5 Months!

Levi was none too sure about the camera this time...

LEVI at 5 months:

~Is a happy, smiley boy.  For a while he'd have sweet cooing conversations with anyone who would stop talk to him.  But since his motor skills have improved, he's much too busy trying to touch his world!

~His eczema is looking much better, now he has only a mild rash and no rough patches.  His cradle cap came back with a vengeance, too, but a stiff combing and a rough scrubbing keeps that in check nicely.

~Sleep...oh sleep.  Levi's sleep schedule, which had been wonderful since birth, was broken right before he turned 4 months.  No idea what happened.  We walked with him for hours, let him stay up late with us, tried to put him down early, left him to cry it out for 3 nights (KILLED me. I'm a strong mommy, but that had me in tears.) and NOTHING worked.  He would scream until he fell asleep out of pure exhaustion.
     And then all of a sudden he was fixed.  WHAT!?!  One night he went down after his last feeding without fighting sleep and SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!  He doesn't always stay asleep, but it he does wake up we go into him every few minutes to reassure him he's not alone and that we love him, and he's back to sleep within the hour.  Not sure what changed, but MAN I'm glad we're done with that stage.  It was bad.

~Is officially into 6-9 month clothes.

~Rolled from his back to him tummy for the first time on Jan. 4, but can't do it consistently yet.  (Which is good, 'cuz I have a feeling I'll be spending my time chasing a rolly-polly across the floor once he can do it whenever he desires!)

~Has a tooth poking through!  (Which could maybe explain the nights time screamies...)

~Took his first airplane ride at the end of December.  My Grandpa passed away on the 21st, so Levi and I flew to Denver the day after Christmas while Kurt stayed home with Grace.  It was a bittersweet time. Nice to see family and the hometown, but sad to say goodbye to Grandpa.  I am VERY thankful that his spirit is once again housed in a healthy, vibrant body.
     Levi was a pretty good traveler   I think he screamed through security both coming and going, but wasn't overly fussy on the plane.  He slept in the moby wrap through the entire funeral service, and slept in the car while we buried Grandma and Grandpa's ashes in the FREEZING wind.  I couldn't ask for more.

Grace is getting more and more verbal everyday.  Its shocking, really!  Here are a few of our favorite "Grace-isms":

~While watching Kurt and I eat sandwiches, Grace asked for "Bwead and cheese."  I got her half a bun, put some cheese on top and handed it to her.  She looked at me and said "C'ose it, Mommy.  C'ose it" while indicating she want the top bun.  What a smart way to use her vocabulary for what she needed!

~One day, while I was making Bumps on a Log for her lunch, Grace exclaimed excitedly to Kurt "Yook at my dinnuhs, Daddy!"

~We've been teaching her to say excuse me when she toots or burps.  So every time she does, she says "Mixin me."  Generally, we think that means excuse me.  ;)