Ryan is five months old!

Our littlest man is now five months old! Ryan has become very vocal. He likes to coo or grunt loudly and especially seems to enjoy “singing along” during church or other music.  Lately, he seems to want to buzz his lips by making a “buh buh” sound. 

Ryan definitely wants to see what’s going on. He cranes his neck or arches his back to follow whatever activity is happening in the room, even when it’s time to be nursing! He still prefers to be standing up in someone’s lap, facing out while being held, or sitting up in his Bumbo or in a “tripod formation” so he can be a careful observer. One of his favorite activities seems to be watching big brother Ian roll his Cozy Coupe car around our cul-de-sac. He can watch this for a LONG time! Ryan also likes going on family walks – especially if he can be in the Baby Bjorn instead of the stroller.

He also enjoys tapping/batting at things and has quite a grip when he gets ahold of something. Ryan is obsessed with the straw on Kim’s water cup. Whenever Kim tries to drink from the cup while she’s holding Ryan, he flaps his arms in excitement and reaches out to grasp the straw. He loves to move the straw up and down, even while Momma is trying to drink.

 

Some of Ryan’s favorite “toys” are his toes. He also loves to chew on his fingers and will occasionally put them a little too far into his mouth and almost gag himself. He also likes to link his hands in a praying position.

Ryan still takes three naps while swaddled tightly, in his swing, and with a pacifier. He started waking up more often at night this month (sometimes 5-6 times!). We think we remember this same thing happening when Ian was four months old. Maybe he’s just more aware of what’s going on?? Who knows! Thankfully, we’re already seeing a little bit of an improvement and know that this, too, will pass! In the meantime, we’re happy that he’s still sleeping in our room so it’s just a short trip to help him out! 

He hasn’t mastered rolling yet, though he does sporadically roll onto his back during tummy time. This seems to be completely accidental and more dependent on how we place his arms. He seems to be very close to rolling from back to tummy, though. He LOVES being under his activity gym and grabbing onto the animals that dangle down. He’ll roll onto his side to reach animals that are farther away and seems like he wouldn’t need to push much more to get all the way over.

Ryan continues to be a happy baby (especially in the mornings and afternoons. :)) He smiles easily – even when strangers talk to him. He adores predictable “games” like peek-a-boo, bouncing up and down, and “flying” and will giggle heartily. He’s very ticklish on his back, sides, feet, and shoulders, too. The first comment most people make about Ryan is still related to his pretty, thick hair. We had to cut it again this month, though Momma might have taken a little too much off this time. Oh, well … it’ll grow!

 

The highlight of the month was going to Phoenix to meet Ryan’s new cousin, Abby (the first baby girl in our family!). Ryan (and Ian) got lots of attention from grandparents, aunts, and uncles and traveled very well. Poor Ryan caught ANOTHER cold right before we got to Phoenix, only a week or so after recovering from his first one.  We still had a great time all together!

We’re enjoying starting to see Ryan’s little personality emerge, and we thank God for the blessing he is to us!

Ryan also likes "crunching" regular water bottles.

Sometimes we still give Ryan baths in his little tub instead of the big bathtub. We've found that we enjoy using the sprayer to rinse his hair off. Ryan likes to "help."

Brother love!

Happy five month "birthday," sweet boy! :)