He is so active and if he's awake, he's moving and squirming! He enjoys playing in his excersaucer and has recently figured out how to bounce in it. Since he has just discovered how to jump, I set up his jumper and he is having a blast playing in it as well. I think Noah's a little jealous that he can't fit into Collier's toys because he'll just sit and watch him jump. Collier is close to sitting up on his own and can prop sit for a minute or so. He has discovered his feet in the last few weeks and they've become his favorite new "accessory." He plays with them all the time! In fact, most of the time when we have him sitting up, he loses his balance because he's reaching for his feet. He loves bath time and has just recently figured out that he can splash the water when he kicks his legs. It's so cute to watch him get excited over his new discovery. He has also begun turning while he's laying on his belly... one minute he'll be facing one direction and a few minutes later, he'll have made a 180 and facing the opposite direction. He is always trying to turn over... it's the craziest thing! When he's sitting in my lap or laying back on me, he'll twist his little body and flip over so he's on his belly looking at me. Even when I sat him up in his chair to take his 5 month pictures, he scooted down and flipped over on his belly. It's starting to interfere with him sleeping at times because (for some crazy reason) he's forgotten how to flip back over to his back, so he'll start fussing on his belly.
Shortly after he turned 4 months, I began having a hard time getting him to eat. He would take a few ounces and turn his head away, then want to finish the bottle an hour or two later. It dawned on me that maybe he was ready for a 4 hour schedule so I moved him to eating every 4 hours and problem solved. He stays awake and plays for about 2 hours now and then he takes a 1 1/2 - 2 hour nap (sometimes a little longer) 3 x day. I lay him in his crib, turn his mobile on and he puts himself to sleep in a matter of minutes. He no longer really cares for the paci and he'll watch and play with his hands, opening and closing them, grasping them together, etc until he dozes off. He is eating solids twice a day, in the morning and evening. He eats oatmeal with a little fruit after his morning bottle and a veggie after his evening bottle. He loves every food that I've given him with the exception of green beans and peas, but I can't blame him. He even likes peaches now! As soon as he swallows a bite of food, he begins kicking and waving his arms until I get another bite in his mouth. It's pretty messy because it's sometimes hard to get the spoon in his mouth with him moving around so much. But it's quite entertaining! Collier is going to bed around 8:30, I am still doing a dream feed around 10pm and he sleeps until 7am. When he wakes in the morning, he isn't starving and most mornings, I can wait about 30 - 45 mintues before I give him a bottle, so I'm thinking that at some point soon, I might experiment with dropping the dream feed. He has also been weaned out of the swaddle blanket for several weeks now, HALLELUJAH! I keep thinking he is teething because he chews on everything and drools like crazy but there are still no signs of any teeth. Fortunately, he hasn't been too fussy... yet!
At 5 months, I would sum up Collier as being happy, busy (as a non-mobile baby can be), precious, easy, loveable, pleasantly plump, curious, eager and adorable! His grin melts my heart. His sweet little voice puts a smile on my face and his laugh makes me laugh. I could sit all day and just watch him and Noah play together. My two boys are without a doubt the best part of mine and Jamie's lives. It's been a great 5 months and I look forward to seeing what the next one hold!
