5 Months with Ford

I have a 5-month-old…what?! How is that possible?

Ford is officially 5-months-old and this stage is oh so sweet. I can’t stop kissing his chunky cheeks and love seeing his little personality grow daily. I’ve said to before and will say it again, but the first 2-3 months were really hard for me, but this stage? I am loving it in so many ways. Here are a few updates on Ford.

GROWING & LEARNING

He is officially on the move! Not yet crawling, but rolling both ways and scooting all over when on the floor. He also reaches for things now and can easily grab objects to touch and play with. He is starting to sit up on his own and will reach for his toes. He is finally big enough for this 3-in-1 activity gym and will bounce, spin and play with the toys on his own. He still uses his play mat, but now is more interested in other toys I place on the mat. He will move his body until he can reach them! Such a fun game for him.

We have been working on reducing all screen time, as he will watch TV or grab for my phone now. I like not having the TV during the day. We will occasionally watch the morning news still or turn on music for him on YouTube, but don’t have it constantly on to distract him. I know it will be impossible to keep him completely away from screens, but we are trying to do our best to not make it a big part of his day.

SLEEP

Sleep is finally becoming consistent! FINALLY! For the most part, he is still up at least 1x each night (around midnight) for a dream feed, but is sleeping through the night otherwise between 7:30pm - 7:30am. He isn’t sleeping through every night (it’s usually 1 out of 4 nights), but I will take the 1x nursing session over the 3-4 nighttime wakings.

We have him in the Magic Merlin sleep suit right now, but will transition to just pajamas soon as he is rolling and wants to sleep on his tummy.

Overall, I feel so much more rested and like my sleep is finally getting on track as well.

Naps are still a struggle though. Ford has outgrown his fourth nap and will typically do two good naps throughout the day and maybe a short nap while out and about or in the car. We are preparing for Ford to start daycare in the next few months and know that naps will change with that, so we are less strict about it. If he fights the nap, I will get him up to play and try again once he seems ready. I used to get so stressed about nap time, but since he sleeps so well at night now, I cannot complain. If we can get one good nap (1-hour or more) around 9:30am/10:00am, it typically sets him up for a good day. Our nanny is typically home during his 2nd and 3rd nap and will work on it with him as well. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to get anything done!

FEEDING

For feedings, I am pumping more and offering the breast less. He is doing so well with the bottle, but still wants to breastfeed at nighttime and first thing in the morning for comfort. We are working on offering it less and less during the daytime though.

We are preparing for our first overnight away from Ford in February. My mom has watched him a few times at night (not all night though) and he is getting more comfortable with her putting him to sleep. I think he will be ready by February and it will be good for us both!

FAVORITE THINGS AND GROWING OUT OF…

Ford loves…

Playing in his activity center. His little toes finally can touch and he finally can grab the toys!
Rolling around on my rug and scooting - getting so close to crawling
Sucking on his hands or his Sophie giraffe
Going on his walks in the stroller
Singing and listening to ‘Baby Shark’ (or any music that involves me singing/dancing for him)
Bath time and being naked
Going to sleep at night (finally!)

Ford is growing out of: