9.22.2010

Dear Nathanael (5 months)

My dearest Nathanael,

How can it be that you are already five months old?! What a month we have had! We marvel at how quickly you change and develop each week. And every day, we thank God for the gift of you. You are dearly loved, our son.

According to our measurements (which might be a little off), you're measuring 26 and a quarter inches in length (58th percentile) and weighing 17 pounds (54th percentile). What a blessing your growth is to us! Since your last month birthday, we had a difficult first week or two with nursing, but thankfully you have continued your steady growth.

We feel like you have changed this month more than any other yet. You laugh much more frequently and for longer durations. You squeal or shriek multiple times every day, and you make sure everyone in the house can hear. You are fascinated with everything - textures, patterns, new places, animals, trees and leaves, food, books, toys, etc. You are trying to figure out how to make some new sounds, but you usually just end up sticking out your tongue and smiling. It's adorable. We haven't tried to do too much this month (we struggled with nursing for a week, and then you and Momma had a cold for awhile), but you did enjoy some visits from Boston friends - Odoi, Adam, and Robin. Unfortunately, stranger anxiety has definitely kicked in. You aren't a big fan of the church nursery now; it's not extremely conducive to a great morning nap for you, understandably.

You still love to stand but also enjoy sitting now, and it's amazing how that changes our lives. You can sit in our laps, and we don't have to hold you which means that we can play the piano with you and more easily read books to you! You have rolled over from stomach to back a few more times, but you still haven't discovered that you can do it. Your ability to grab items and hold on to items is much more developed and precise, and you have quite the strong pinch. You discovered that you can splash your bathwater with your feet; we never walk away dry anymore.

We can hardly believe it happened, but you have definitely matured in your daytime sleep, usually taking two nice naps each day (morning and early afternoon) and a very short catnap in the late afternoon. Your nighttime sleep remains amazing, ranging from 10.5 to 12.5 hours. You rarely cry when you awake anymore (unless you didn't take a good nap); instead you simply lie in your crib and either suck your fingers, talk, or squeal. And to Momma's delight, you recently transitioned to four feedings a day, and taking half the time to eat at that!

We marvel at your life, Nathanael. We pray every day that God will open your heart and mind to know and live in the abundant life He has provided only through Jesus Christ. Happy five-month birthday, son!

Lovingly,
your daddy and mommy

Nathanael Alim - 5 month old
And a few outtakes...
"This is MY side of the chair, Mr Bear."
Definitely longer than Mr. Bear now
Compare these to his 4 month pictures here.

5 comments:

Joann said...

I'm loving living life with this little King and his daddy and mommy; it's an absolute delight from day to day to day! Thank you, Lord, for this totally unexpected blessing! Happy five-month birthday, Nathanael!

Jennifer @ Diving In said...

I say this every single month, I think, but here goes again: That is one adorable baby!

kel said...

he just gets cuter and cuter every day! i love his smiles! and yay for shorter nursing times - that makes a big difference :)

quinn says "happy birthday, friend!"

Elizabeth said...

He is so cute! I love the pictures with the bear!

Anonymous said...

he's soooo cute!!! love that smile:)
jen