Cullen is five months old today!  We really watched him transform this month.  He doesn’t seem like a helpless little baby anymore, but more of a real member of our family – one with his own personality, own voice, and his own little world.

Now that he’s five months old, I don’t find him to be mysterious or confusing anymore.  I have so much more confidence that I can meet his needs and read his signals, and I don’t ever worry about doing things with him or taking him places like I used to.  I know no matter where we are, I can figure out what he needs and make sure he’s happy.

It is so fun to watch him explore the world.  His newest skill is opening and closing his hands over and over again, and rubbing them against carpet, fabric, skin – anything he can touch.  If he can reach it, he will grab it, and everything ultimately ends up in his mouth.

I kiss his fat little cheeks no less than 1,000 times each day.

Sleeping

He has a pretty consistent bedtime these days – usually around 6:30pm.  He sleeps from then until sometime between 1 and 3 (it varies), and he goes back to sleep after I feed and soothe him.  His next wake-up tends to be between 5-6am, which is tough after being up just a few hours before.  It’s hard to get him to go back to sleep at this point, so I usually end up bringing him into bed with me for some extra snuggle time.

I’m reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and trying to figure out how to eventually eliminate that midnight feeding, and perhaps how to get him to sleep a little later.  Overall, I feel lucky that he’s at least sleeping for relatively long stretches.

Napping is another story.  Naps are battles, and he is not good about going to sleep on his own.  I have to rock him to sleep for almost all of his naps, which is a habit I know I need to break, but is also one that doesn’t always feel worth fighting.  His naps are never more than 30 minutes at a time, and I often find I spend an hour trying to get him to sleep for 30 minutes.  He takes three naps total each day, so those 90 minutes are critical in order me to get anything done.

Eating

We haven’t started solids yet, but I think about it more and more.  I’m still trying to decide if I want to start with pureed foods or take more of a baby-led weaning approach.  I need to learn more about both – sooner than later!  I also need to get some sort of high chair or seat attachment for our chairs before we can get started. 

Breastfeeding is still going well, although he tends to fuss a lot while he’s feeding these days.  I don’t know if he’s not getting enough to eat, or if he’s just being fussy – it’s hard to tell.  He has gained plenty of weight though, so I’m not too worried.

He is distracted by even the slightest noises and sounds now, and I have to find quiet spots to feed him in order to do it successfully.  Even just one of the dogs being in the room with a clinky collar has him whipping his head around to see what’s happening.

Speaking of the dogs, they are my new favorite babysitters!  He thinks Indy is the funniest thing to ever live, and he cracks up at him whenever they are in a room together.  For some reason he doesn’t find Huey quite as funny, although his new accessory might change that…

Poor Huey boy had eye surgery yesterday to remove a tumor growing on his eyelid.  He’s doing well but he’ll be rocking the cone for the next few weeks.  My bank account aches. 

Playing

One of the great improvements this month has been Cullen’s ability to play independently.  He’s so into reaching and grabbing things, that I can put him down and he will play for sometimes 30 minutes – long enough to eat, shower, or answer a few emails.

I’ve also hung some toys in his crib that he loves, and now when he wakes up, he stays in his crib for an extra while to play, while I continue to get things done until he lets me know he’s had enough. 

Even though he’s just reaching five months, I really think crawling is just around the corner.  He scoots across the floor now, tucking his knees under and pulling himself forward with his arms.

While I’m very excited for him to crawl, I’m also savoring the last few days and weeks of being able to put him in one spot and know he will stay in that same general area. 

Check out what I like to call “the worm”…

Five Month Rundown:

• Highchair:  Still need one (or other seat).  Any suggestions?
• Solid Food:  Soon.  Any day now.
• Stroller:  Love it!  We are running together now!
• Car Seat:  Getting better.
• Jumperoo:  Loves it for 15 minutes at a time.
• Bottles:  Took ONE.  Hoping I can get him to do it again.  
• Teeth:  TWO – both bottom teeth are in!
• Hair:  Getting long!  And finally filling in on top – hallelujah!
• Weight:  16lbs 2oz at the last appointment, so probably close to 16.5 now!
• Likes: Chewing, laughing at dogs, when dad comes home from work, soft blanket-dolls to sleep with.
• Dislikes: Getting out of the bathtub, having his diaper changed, napping, wearing hats.

Thank you Cullen for five months of laughs, snuggles, and more fun than I ever could have imagined.

For more parenting posts, you can visit the parenting page.  Or check out the latest on Babble…

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We have a special visitor this week!  Aunt Sarah has returned to Seattle to spend her spring break with her favorite west coast nephew.  The last time she saw him was back in December when he was only 9 weeks old…

And he has changed so much since then!  Now he’s like a little person with a real personality (and temper).

She stopped in Cincinnati before heading out west, and she brought me a few fun treats from home.  My mom gave her a pile of my baby pictures to bring out – most of them from around the same age that Cullen is now.  We had so much fun looking through them and trying to find the resemblances and features that Cullen may have gotten from his mommy.  Casey’s mom sent a few too, and it’s so fun to compare them and see how many similarities there are from when we were his age!

As far as his patchy and uneven hairline goes…

It appears that he got that from me.  I can’t believe I had old man hair as a baby too!

And of his facial features, I think he has my eyes.

Only time will tell as they continue to lighten, but they get bluer and bluer every day, and that round shape looks just like mine.

While he has his moments just like any baby, overall he is ridiculously happy and smiles all day long.  I have never seen a baby smile as much as he does.

I think that one’s from me too.  My mom always says I was the happiest baby ever.

Although it looks like Casey had a pretty good time as a baby himself.

A love for trends and fine fashion?

Seems to come from the Holcombe girls.

But whenever he’s being Cullen the Crank…

I like to joke that his grouchiness comes from dad.

And even though I definitely think he has some of my features and personality, there is no denying how much he looks like Casey.

They have the exact same mouth.  (I wonder if he’ll eventually get that bright red hair!)

Casey is one of those people that kind of goes non-stop – always working, thinking, or planning what is next.  Cullen is the hardest working baby I’ve ever seen – never content to just sit and chill out, he always has to be doing something.

He most definitely did not get that from me.

Overall, he’s just a really happy and joyful baby.  He loves playing and exploring new things, and even though I think it’s fun to see bits and pieces of us in him – most of all I love watching him become his own little person.

He has already changed so much from when he was a newborn, and I can’t wait to see how he continues to change and grow.