5 Months Old

We are getting ready to celebrate Grant's birth minute on his 5 month birthday--11:24 am. I just got finished watching the video of his birth as well. We love to watch all the hospital videos from time to time, and the older Grant gets, the less he looks like that little baby from the videos taken on April 28. I guess the chubbier cheeks, brighter eyes, and balder head make him look so different from that day. It's weird that it doesn't seem to us that he changes too much from day to day, but comparing him to that video or to pictures that were taken those first few weeks, we can really see how much our little boy has grown. We don't have any new stats to share--we don't see the doctor again until 6 months, but with as fast as these months seem to be flying by, it won't be long!

One year ago today.....

Last year, on Wednesday, September 23, 2009, I woke up with a strong hunch that I was pregnant. Earlier that week I told Doug we should probably wait until Friday or Saturday to take a test to make sure, but something told me that morning to take a test. I noticed a few little signs of possible pregnancy, and I just couldn't wait until the weekend. I never really expected it to be positive after so many negative tests in the previous months, but my mouth dropped and I jumped up and down when I saw the word "pregnant" pop up on the digital test. My very first thought after that was to pray that it would be a healthy pregnancy resulting in a healthy baby. I then had to find the motivation to get ready for work and teach the whole day without revealing my secret to anyone. I couldn't wait for Doug to get home that day to share the news. I can't believe it's been a whole year. I remember thinking on that day, after realizing my due date was around June 3, that it seemed so far away. But here we are, a year later, with an almost 5 month old baby, and I can't believe how much our lives have changed for the better! We love you Grant!

Where did our little baby go?

Grant and I have been spending the day playing together, and while watching him during various activities, I wonder where my little, fragile preemie with all that hair went. (He is now starting to lose his hair.) Doug and I have spent much of the time since Grant's birth waiting for him to reach new milestones to prove to us that he will be okay after being born early. It's not that we are constantly worrying about it, but I know deep down in both of our minds there is always some concern. We get so excited when he does something new developmentally, like smile, hold his head up, laugh, etc. And I also know we are always excited to see that next phase. But I've come to realize that while we want our son to grow and develop as he should, we can't forget to treasure the baby we have at the moment.

This past weekend, I put Grant on his tummy on top of his blanket in his room with all his toys. He has been doing so much better with lifting his head all the way up and putting his weight on his belly so he can move his arms and legs. He can tolerate it much longer than he used to. Seeing that he was content, I began going through his drawers repacking his diaper bag for the day. I turned to look at him a few seconds later and noticed he was on his side. He had not done this yet, and I was so shocked that I called for Doug who was in the other room to come and bring the video camera. He never did roll completely onto his back from his side, but I'm guessing he just didn't feel like it yet, because he can certainly do that if he wants--he has rolled onto his back when placed on his side before. We realized that everything Grant does, no matter how simple or small, is amazing to us as parents. We now spend time everyday waiting for him to roll all the way over from his belly, and we constantly have the video camera ready. But once again, we try to remind ourselves that he will do things in his own time, and we shouldn't wish away the present, because soon enough we will be chasing him around the house.

Grant loves sitting up in his Bumbo seat as well. We have been using it for a little while now, and it has really helped him get the hang of sitting while keeping his head up. We can usually get big smiles and giggles out of him while he's in this, and it is nice to finally get him off his head a little bit. We also put Grant in his exersaucer for the first time recently, and he loves it. We have to put a blanket around him to keep him straight up since the seat is a little big, but he does a great job holding his head up and touching things with his hands. He loves the lights and music on it as well.

We are also finally starting to develop a nice, daily routine. Grant will usually wake up between 6:00 and 7:00am to eat, will take a morning nap, an afternoon nap, sometimes an early evening nap, and will eat and go to sleep some time between 8:00 and 9:00pm. A few months ago, I never thought these kind of days would come, though the thought of them developing in the future was something that kept me going while up all night. We realize there will be days that don't follow the routine (like now since we are dealing with Grant's first cough/cold), and that is perfectly fine with us. But once again, those first few months of no sleep and no routine with that tiny little baby will soon become a distant memory, and we will wonder how he got so big so fast. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures/video of where Grant is at this moment. We will be sure to add more as he changes and grows in his own time.