Beckett James is 5 months old! Where has the time gone? My skinny, hairy, yellow newborn has been replaced with this guy - all cheeks and thighs. He turned 5 months old on the 17th, and is learning new things every hour. A couple weeks ago, my biggest little guy rolled over for the first time. He missed the front to back maneuver that most babies figure out in the first couple of months, but has mastered back to front. When we lay him down on a flat surface, his routine is to roll from his back onto his belly and to attempt crawling furiously. He pushes up and kicks his little legs, trying to work out the coordination. My prediction is that by the end of his 5th month, he'll be scooting across the floor.
A happier tummy time moment:
Frustration:
He sits up with some assistance and is working those core muscles about as much as his Mama should be right about now. Beckett doesn't like to miss anything - he wants to be in the middle of all the action and believes laying down in a cradle is for babies. So he's either sitting up, standing in his exersaucer, or flailing about on the floor, practicing his crawl. He loves playing with his big brother and smiles real big when Ben initiates a game with him. Ben has really grown into his role as big brother, taking care of the baby whenever he's asked to, and sometimes just because. If Beckett is crying and I can't get to him right away, Ben rushes to his aid and soothes him. And it usually works. Beckett is mesmerized by Ben, and will always flash him a big, gummy smile. Ben's latest method of soothing Beckett is to hold a toy over his head to catch his attention. He also pets his baby brother and says "hi baby!" followed by a "muaaah" air kiss. Beckett loves this. Mama does too.
Sharing toys:
We started the rice cereal last month and ditched it almost immediately. He did great eating it. And for a few days, it seemed like it was going pretty well. Until he broke out in a scaly, patchy rash on his arms and legs. It didn't even occur to me at first that it might have to do with his food. Who is allergic to rice cereal? Turns out, Beckett is. I called the pediatrician who advised us to discontinue the rice, and start on oatmeal after the rash is gone. We did. And Beckett loved it. Until he broke out in another horrible rash, only worse. I brought him into the pedi's office and confirmed that he is also allergic to oatmeal. So we got an eczema diagnosis, some fancy creams to clear up the rashes, and advice to revisit food at 6 months. Beckett has proven to be the challenge that Ben never was. Anything that went easy with Ben has been rocky with Beckett. His sleep patterns suck, he is the fussiest baby I've ever seen, and now he's got allergies to the two foods that no kid has ever had an allergy to. But, I love Beckett and I love challenges. So we'll continue fighting these little battles. Also because we have no choice.
He is still fussy. It's getting better, but it's still pretty bad by most people's standards. Beckett is still a Mama's boy and will only really let me calm him down. Dad does a pretty good job with him too, but if he's having a particularly tough moment, I am the only person he wants. I'm flattered, really. But the situation doesn't lend itself to flexibility. He also refuses to take a bottle. I think we screwed up on this one by not introducing it early on. He's probably had less than 5 bottles in his lifetime, despite trying many more times than that. If anyone has any pointers here, we're all ears. In the meantime, he is still enjoying milk straight from the tap. And I can't lie, I'm loving this, for the most part. I love a good old fashioned nursing relationship between a baby and a mama. And love that it continues to go so well for us.
A sweet moment - (sidenote: Jacob felt like a total creepster taking this picture of us in front of other people)
Beckett has enjoyed several playdates with his little friend, Avery, whom he adores. Avery Belle is Monique's daughter, born in December. Monique is my childhood friend. We met when we were 14ish in middle school gym class. Or maybe it was CCD. Whatever it was, we were bonded from the start. Both awkward teenagers, we were joined at the hip from the beginning. My dad used to call us "the twins". I moved away about a year into our friendship, but we kept in touch and had our moms drive the 50 miles between us nearly every weekend to be together. When I moved again and the 50 mile spread turned into 800, we wrote lots and lots of letters. And visited twice a year. And when we both got married, she and her husband left their lives in Florida to live in my neighborhood. And 16 years later, our kids play together. I think my dad was onto something all those years ago - we've really managed to live parallel lives, no matter what kind of distance is between us.
A new generation of besties:
Ben has been doing fabulously so far in his 27th month. Talk about time flying - that number looks really big all typed out. His language skills are amazing. His level of understanding seems to be improving too. It's like a lightswitch was flipped because suddenly he "gets it". He's understanding new concepts, generalizing them, and remembering things. Tonight, he brought a book to me that we haven't read in months. Kids books offer very repetitive themes, sayings, etc. in them, and in this particular one, it repeats the saying "Go! Go! Go!" So he brings me the book and says "Go! Go! Go!" Yeah, I know, it sounds insignificant, but we haven't looked at this book since right after Beckett was born. And also, I'm his mom and therefore impressed with everything. He's still talking up a storm, and still mostly unintelligible, but improving. His sharing skills are awesome for a two year old, and his overall social skills would make any Mama proud. This past week was unbelievably warm for February. So we took full advantage and went to the park every single day. And Ben played with kids, shared his beloved soccer ball, and ran off some energy in the sunshine.
So excited to breathe fresh air:
A sweet moment - (sidenote: Jacob felt like a total creepster taking this picture of us in front of other people)
Beckett has enjoyed several playdates with his little friend, Avery, whom he adores. Avery Belle is Monique's daughter, born in December. Monique is my childhood friend. We met when we were 14ish in middle school gym class. Or maybe it was CCD. Whatever it was, we were bonded from the start. Both awkward teenagers, we were joined at the hip from the beginning. My dad used to call us "the twins". I moved away about a year into our friendship, but we kept in touch and had our moms drive the 50 miles between us nearly every weekend to be together. When I moved again and the 50 mile spread turned into 800, we wrote lots and lots of letters. And visited twice a year. And when we both got married, she and her husband left their lives in Florida to live in my neighborhood. And 16 years later, our kids play together. I think my dad was onto something all those years ago - we've really managed to live parallel lives, no matter what kind of distance is between us.
A new generation of besties:
Ben has been doing fabulously so far in his 27th month. Talk about time flying - that number looks really big all typed out. His language skills are amazing. His level of understanding seems to be improving too. It's like a lightswitch was flipped because suddenly he "gets it". He's understanding new concepts, generalizing them, and remembering things. Tonight, he brought a book to me that we haven't read in months. Kids books offer very repetitive themes, sayings, etc. in them, and in this particular one, it repeats the saying "Go! Go! Go!" So he brings me the book and says "Go! Go! Go!" Yeah, I know, it sounds insignificant, but we haven't looked at this book since right after Beckett was born. And also, I'm his mom and therefore impressed with everything. He's still talking up a storm, and still mostly unintelligible, but improving. His sharing skills are awesome for a two year old, and his overall social skills would make any Mama proud. This past week was unbelievably warm for February. So we took full advantage and went to the park every single day. And Ben played with kids, shared his beloved soccer ball, and ran off some energy in the sunshine.
So excited to breathe fresh air:
Tracing the letters at Avery's Little Corner in Woodfin:
I think this week is supposed to be more like February, cold and wet. But thank goodness for this little weather respite we got. It was a taste of what's to come in the next few months when we can finally get outside and be entertained by more than what's contained in our four walls. The Turners are officially over winter.
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