Lincoln James: 5 Months

happy new year's eve! my little man is five months old today and i cannot even believe it for one second. this post is a little bittersweet for me, as i go back to work on monday.

i'm so lucky to have spent 5 months with my little guy, especially because i know not every new mama gets that much time with their little one before having to go back to work. there have been a lot of hard, long days and nights, but i wouldn't change a single thing. i wish i could stay home with him indefinitely, but for now, heading back to work is what's best for our little family.

another month and so many milestones. little man is growing by leaps and bounds. he's weighing in at 16 lbs and is 26.5 inches long. he is almost sitting up all on his own, we fed him solids for the first time, and his little personality (and temper) is really shining through. we celebrated his very first christmas, lincoln was baptized and now we're about to celebrate his first new year's eve and once again it's been an awesome month full of many ups and downs.

we hit the 4 month sleep regression hard and still haven't recovered. if there are any seasoned mama's out there who have any suggestions, i'm all ears! he was sleeping so well, in 6-7 hour increments through the night, and almost from the minute i hit post on his 4 month update, he stopped sleeping. he was impossible to put down, would wake up every hour and a half and there were so many nights where he ended up in bed with me. it was almost worse than the newborn stage, because i had become spoiled with getting the evening to myself and then getting a decent amount of sleep before only having to wake up once to feed him. it's slowly getting better, he's sleeping in 3-4 hour stretches again, but it's definitely not as good as it was, and i'm definitely feeling the effects of being sleep deprived.

the sleep regression has been hard, but little man also started suffering from MAJOR separation anxiety. for a while, i was the only one he wanted, and if i left even for a short period of time, he would cry and cry and cry. he's getting better, but i'm still the only one who can really calm him when he's really upset, and i'm getting major anxiety about how he's going to handle daycare. my mama heart is breaking at the thought of leaving him on monday and having him cry and cry and cry with strangers. i'm secretly hoping he'll surprise me and take to it super easy, but i know deep down that when i pick him up monday evening, i'm in for some major tears (his and mine both!) i've been sleeping with his little lovey at night so come monday, i can leave it with him at daycare and he'll at least have the scent of me. again, if any seasoned mamas out there have any ideas on how to make this transition easier (for both him and me) i'm all ears!

enough of the bummers though....this month has also been so much fun! little man loves to laugh! especially at his daddy when he's making silly noises and it's just about the best sound ever! he is rolling like a champ (back to tummy), still hates tummy time (but is getting better!) and absolutely loves his exersaucer/bouncer. his giggles are the greatest when he's jumping up and down in that thing.

we fed little man solids for the first time as well. it was awesome! we started with whole grain rice cereal and he was not a fan. after a few days of trying that (with no success) husband and i just went straight to steaming and pureeing veggies for him. we started with carrots (he loves them!) and then moved on to sweet potatoes (which likes but not as much as carrots). as he gets the hang of eating, he is getting super excited about eating and it's so fun to watch! next up we're trying avocado! i can't wait to keep trying new foods with him, and you may even see a homemade baby food post in the near future.  we're not giving up on the rice cereal yet...we'll probably try it again now that he seems to have the hang of eating and see if he likes it any better.

finally, we celebrated little man's first christmas. it was truly the best christmas yet. we're so lucky to have a healthy little boy and be surrounded by friends and family. while the little guy didn't quite understand what it was about this year, i know next year will be extra special as he's able to grasp more of what the holiday is all about.

the sunday after christmas, little man was baptized. it was a simple, small ceremony with just our immediate family and was another great family memory for us. and, as my dad likes to say, little man isn't a "pagan" anymore, which he couldn't be happier about.

such a wonderful, bittersweet month for my little man. time really is going by too fast, but i can't wait to see what he masters next. i'm the luckiest mama in the world, and he truly is the best boy.

some quick stats:

height:  26.5 inches

weight:  16 lbs (up 1.8 lbs from last month!)

hates: tummy time, and being away from his mama ;0) 

loves: his exersaucer/bouncer, carrots, and giggling up a storm! 

head: little man has pretty good head control and can even sit up for short (3 seconds) spurts of time

eats: we started solids with lincoln this month! he's had rice cereal (doesn't like), carrots (loves!) and sweet potatoes (likes)

sleeps: we are slowly making our way out of the 4 month sleep regression....would love any tips from other mamas!!!!