Weeks 23 to 26 - Where did the time go?

How did the past month just go by and I had literally no time to upload photos?! It's been crazy busy with work, taking care of Nathan, seeing friends and attending events. Plus Jackson's parents were away for 2 of the weeks so I was on baby duty full time. Nathan has pretty much stopped napping during the day. Occasionally we'll be able to get him down for 30 minutes but it takes just as long to get him to fall asleep so sometimes it's not even worth trying.

At Nathan's 5 month doctor's appointment, he weighed 14 lbs, 4 oz and was 26 inches long. The pediatrician was happy with the improvement in his skin and said we can try giving him baby food slowly to see how his skin reacts. It was really fun to start feeding him with a spoon and see his reaction to the various flavors. It was also very messy and tiring because he keeps moving around and waving his arms while I'm trying to feed him. I don't think I ever finished one jar with him before I had to toss it. And each jar is only like 40 calories so it wasn't much of a supplement to his daily calorie intake. He did well with apples, rice cereal and sweet potatoes. Not a huge fan of pears and peas. And I think his skin reacted very badly to carrots - his arms looked like they were sunburned and peeling for a couple of days. I can only guess that it's from the carrots. We'll put that on the back burner and try again in a couple months.

Because this month was so busy, I finally gave in and admitted that I need help and can't do it all as a stay at home mom plus trying to maintain my client relationships. Jackson agreed to let me hire house cleaners for the first time to try it out and it was SO wonderful. As they were cleaning, I just felt a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders and I couldn't stop smiling while working at my finally dust-free desk and looking at my hair-free carpet. Jackson also stepped up and watched Nathan a lot on his own this month to give me a break and spend time with friends. I went out into the city to get my hair done and spent a whole day as a bridesmaid for Gloria's wedding. It was amazing to get pampered and dressed up and have fun on the dance floor. It made me feel like I was in my 20s again!

Nathan's new developments this month:

• likes to roll onto this tummy but doesn't roll onto his back, so he just whines and puts his head down / rubs his face against the mat until someone comes to pick him up, haha. 
• likes to play with the belt on his chair
• likes to play with things that make crinkly sounds
• wants to sit up in his chair / lean forward and look around, but he's still not able to sit up on his own yet

Irene with Nathan - I love that he still lets anyone hold him

Our friends from church visiting - playing video games before dinner

This is his seat in the kitchen while Jackson and/or I cook

Having rice cereal for the first time - I think this was the easiest feeding experience because he was more cautious and calm

Still likes to press his face against something when sleeping

LOL this never gets old. I don't know how Jackson came up with this idea but he loves this look and say he looks like an aristocrat getting a spa treatment.

Cute smile

Surrounded by his toys in the crib

One of the few times he actually napped

Ann came to visit while she was in town, she's so good with Nathan!

I somehow always catch them in the same position, so adorable

This is what happens when Daddy feeds him. But I gotta give him credit, he got a lot of the jar fed to him in a much shorter amount of time!

Morning exercise bouncing on Mommy's lap

Jackson loves having Nathan try "real" solids. He's a lot more daring than I am about giving him new foods so I am trying to be more relaxed about it.

At Japanese restaurant for dinner - Daddy was craving sushi. Nathan was pretty well behaved for the most part. Another customer commented that he's a beautiful baby which was very sweet. Yes we agree! :)

Don't worry! He didn't actually eat the shrimp tempura! :)