William's 4 & 5 month old post

Dear William,

On Wednesday you turned 5 months old!! These last two months you have grown in leaps and bounds.

As you turned 4 months old we saw you start to really focus and concentrate on specific objects . . . and then grab them! This has continued to delight us as you have improved your focus and grasp. Our plates, cups and utensils have often become the object of interest for you at mealtimes.

You have also taken more of an interest in your stuffed animals and like to hold onto them with your ability to hold things.

You love to clasp your hands together, interlocking your fingers.

You had your first cold which turned into your first ear infection. We knew something was wrong when you weren't as happy as you usually are. Along with congestion you also had a runny nose, a cough, some sneezing and you lost your voice. But still, you were a trooper and still managed to smile and laugh for us through congested times.

During this time, although you had been sleeping straight for 5-8 hours each night, you woke up every two hours to eat. This was understandable because you were sick. This lasted for two weeks. Then you weren't sick anymore, but your night time feedings had at this point turned into a habit. This lasted for two more weeks after your recovery. Your exhausted mother and father were getting desperate. We found though, that if you were fed consistently every two hours during the day, your sleep improved. It has now improved to the point of you sleeping for 5-8 hours again. Wahoo!!
*A note from Dad: another thing that has changed and helped with the improvement is that Dad gets up with you in the night. We decided that if you woke up under two hours, Dad would see if he could help you get back to sleep. Sometimes it takes just putting your binky back, most times it requires a bit more. This has been a major change for Dad, too.

You like to have hymns sung to you.


You move!! Although you can't yet crawl, you sure are on your way. You mostly move by pushing with your legs and reaching our toward your objective with your arms. You can control your upper body better while on your tummy and you can turn in circles. If we set you down and look away, when we look again you are in a different spot.

You particularly like to go for the tags on your gym mat.

You are starting to roll onto your back more frequently.

You do not like to sit. You still prefer to 'stand'.

Unless you are helping Mom out in the kitchen.

You will reach out to be held by Mom or Dad. We love it. It makes our day.

When you DON'T like something, you arch your back. This happens most often when we try to practice sitting, when we put your arms through clothing, and when its time for your nap but you insist you're not tired!

You have started eating rice cereal!! And you love it.

This is a video of your first meal with rice cereal (*warning: it's a super long one. One of our favorite parts happens at about 2:30)


We lovingly call you our snapping turtle. You will watch us bring the spoon toward you, then very quickly you will move your head forward and close around the spoon before going back to normal. It is so fun to watch you eat and get better at it.


It's certainly taken some practice! And you definitely try to help us out with your hands. We really do think we can feed you without help. :)

You still love to read books. Now you are exploring them with your hands and mouth much more often.

And lastly, you have more hair.

You continue to bring more and more joy to our lives. We love you!

Mom and Dad