5 months old

Wow! Nathan is five months old today. It's hard to believe that time has flown by so quickly! Every day brings out a new element of Nathan's personality and a refinement of the skills he's learning. This month he has really become good at grabbing things (toys, sleeves, hands, you name it) and sticking them in his mouth. He's developed a whole range of vocalization, which he often practices in his crib after going to bed or in the morning before he's ready to get up and have some breakfast. I love listening to his squeals, trills and coos, especially when he's talking to himself. In addition to experimenting with different sounds, he also plays with volume and is pretty impressed with his ability to shriek loudly! :)



His mama's boy, Nathan has become quite the flirt and still has a flair for drama. He almost always refuses to look at the person who is holding him, instead prefering to smile and coo at everyone else in the room! We have started a bedtime routine, which Nathan is learning. When he's on the changing table getting a fresh diaper and pjs, Nathan is quite the entertainer-- dancing, grinning, squealing--anything to distract us from bedtime and convince us that he is not at all tired. As soon as he's lifted from the changing table and the lights in his bedroom are dimmed, he starts to fuss a little bit, all the while doing his best to resist the urge to suck his thumb which always lulls him to sleep. If we attempt a bedtime story, the fussing increases in its intesity as soon as we sit down. Then when he is kissed good night, told that he is loved, wished sweet dreams and placed in his crib, the real dramatics ensue. Immediately Nathan becomes distraught--using the cries and the face that so reliably tugs Mommy and Daddy's heartstrings. Once the door shuts though, he usually doesn't protest for long, and once he settles down, he's a great sleeper.

Here are some pics from this afternoon of my big boy and his daddy (notice Todd's new glasses!) as well as a video from this morning: