Five Months Old

Asher turned five months old on Monday and let me say I'm so happy to be in this stage of babyhood. Just when I think Asher can't get any cuter, I swear he does. Just when I think I couldn't possibly love him any more, the next day my heart seems to swell for him even more. Just when I think this is my favorite stage, the next one comes along and is even better. And just when I think I'm getting the hang of things, Asher proves me so wrong.

It's been a month full of changes for Mr. Asher Bug. He's had to get used to having people other than Mommy and Daddy care for him during the day. So far, Laurie, Grandfather, and Aunt Jamie have been Godsends and taken turns babysitting Asher. Surprisingly (to me), he's taken to this change quite well; in fact, I think he's been thoroughly enjoying his time spent away from his parents. I had concerns that being juggled between different caregivers would be too much for him, but so far he's been in great spirits for everyone. I think it's been much more difficult on me, worrying about him, worrying about the person caring for him...worrying about EVERYTHING like I have the tendency to do.

Asher has also had big changes made to his diet this month. No longer does he feast on breastmilk alone...and no longer are his poopies non-toxic. So far, he eats rice cereal, pears, carrots, apples, sweet potatoes, and bananas. He seems to like all the foods, but bananas are definitely his favorite, with sweet potatoes a close second. All we have left in the cabinet that he hasn't tried are peaches, squash, peas, and prunes, and then I think he'll pretty much have mastered his 1st foods.

The biggest developmental gain he's made this month was rolling over. I just know it'll only be a short matter of time before he starts to creep - he's already working on an inchworm maneuver in which he gets on his tummy, sticks his butt way up in the air, and kicks his legs trying to move forward. He still has a lot of work to do on getting those arms to work together with his legs, so the top part of his body is kind of like a giant anchor right now. And that's OK with me; I have a feeling I'm going to miss it when the anchor is gone and I'm chasing him all over the place nonstop. He's also spending more time playing upright in his exersaucer and walker, putting those crazy jimmy legs of his to work.

Another talent he's discovered is the art of SQUEALING. When happy, SQUEAL! When angry, SQUEAL! When tired, SQUEAL! His language now primarily consists of squealing, squawking, whining, cooing, and the beloved crying. Yeah, the crying has even started to change, too. It's grown LOUDER and more obnoxious, especially when mixed with a good angry squeal. We really need to pick up a quart-sized bottle of Tylenol the next time we're at Costco.

This month he's also experiencing his first cold. Stephen and I have both been sick in the last few weeks, so we knew it was inevitable that he'd catch our crud. He seems to be feeling better, but is a little cranky and his cough asounds like he's been smoking a few too many cigarettes lately.

Here are his May pictures. All in all, its been a fun month. I'm excited to see what tricks Asher Bug has up his onesie for us in month six.