Little Man is 5 Months Old

Today is not only my 29th Birthday but it is also the day that Little Man turns 5 months.

I have no idea where the last 5 months have gone. They have zoomed by! Little Man being a teenie baby seems such a distant memory now and yet feels like yesterday. When you’re a parent your whole memory bank is full of all these images and moments that span the whole time since becoming a mother and yet every memory is so fresh, so clear. I am so thankful for those memories – I can almost touch them!

Next month we will start weaning Little Man and it is now that I am most thankful for the ease of breastfeeding. No hassle, it’s always there when LM is hungry and there’s nothing else needed in order for him to be fed. I know that next month that ease becomes more difficult. LM will start to have proper food, needing to be cleaned up after each ‘meal’. Baby led weaning will make things easier in some ways – food is fun until he’s one, so him actually eating is not so important but him learning to deal with the food, to hold it and experience it are the main things. So I won’t have the worry of ‘Is he eating enough?’ he’ll still be getting all he needs from me feeding him. In other ways BLW makes things harder – he will get messy at every meal. He’ll most probably need a change of clothes after each meal or to be stripped off before each meal. He’ll need completely wiping down after each meal as will the floor and highchair. The mess makes BLW so much harder than our current just breastfeeding routine. But BLW is something I am looking forward to and something I will love experiencing again. I just have to remember to embrace the mess!

We are gradually getting into a routine with Little Man. He has decided that he wants to have a nap at 6pm. He’ll then sleep for half an hour and then have a feed and sleep until anywhere between 11pm and 2am. He’ll then sleep, feed, sleep, feed until getting up for the day anywhere between 6am and 7am. Never any later. He then has half an hour naps throughout the day – never any longer than that. These are usually around 8-9am, 12-1pm and then he seems to fight the next nap so much that he misses it and spends the afternoon grumpy until his bedtime.

Little Man has got such strength in his legs. He wants to be standing all the time and is now never happy laying down. He spends a few minutes at a time in his door bouncer or in his walker although doesn’t do any walking or bouncing yet but it keeps him amused briefly. LP loves playing with him in the door bouncer or walker and will go up to him and pat his head. Their relationship is blossoming and he will constantly stare at her adoringly and she will go and get his taggy blanket for him or a rubber spoon for him to chew on. They love eachother and it is so great to see.

Life as a family of 4 is gradually getting easier. Little Man sleeps a lot better than LP did and Dave and I (when He’s home) get our evenings together. This is a luxury that we never really had with LP as she woke up constantly during the evenings and took ages of rocking to go back to sleep. Having our evenings and a semi routine during the day is really helping, life is running more smoothly as time goes on.

Happy 5 months Little Man.