Five Months Old

Dearest Owen,

Today you are five months old and I don't even know where to begin to tell you how much you've grown and changed - let alone how much joy you bring to your Daddy and me. We celebrated your first 4th of July and Mama and Daddy's second wedding anniversary. Just one year ago I was pregnant with you, and now we are a family of three - I'm thankful every day that you arrived safe and sound.

This month you have gotten so big! You've gained almost two pounds since your last doctor's appointment and you're weighing in at close to SIXTEEN POUNDS! You've outgrown your 3 month clothing and some of your six month things as well. This must be because you spent most of this past month in a growth spurt. Gone were the sleepy nights, and instead you woke every two hours to eat. Mama had such a hard time keeping up with you, especially after a terrible bout with food poising on my part, but we got there with lots of milk to spare. I am so proud we are still nursing, and I never take one feeding for granted. I tried rice cereal with you because I thought you might need something more. You were curious the first few times I fed it to you, but then decided you'd rather just have milk. I am fine with this my love, we'll hold off for a while and I will continue to cherish the fact that my milk puts all that chub on your thighs.

You started splashing your arms in the bathtub and I cannot stop from smiling the entire time. It makes me so happy to see you get so excited. Speaking of splashing, we took you to the pool for the very first time this month. You loved to watch the other kids play, and were content to sit in the water with your Daddy while your little baby toes turned into little wrinkly prunes! You love to have your diaper changed, mostly because you LOVE to be naked! Smiles galore from you while you wiggle around and grab for your feet. You are rolling both ways now, so I have to watch closely when I put you down on your playmat. You love to listen to music and it keeps you content for quite some time if I play Raffi on the laptop while you sit in your new exersaucer. You love to "stand" and your legs are SO strong. Daddy and I have a feeling you're going to be on the move soon enough, something we'd like to put off for as long as possible.

The one thing you don't do yet is giggle. We've heard it only a few times, the first on Mother's day and then again when we visited Great Grandma Florence. You sometimes will giggle when Daddy gives you a massage and squeezes your butt. But we've come to the conclusion that perhaps - we're just not that funny. We hope you change your mind and fill our house with baby laughter in the next few weeks.

When I look at you I am mush my boy. We spend our days reading books, giving kisses and listening to music. We go to playgroup every Tuesday and walk to story time at the library on Thursdays. We take naps together, and play with your toys and I listen to you coo and babble. Everyday I make lists in my mind of my favorite things about you. From the moment they laid you on my chest I have been enamored with your profile. Your features are so adorable - squishy cheeks, little chin and a that button nose. I kiss your nose all day long, it's my favorite because I think it looks just like mine! I also kiss your stinky, smelly feet. I cannot believe how sweaty and smelly those little baby toes are. I bathe you at night and zip you into your pajama's and by morning those feets are PEE-EWW! I smell them, and kiss them and tell you how adorably stinky they are! Most of all, your smiles melt my heart. Always smiling my boy. When strangers approach us now, you offer up a huge grin and then turn and bury your head in my chest. This makes everyone's day! So far it has gotten us free bag of yummy Rainier cherries and a free bib! Keep flashing that gummy smile sweet baby, it's priceless.

When you have a baby everyone says, "cherish them while they are small because they grow up so fast." I can't believe five months have flown by already. It feels like yesterday you were so tiny and new. Now the world is yours to discover and take in. That advice echos in my mind all day long as I watch you grow and change and do new things. When I am with you I tell myself, "This moment, this time with my baby I need to remember and never let it slip away." I do cherish every single minute with you, my love. I bask in your milky, baby smell and hold you just a few minutes longer each night before I put you down to sleep. When I snuggle down between you and Daddy at night, I wonder what made me worthy of two such gifts. Whatever it was, I am eternally grateful.

Happy five month birthday my sweet boy. Happy five wonderful months.

My love always,

Mama