. Of course, it took me a little longer than it should because I have to reminisce about each piece of clothing before I put it away. Will it ever get easier? I’m thinking, no.

Thirty minutes later and we’re back home. It’s not quite time for your nap so I strap you to me with the mei tie sash carrier and we do chores around the house. Soon, you’re yawning and rubbing your eyes so I take you out of the carrier and we walk back over to the neighbor’s front porch swing. Nap time, wake up, nurse, change diaper, and Daddy’s home! This is Daddy’s favorite time of day and I’m convinced that it’s yours too! Daddy gets down to your level and says “Hey Bud!” You smile so big! I love the relationship that the two of you already share! You hang out with daddy for the rest of the evening while mommy works, or like today, blogs.

You take one more short nap, nurse, and hang out with daddy before it’s bath time! You love bath time – always have! You kick and splash and we take videos of you because you’re just so darn cute! After your bath, you watch America Ninja Warrior with daddy until it’s bed time. Bed time routine is the same every night: you nurse on one side, we swaddle you, you nurse on the other side, and fall asleep nursing. I place you in your rock’n’play IN YOUR NURSERY because you’re a big boy now! and place a blanket over your little burrito body. Four month sleep regression continues. Some say it can last 6 weeks! This past week you woke up every 3 1/2 hours, on the dot. What’s worse is you’re wanting to nurse every single time but then promptly fall asleep 5 minutes in. Sigh. Two nights ago daddy got up once with your and got you back to sleep without me having to nurse you! Then last night, you pooped for the first time in several days and then slept 5 hours before waking to eat! Your second stretch of sleep is usually just 3 1/2 to 4 hours and then, you wake mommy up too early.