Leo 5 Months

(Written in early March.)

We have a routine!  God, I love it when we have a routine.

Everything about Leo's first few months of life reminded me of Jack's and that was beyond frustrating.  I so desperately wanted to have a different experience with Leo, it was difficult for me to truly bond with him because I kept reliving all of the battles I had already fought.  I was more relaxed but I also felt more removed.   I was sleep deprived (he was up every two hours to nurse or less to fight with the damn paci) and incredibly stressed.  I was starting to pull away from those closest to me and retreat inwards.  Everyday was pure survival mood...

(Jack in the photo at 3 months, Leo at 4 months)

Around 3 1/2 months (right around the time we took the house off the market...that's a whole other post!) I was finally able to figure out Leo's schedule and mercifully his colic died down.  I was finally able to catch my breath. And over the past month, our little lion man is starting to distinguish himself and we are figuring out how to be a family of four.

The biggest victory we have had thus far....LEO IS SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!

I am Leo's primary source of nourishment at this point but he generally has one bottle of formula a day.  We recently discovered by accident that he can polish off a 6-8 oz bottle easily (hard to gage when he's nursing) so we have been giving him a bottle at bedtime around 6:15 pm.  He wakes around 7:30-8ish to finish the bottle and then he's out until 6:15 am.  A few times he woken at 4:30 am to nurse but I can totally handle that!

I must say that it is an amazing feeling to have a baby, less than 5 months old, sleeping through the night.  Thank you, Leo!

Also in the past week, he has discovered his feet and had an all out laughing fit!  He has only rolled over a few of times and I think they were all by accident.  J is mildly concerned (I think because Jack was a freak of nature in the gross motor department- rolling both ways at 13 weeks, walking at 9 months!) and I just think he's lazy :)

We have had lot of visitor during the first three months of the year and Leo finally got to meet his Aunt Jen and cousins from Illinois.  It was great to finally have all of the grandkids together! 

Leo's thighs are ticklish, he loves chewing on fingers, loves being in the carrier,  he's not a great napper nor a huge fan of the car, his brother is very fascinating, my current nickname for him is "Mouth" and everyday I fall a little more madly in love with him.

 (Leo at 5 months)

 Lindsey