Henry at Five Months

Dear Henry,

I am supposed to be napping, since YOU are napping and even at five months the adage to sleep when the baby sleeps still occasionally applies...especially when said baby wakes up hungry at 5:55 on a Sunday morning (soooo early for me!).  But you are five months old today, and I want to mark the occasion.

The biggest event of your fifth month was starting daycare.  Everyone said that it would be harder on me than on you, but two weeks of daycare was not enough time for either of us to adjust.  I think we were both very happy when the House cancelled its last week in session so that we could hang out together all day every day until after the election.

Over the past month you decided to make laughing out loud a regular part of your day instead of a once-in-a-while event.  And no one can make you laugh like your daddy can.  You sure think he is the cat's meow.  I love to watch your eyes light up when you hear his voice.  Your smiles are so big they fill your whole face.  After you went to bed last night, Dad and I were asking ourselves what we used to do when we didn't have you to play with.

You are good at grabbing things when you want to, but mostly you would prefer that things go directly into your mouth without having to use your hands (cue hilarious moment of holding a Sofie giraffe with just one foot and your two teeth)...unless, of course, the things in your mouth are your hands.  It's a toss-up whether your favorite toy is your binky (apparently the whole thing is for chewing on, not just the rubber part) or your hands.  You like to hold them together, admire their handsomeness, and put them in your mouth...and then stick them all over my face and arms.  It is disgusting.  It turns out slobber from one's own child is just as gross as anyone else's.

We aren't going to talk about your eating habits this month, since bottle feedings at daycare were a bit of a disaster and Aunt Jenny had to coach us through a major crisis.  But you are starting to show serious interest in what Dad and I are chewing on, so rice cereal is on the grocery list, just so we're ready...

I feel like having you around is the most normal thing in the world.  And that a girls' night out, dressed in clothes that don't smell like spit-up, sounds like heaven.  I think this means we've officially settled into being a family of three.  And to think that next month will probably be even better than this one!

Love,
Mama