Berend: 5 Months

Well, I’m publishing this 2 weeks after B turned 5 months, but better late than never, right?

Age: 5 months on 15 October 2018
Weight: about 17 lbs
Height: about 27″
Teeth: none
Clothing Size: 6-9 months & 9 months
Diaper Size: size 3 in disposable and one size in cloth
Milestones: rolling from back to tummy intentionally, laughing, new sounds (fake coughing for one), sitting independently

Likes: Sucking on everything, watching the TV, trying to get Mama’s phone, being carried, being outside, standing with help, taking baths, watching Gerrit, crinkly toys, sleeping on his side.

Dislikes: Diaper changes at 1am, going to sleep, not getting attention all the time, waking up on his tummy, when toys don’t do what he wants

Sleeping: Not a good month for sleep. He averaged only 12.5 hours of sleep each day and mostly got 4 naps a day because they tended to be short. I think his longest stretch of sleep was maybe 3 hours? I can’t even remember.

Naps were mostly short ones (30-45 minutes), so he usually got 4 a day. All naps are in his crib with him wearing his Zippadee Zip, curtains closed, and white noise going. I almost always nurse him to sleep for naps because he usually won’t nurse well any other time of the day.

During the night, Berend was up all the time. He was generally up every hour, but sometimes as often as every 30 minutes (not including whole hours where I was in and out rocking him to sleep, laying him down, then going back 5 minutes later because he was up again). Exhausting. Frustrating. I usually gave up around 2 or 3am this month and just brought him to bed with me. He still would wake up crying, and I’d still have to get out of bed to walk him around to soothe him.

Eating: Still exclusively breastfeeding this month. Berend is still a quick nurser: 5 minutes or less when he’s awake and maybe 10 minutes if he falls asleep nursing. He also still nurses roughly every 2-2.5 hours day and night. He is still very easily distracted from nursing if I nurse around any other people, so he gets his best feedings before sleeps.

Mommy Update: I feel like the days are pretty long yet. But I feel like my attitude is generally better than it was when Gerrit was this age. I don’t get nearly as frustrated with the short naps and constant resettling all night. I feel like I’m always telling myself It is what it is. It won’t last forever. It helps more than I thought it would.

I’m definitely better when we get out of the house. I’m just not always motivated to actually do that. It seems like even if I tell myself that we’re going to leave right after Berend wakes from a nap, it still takes almost an hour to get out the door. Between Gerrit dragging his feet about getting dressed or using the bathroom and me trying to get Berend changed and ready, it all takes way too long.

Physically? I keep losing hair. My skin is better for the most part. I’ve gained a couple of pounds (oops). I’m always tired, but I somehow keep going along!

My “me time” was pretty limited this month. I really tried to take advantage of the stretches of sleep Berend had at night, even if they were only 30 minute ones. Sometimes I just spent that time catching up on folding laundry, but other times I actually sat and relaxed for awhile.

Memorable Events; It was a pretty quiet month to be honest. We had some small outings to the library on base and plenty of walks to the park. We went to our first block party on our street, which was fun, but I didn’t get a single picture! The only other “big” thing we did was visit the nearby alpaca farm.

That would be Berend chewing on his foot while he learned about alpacas!

Meanwhile, Gerrit had a great time petting and feeding the alpacas! It really was a fun afternoon out as a family.

 

October photo of Berend:

Berend, you are a mover and a shaker (as you can see in the photo ^)! You rarely sit still, and you insist on being up and part of the action, never laying back like a baby. In fact, it’s better if we just stand you up. You know what you want, when you want it, and you are very vocal when we can’t read your mind. You grunt and growl just like a little bear. You still have the most infectious smile, and we love making you giggle. We love you so much, Berend!