Wow, where has the time gone? Louis is now 5 months old!
What is our lil one up to? Actually I should probably write "what isn't he up to?"
Today while at Leah's dance class I was sitting on the floor with Louis. A lil girl, 18 months old, was in front of him, he tried to climb off my lap onto his tummy & made a great effort to get over to her. We are in so much trouble when he finally gets the whole crawling thing down. I began walking at 9 months and was off running by 10. I have a suspicion Louis is going to do the same. I kind of hope not because I am not prepared for it!
What else is going on with Louis...oh yeah he tries to eat our food. That is a new development. I waited till at least 6 months before introducing solids with Leah and she didn't really show a big interest in eating them until 8 months or so. Louis is definitely interested and he is developmentally able to eat them as far as his swallowing goes. He stuck his hand in a bowl of mashed avocados I was getting ready for guacamole for Leah and then proceeded to stick his hand in his mouth and suck all of the avocado up. It was somewhat lumpy. I am a firm supporter of baby-led weaning and Louis is clearly deciding for himself that he is ready. We have a well baby visit next week with the doctor. If he gives the go ahead (I have some concerns about the closing of his gut, it can take from 4-6 months) then we will start with some avocado and go from there.
5 Month Developmental Milestones• Distinguishes between bold colors - he loves playing games on the computer and enjoys watching Leah's cartoons with her. He loves the bold colors.
• Plays with his hands and feet - his newest form of entertainment
• Recognizes own name - We've noticed over the last week that when we say his name in conversation he is beginning to respond to it.
• Turns toward new sounds
• Rolls over in both directions - he has mastered this but prefers rolling to his left side.
• Sits momentarily without support - every day I notice he sits for longer periods of time
• Mouths objects - everything goes in his mouth
• Separation anxiety may begin - he is noticing when I leave the room or his range of vision and shows signs of being upset.
Other milestones/developments I've noticed:• His ability to reach and grasp his toys has improved dramatically. Whenever he sees an object he wants, he will reach for it with his fingers outstretched and ready to grasp the target.
• His hands will now accommodate for the various shapes that he reaches for so that he can grab them with both of his hands and maneuver them toward his face.
• He utilizes his dexterity by turning objects over, transferring them from one hand to the other and by dropping them and picking them up. Those games may appear inadvertent, but they are actually important, hidden exercises teaching his object permanence. He is beginning to know the pleasure of teaching and learning from his own experiences.
• He will grace you with his squeals of joy, which are true reflections of his growing intrinsic pride. <---this is especially noticeable when Leah spends time playing with him.
• He will demonstrate burst-pause dialogue through mumbles, humming, razzes, humming and vowels sounds. <---He has days when you don't hear a peep from him and then all of a sudden he is chatting you up for an hour straight.
• He is capable of giving different responses to people based upon the level of comfort he has established with that person. Of course, Mom and Dad always receive the best of the welcomes!
• He has found out how wonderful he looks and loves to watch himself in the mirror. He reaches for and makes wonderful sounds as he tries to communicate with his reflection. <----he has a mirror on his exersaucer and you can see him babbling to himself while in it.
• Looks at falling objects.
• Vocalizes pleasure and displeasure
• Is soothed by music
• Moves by pushing flat surface
• Clasps hands in play
• Plays with a rattle
• Holds a bottle with both hands <---he can do this well but I prefer he not be left to feed himself. Just because he is being fed with a bottle versus being nursed doesn't mean it still cannot be a nurturing experience.
• Imitates facial expressions <----like his big sister Leah, Louis does this very well
And of course the one milestone that Louis was approaching so well but has backtracked on, sleeping through the night...yeah we aren't there quite yet. He still wakes up for a 3 am - 4 am feeding. Thank goodness he is breastfed, makes those feeding a 100 times easier. I try to remind myself that before I know it he will be off to kindergarten (like Leah was this past year) and I will actually miss these sleepless nights.
