A Verbal Update on Luis - 5 Months

(Warning: the word to picture ratio of this post is HUGE. The point here is to tell you all about Luis, as yesterday I SHOWED you all about him. If all you like are the photos, stop here.)

Luis is 5 months now and doing great. He weighs about 16lbs (on our home scale) - he seems to be gaining about a pound a month these days. I had heard that babies double their birth weight in 4-5 months. Luis was right on schedule!


Luis is a total delight! He is sweet and happy and loving. He loves to play in his baby gym still. Now, instead of batting at the toys, he likes to reach out for the toys and then put them in his mouth (if they reach). Sometimes, he'll use the hanging toys as leverage to pull himself onto his side. His new toy is a mirror that "stands up" on the floor. I position it so that if he turns to his side, he can see himself - an incentive to practice rolling over. (Though, he still will not roll from his back to his side by himself.)

Luis also loves to "talk". He gabs and gabs to himself and to anyone who will listen. It's great because it hasn't occurred to Luis that no one can understand him. Many nights, he will lay in his bed and make sweet cooing noises - as if he is recounting all that happened to him that day. He also likes to blow raspberries and bubbles. It makes him laugh and laugh and laugh.
Luis is stronger and more stable each day at sitting up. Many times when he is laying down, he struggles and grunts to indicate that he'd rather be sitting up. If I hold his hands out in front of him, he will pull himself to a sitting position. He is very steady in the bumbo seat - sitting there as if on a thrown, surveying all that is around him.

For several weeks, his favorite game to play was the smile game. It's simple - you smile at Luis and then he smiles back. Then you smile again and he smiles again. It goes on for as long as you can stand it or until he cries. Now, he's added a new dimension: You smile at him. While he smiles back, he kicks his legs very forcefully. A couple of times I was positioned badly and got a baby foot in the trachea. Not so fun (though Luis just kept on smiling and kicking). And the kicking game comes up at bath time as well. We still bath him in the kitchen sink. Now, I have to turn the faucet the other way and move anything else that he connect his foot with. I have to put a second towel down on the floor around me and almost always need a third towel to mop up the bathwater that "overflows" onto the counters. I think this is an omen of Luis in action: once he figures out a way to use his legs to move, I'm not sure he'll ever sit still again.

This week, Luis added barley cereal to his list of "solid" foods. It has the coloring of oatmeal (well, going in at least0 and almost no taste. But that does not bother Luis. He eats and eats and eats, always finishing the 1/3 cup (of dry) that I make and often having seconds (and occasionally thirds). He definitely has a good appetite. I'll add oatmeal and wheat cereal in over the next couple of weeks. Then, at 6 mo, he'll move up to veggies. While it is a big milestone for him to be eating foods (other than breast milk), I already miss the simplicity of the all-nursing menu.

Luis sleeps through the night every night now. Occasionally, he needs a little soothing at 4a. But it's been more than a month since I nursed him at night. This is exciting for me - as it means a lot more continuous sleep. Ashley also feels better rested with this new schedule. Day sleep, however, still seems to be a bit disorganized. Some days he'll sleep for one hour at time; other days he'll sleep almost 3. There isn't any indication ahead of time of which type of day it will be. I guess I should just be thankful that he takes 3 naps every day...

I think that in a nutshell, that is Luis. He has gotten used to the DOC Band and is back in his old sleeping routine, as well as his old temperament (thank goodness). He is charming and delighting his grandparents. I love him more every day!