TeamDavis

5 month birthday in exersaucer

It just astounds me how far Josiah has come in learning and development at the milestones we’ve passed already. I feel like he is a completely different child from the one who wriggled and barely opened his eyes the first couple weeks of life (and cried a LOT).  He’s settled down so much in some ways — more content and happy, playful and exuberant.  Now he’s more active in many other ways than just crying; which is a relief. We were in North Carolina for two weeks visiting family, and before I left to when we came back, I noticed substantial change.  But I really noticed it when we came back and I tried to do things the way I had before we left; and found they now do not work.  For example, I have a bumbo chair and don’t tell anyone, but I had it up on the counter in teh kitchen so he could watch me cook or make lunch or whatever I might be doing.  He’d just grab his toy that I’d give him and suck on it for the most part, and maybe drop it and flail his arms around a little.

Contemplating the ocean.

Well, when we came back, his hands are grabbing at EVERYTHING around him, and you all of a sudden realize how close the scissors, the markers, and other non-kid-friendly items are to him, that I didn’t mind before.  If I set him in the bathroom on the counter to watch his reflection, he still loves that, but he’s grabbing for the soap dispenser, the faucet (he loves water and I think he’s getting that the faucet knob controls the flow!), etc.

So it’s just a new challenge.  Changing time has become a beast.  I knew that kids fought the diaper change, but I expected to have a little more time.  Are you stronger than a 5 month old is the game we play.  He wriggles until he’s on his tummy, and then proceeds to try and aim for hurling himself over the side.   I have learned to change him upside down.  That’s a riot.

Wow! His first tool set!

Anyway, he’s a thrill. It’s so amazing to see what he enjoys and what brings that lovely shrill shriek of delight out of him.  Yesterday I was checking out the PBS Kids page online.  Josiah LOVES the bright shiny computer screen, of course, and when I got to a page where Curious George was bouncing around and juggling, etc, you would have thought I’d given Josiah the moon. He was enthralled.  George makes a monkey laugh and I think it resembles Josiah’s shriek a little, too!  So many thrills.

Josiah is also getting more vocal; sometimes downright loud, but not crying, maybe just “talking,” testing his vocal chords with different sounds, and sometimes fussing.  He wants everyone in view and paying attention to him.  He often can play by himself happily for a while, but he wants to know where I am and would rather have me right near him. It’s cute, but sometimes a little exhausting!  He is becoming more active in public, too.  It used to be he’d be very quiet taking in everything when we were out; maybe smiling at someone.  I remember the first time he started “talking” in the car, just to himself or the elephant or whatever.  Then I remember I took him to the library, and he just started chatting away. It was his first “public” speaking that I can remember.  Not to anyone in particular, just talking.  It tends to take him a little while to warm up with the people or place where we are, but I believe he is a social thing.  Before we left my parents’ in North Carolina, he just talked up a storm with my mom and brother.  Who can know the mind of little ones, but I’m thankful for beginning to really communicate with him more, and look forward to the journey together as we continue to learn one another.

He’s also really taking in other kids, wanting to be like them.  He’s noticeably able to take in the world in a more perceptive way.

I’m still grateful every day for him being in our lives. He’s a wonderful little guy.  Yesterday he’d gotten fussy after a long car trip across town.  We got home, I fed him, and he perked right up.  He was delightful and we had fun just playing and laughing.  It wells my heart up with joy just thinking about it. I cherish him being so joyful and content. I have a new perspective on parents and wanting to protect their children’s innocence and that pure joy that you see and hear from a baby.

Also, I was reading Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott about her first year with baby.  She talked about this one thing that stood out to me around 5 or 6 months when her son would kind of toss his arm around her neck, mostly for balance, but she would take it as a hug. It was endearing and it struck my heart string I think at that point having a baby who wasn’t able to reciprocate much at the time.  So Josiah has started doing it, and it just warms my little heart. I know it’s for balance, but it’s very sweet. It’s much sweeter than when he’s pulling my hair, or clinching my skin between his fingers in a death pinch!  Ha. The good bad and the ugly. We love him!