Happy Five Months, Joel!

I know I say the same thing every month, but seriously, where have the past five months gone!?! I think back to those first few days of Joel's life and can't believe how tiny he was. He is growing fast and learning so many new things...here he is at five months :)

* Joel continues to eat about six ounces every two hours (for me - he spaces his feedings about four hours for the sitter - not sure what's up with that, other than his pediatrician said he probably just likes me to feed him, so as long as he's growing, I'm okay with that!) We tried carrots, peas, and apples just after he turned four months...he loved them the first time, but didn't want anything to do with them when we tried them again the next day. We took a break & started back up a few days ago...his new favorite is sweet potatoes, but he's still not very interested.
*He loves to be held, talked to, and sung to...if we're doing any of those things, he is usually happy....but put him down to get some work done around the house & he throws a screaming fit...hence the current state of our house...clutter, dust bunnies, mountains of laundry, a kitchen floor that looks like a jungle because of all the grass that has been tracked in, get-your-own-or-don't-eat-dinners...yep, that's life in these parts these days. Oh well!
* He didn't want much to do with a pacifier the first four months of his life...he sucked his thumb for a while, but never relied on sucking to soothe himself (he would cuddle his monkey or just want to be held)...until right after his four-month birthday! He has been taking most nights to get to sleep, and sometimes it's the only thing that will calm him down...and he's been sucking his thumb a lot more - so cute! :)
*He loved having Gee, Pappy, Aunt Maggie, Uncle Jake, Parker, Fischer, and Finn spend the weekend with us for our birthdays (Maggie's & mine). He looks so big compared to his cousin who is only six weeks younger than he is! He would pull on Finn's bib and they just looked at each other in amazement...cute! :)
*First tractor ride with Daddy last night...he was so calm & content...

*He celebrated Mommy's birthday by sleeping the whole time while we were out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse...probably the best gift I could have asked for - I got to eat in peace while watching him sleep :) - sad that I don't have any pictures of my kids & me on my b-day, but didn't think about it! oh well!
*He rolled from his belly to his back last week, but hasn't done it again since. He tries so hard to go from back to belly...one of these days! He scoots all around on his belly...he still loves tummy time.
*He is sitting up for short periods on his own...it won't be long until we have a sitter :)
* We tried short trials in the crib earlier this month, and he did pretty well for short naps. We finally transitioned from the swing to the crib. He does so well and almost sleeps through the night...only waking up once to eat and then going right back to sleep. Hopefully, he'll go back to sleeping through the night every night again, but we wanted him to like his crib before he grew out of his swing!!
* He's settling into his routine of being away from me during the week (I guess I am, too - although I'm not a fan).
*I don't know what I was thinking when I bought up a bunch of 6-month clothes...I guess I thought that meant he would fit into them at 6 months...but I was reminded that they are up to six months (which really threw me off for some reason)! I'm only buying things 9 months and up now, because he's growing so fast!
*He weighed in at 16lbs. 3 oz, measuring 25 1/4 inches at his four-month well visit!! Although he is on the bigger side, he is only in the 70th (approx) percentile for both weight and height - so he's proportionate and healthy! His brother was always in the 90th and above for everything!
* Favorite toys this month are...his new OBall, My Pal Scout, rocking snail mirror, and his Monkey (of course).
*He's also been showing his team spirit with his brother & cousins :)