Ian - 5 Months

It's hard to believe that my baby boy is now 5 months old. Perhaps it's because he's outgrowing clothing so much faster than Molly ever did (already stretching his 6-9 months duds), or perhaps it's just because he's a second-born and life is that much busier, but his infancy seems to be flying by at lightning speed.

So, what has Ian been up to lately?

• He's been spending a lot more time on his tummy. He started rolling both from back-to-belly and belly-to-back before he was 3 months old, but many times it almost seemed to be by accident. Lately, his rolling adventures have been very purposeful, usually to get closer to a favorite family member, a desired toy, or just to get a better view of the action going on around him. Tummy-sleeping has also become his preferred sleep position. Despite faithfully putting him on his back to sleep as the doctor recommends, I find him on this belly 90% of the time. His new-found mobility has also rendered our beloved bouncy seat and swing obsolete. Being strapped in is way too confining for our active little man, but left unstrapped, he'll roll himself into this position in a matter of moments.

• Toys hold his interest much more than in the past. He has learned to grasp and manipulate many different kinds of toys, but his favorites tend to be any soft toy that he can suck and chew on. However, nothing compares to his all-time favorite---his toes. He's been fascinated by his feet for quite a while, and while he doesn't really suck a pacifier or thumb, he can find that big toe of his rather quickly.

• He is quite strong and surprises us by picking up heavy objects when we are unaware. Often it's when we pick him up from the floor and find that the whole blanket or play-gym has come with him because he has a piece of it in his little kung-fu grip. He also likes to bear his weight on his legs and stand up holding onto your hands.

• He has been sitting supported in his bumbo seat for quite some time, but we've just recently started practicing sitting unsupported. If we make a little tripod by placing his hands outside or between his knees, he can balance himself for a few seconds, but pretty quickly finds himself back in his favorite tummy position.

• Ian is already learning to be a mischievous little boy. He's quite good at reaching for things that seems unreachable with his go-go-gadget arms. Just tonight, he was on the floor in his bumbo when we heard a crash. He had not only lunged out and reached Molly's toy shopping cart that was a good distance away, but he managed to pull it to himself and tip it over. He even seems to have a guilty little look on his sweet face. Molly didn't mind helping to clean up the groceries though.

Although Ian is growing and changing at lightning speeds, one thing remains the same. He's still the sweet, easy-going, happy baby boy we brought home from the birth center 5 months ago. He still smiles easily, laughs often, and brings such immense joy to our home. I don't know what we'd do without him!