The Picker Family: Jace ~ 5 Months

We've survived another January in Minnesota! Our big kids are off school 3 days this week due to snow and very cold temperatures...we're officially at the time of year that we ask: why do we live here again??? But, today, we have something fun to celebrate! Our five month old!

Sleeping - Jace transitioned slowly this month to sleeping in a sleep sack instead of a swaddle. Sometimes his busy arms work against him to keep him awake or wake him after he's sleeping, but mostly he's doing well with the change. He usually eats between 7-8pm, sleeps all night, then wakes up between 6:30-7am. He generally takes one longer nap a day (1 hour plus) and the rest of his naps are closer to 45 minutes. Most evenings he still needs a cat nap to get him through until his last feeding.

Eating - A big change this month was Jace's transition from exclusively breastfeeding to formula. Mom had some health issues that put her in the hospital for 5 days which precipitated the change to formula. Jace made the transition smoothly and seems to be loving formula as much as breast milk. Mom was a little sad that Jace had to wean so young and that she didn't get to decide this on her own, but it does free up a little more time in her days. Jace is still eating every 3-4 hours (usually 5 times a day).

Growing - Jace is wearing mostly 6 month clothes and moved to size 3 diapers mid-January. An unofficial weight at home of 16.2 lbs, up nearly 2 pounds since his 4 month appointment.

Fun - Jace has done a lot of growing up this month. Just this weekend, Brent found that Jace's first tooth had broke through. We didn't even realize he was teething (I mean all 4 month olds drool a lot 😛 and chew on toys)! He's also enjoying more time upright. We got out the booster chair so he can sit with us in the kitchen and play with toys on the tray. He also spends time in his Bumbo chair and some in his exersaucer. He's still working on rolling from his back to his front, but hasn't had success just yet. He has mastered the roll from stomach to back and will not stay on his stomach at all anymore. Even though Jace can be found with his thumb in his mouth regularly, I'd say he prefers his pacifier for sucking. I've even seen him successfully put his pacifier back in his mouth by himself. He uses his thumb and fingers more for chewing. Another fun new skill he shared with us is blowing raspberries 😝 Nora and Jace have also enjoyed taking baths together now. Nora sits cross-legged and holds Jace while I wash him. He sits in his bouncy seat before and after in his towel and loves the entire process. As you can tell, it's been a fun month!