Cole at 5 1/2 Months
You have learned to spit – three different ways.You are teething and we’re waiting to see those little white lines show the physical evidence that your gummy smile that Mommy loves is a thing of the past.You have started learning to eat solid foods. Peas are not your favorite, neither are green beans but Mom feeds them to you anyway. You love squash and sweet potatoes so far. Mommy and you are both learning how to do it together.You are trying to roll over from your back to your front. You arch your back and push off of one leg. You especially like to try while on your changing table and in the tub – yikes! You might learn how to do it this week when you stay with Grandma Judy while Mommy and Daddy are at EFY.We call you “The Growler” as you chew on your burp cloths and growl fiercely. You are also making lots of squeaks and grunts and squeals of delight. But our favorite is your low laugh that we coax out of you. I love the empowerment that comes from finding your own voice.
You love your jumparoo. You sometimes bounce, bounce, bounce for an hour. Mommy wants you to love independent play so she lets you do things alone a lot but you like it best when someone keeps you company by being nearby or talking to you while you play.You fall asleep in the car as soon as we are out of the cul-de-sac so we have to plan that into our schedule when we are going places.You weighed almost 19 pounds when we visited the doctor – you’re in the 95% for height and weight. Everyone thinks you are older because you are so chunky. We love your chubbiness – and those cheeks of yours!Mommy has been teaching you to just fall asleep when it's naptime. We just put you in your crib, cover you with your blanket and you play for just a couple of minutes before falling asleep. It doesn't always work but it works a lot of the time. You like your blanket up by your face - even when you were a newborn you liked that.
You have started sleeping through the night. You go to bed at about 7:30 but you like to get up around 6 or 6:30 in the morning. You are an early riser and I’m glad about that. Even though Mommy is a night owl, I think that it’s better to want to get up in the morning so I’m glad you do. You don’t like to eat a lot for breakfast, though.You are holding up your head so well and getting stronger all the time. Daddy can hold you in so many ways and you just roll with it when things don’t go like he plans. You like to sit on his lap and ride around. You’ll have lots of chances for rides in your life but Mommy still won’t let Daddy take you in our elevator in case you both get stuck. You have to wait till you are bigger for that.You like to watch your friends the giraffe and monkey and ostrich on your mobile in the mornings.You spend a lot of time at our neighbor Nikki’s house. She is a great babysitter and Mommy likes that you get to hang out with other kids so that you get used to more noise and action. We are so lucky to have Nikki just right next door so Mom can send you over there if she needs to work at home or run errands. Mommy feels really blessed to have Nikki and to know that she takes such good care of you.
You love to take baths. You have always liked the water – even on your face. You love it when Mommy scrubs your belly and under your chin then you suck on the washcloth and kick and play until the water turns cool.You like getting dressed and undressed. You think it’s so funny when Mom puts things over your head and under your chin. You must be ticklish there.Every day Daddy tells you three things: Daddy loves you, Heavenly Father loves you and you are a good boy. If you always remember those things then you can never go wrong.You are so happy. We can’t imagine anyone luckier than we are to have such a perfect little boy. Even when you are grumpy we can usually get a smile out of you. When you were in Mommy’s tummy I prayed that you would be happy. You can do anything in life if you are happy. That’s exactly what we got in you.