Kingston: 5 months

As of 12.31.14

17lb 4 oz - taken at home

27" - taken at home

He's still our little chameleon baby with his eyes changing color from blue to green. Whatever color he wears dictates what color his eyes are going to be for the day. I love it!
His strawberry birthmark on the crown of his head and back of his neck are both still there but are lighter than they were at birth. 
His hair is growing in more and more and it's a dark brown color but he still has a bald spot on the back of his head.
He still has the biggest jowls West of the Mississippi - but is growing more into them.
I'm starting to see more of myself in him (especially throughout his eyes) but he still primarily looks like his daddy. 

Clothes: 6 month pieces fit the best if he's in separates but if it's an outfit that is all one piece - 9 months work the best. We have a long baby!

Diapers: He is still in size 2 disposable diapers but is soon going to grow out of them. I'm still working my way through the same package of diapers we purchased last month with more then half a box still to use. Hopefully he doesn't grow out of them before we can use them all! 

Shoes: Kingston is still wearing the heck out of all of his 4.5'' moccs. He kicks so much these days that these are the only ones that stay on.  

Eating

Little man is still eating like the champ he is. During the week - Kingston nurses between 530a-630a before school, has 3 6oz bottles while at school usually at like 9 noon and 3, nurses right when I get home at about 530 or 6, and then right before bed at about 8. 

We were trying to wait to introduce solids for a little while longer but Kingston was fascinated every time we ate and he started showing tons of interest in our food - reaching, grabbing and chewing air. We started with rice oatmeal during the evening 'dinner' session followed by a nursing session and just yesterday we tried peas. Again, just like the champ he is - he was definitely ready for it. The first few bites he knew exactly what to do with it. I need to do a little more research - but I plan to just do a 'dinner' food session before incorporating it at breakfast and lunch time. This week I also plan to break out my baby bullet and whip up some tasty veggies for the boy. 

 

I'm still pumping at work - always 2 times a day but I try and make it 3 times a day. Things are super busy and I can't always sneak away but I'm still able to come home with 12-14oz a day which is nice! When time allows I'm going to make some lactation cookies to bring to work to see if it can help increase my output during those times. Ideally, I would love to pump 18 oz at work because that's what he eats while he's a daycare. That way I'm not breaking into my freezer stash quite yet. 

Sleeping 

Kingston is still sleeping awesome at night - usually 8p-6am. He's been out of his swaddle for about a month now and it hasn't really affected his sleeping other than him moving all over the crib and waking up in random positions. 

He also does an awesome job at putting himself to sleep at night. We put him in his crib awake - he does a little talking and a little moving and he is out within 5 minutes. He also does this after his morning nursing session. He goes right back to sleep and always on his own. 

Now . . . nap time lately has been a different story. Ever since starting daycare the kid doesn't like to take naps. This past week he has only slept longer than 30 minutes in the car or if he is being held. Every time we go to put him down he wakes up which is super frustrating. I worked so hard the 3.5 months I was off with him to get him to go to sleep wherever and without the need of me putting him to sleep. As frustrating as this new phase is, I'm taking it as him needing extra mama time. I need to remind myself that he's only this little once and it's okay to hold my baby while he sleeps. (I just don't want him to become dependent on it.) 

Because of this phase of no sleeping - we've noticed Kingston definitely has a 'sleepy' face. His eyelids start to droop to about a 1/4 of the way open and we see a totally different looking child. 

Milestones

He can roll over but chooses not to.

He can sit up for good stretches at a time. 

Turning himself in his exersaucer. 

He is reaching and grabbing at everything and immediately it comes to his mouth. 

He is really starting to chuckle and he smiles so much more. 

He gives open mouth kisses. 

Likes

All sports - in person or on tv. 

Bath time and the otteroo. 

Standing and playing in his exersaucer. 

His toes. 

People watching. He loves to watch the world and hates missing out on stuff. This was definitely in full effect during the holidays and seeing so many new people. 

Mama & daddy's bed.

To sit up and play with all of his new Christmas toys - especially the ones that make noise. 

Giving mama kisses and pulling mama's hair. 

Praying. He constantly has his hands together up by his chest so we are always praying to Jesus when he does this.

Dislikes

Tummy time.

Being held in the cradle position unless he is nursing. He needs to see the world.  
Being burped.

Words
ah-goo

grr

He gargles his spit in the back of his throat and blows spit bubbles by vibrating his lips. 

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He is constantly blabbering and he has been making so many new consonant sounds! 

Da-Da (doesn't know that CT is his dada but LOVES to say it)

Something that sounds like hey.

Activities

He loves music and his daddy rapping and singing to him.

He has a dog and a lion toy that he's obsessed with their faces. 

He is spending a lot more time in his exersaucer and he has figured out how to turn in it. 

Misc.
Kingston has definitely started to notice his brother Bentley and wishes he would play with him. Bentley still chooses to stay away but I'm sure with the introduction of real food - they will soon become better friends. 

Kingston also had his first sickness this past month. We were able to get through 3.5 weeks of daycare without being sick - which after talking to other mama's that seems like the average. I didn't think it was anything other than a cold but we took him to the Dr. just in case. My worst fear is knowing he's sick and thinking he's okay but ultimately missing something bigger. The Dr. said it was a virus and that it would need to run it's course. Basically it was just your everyday winter cold: runny nose, mucusy cough, and diarrhea. He ended up having to stay home from school one day and I was able to get in some extra snuggles. Thankfully he never ran a fever and the virus was able to run it's course. I think after about 2.5 weeks it's finally going away. I'm also happy we made it through Christmas without a sickness. He was passed around to so many people - I was almost certain it would happen.  I'm also pretty sure Kingston is starting to teethe. He doesn't have the beginning bumps of teeth yet but he is chomping on EVERYTHING (mostly his pointer finger and his paci) and slobbering like crazy. Soon enough though, I'm sure we will have a little boy with some little teeth.  

This past month was Kingston's first holidays. Santa came to visit him at school and before you knew it, Christmas came and went. We had such a good time with all of our family and it was fun to show off our new addition to everyone.  Kingston was spoiled with lots of outfits, a few books, a few toys and a high chair. CT's little sister came in from Florida for the holidays and was able to stay with us over some of the break. We are so blessed to have so many people that love our little man. 

Also, I wanted to note some nicknames for Kingston from us: the boy, mr and sugar. 

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This past month has been the BEST month yet. You can tell he knows who we are and he is able to really start interacting with us. CT and I were just talking about how much he grew up this past month. He can sit unassisted for a little while, he is eating real food and his hand eye coordination is 100% better. It really is so crazy seeing him grow up right in front of our eyes and phones. I constantly find myself saying 'slow down baby'. Time is going by too fast and I can't get enough of the time I spend with him. I feel as though I'm doing a really good job of living in the moment and not wishing for the next thing to happen. I'll say it again and again - I love being his mom.