Asher: five months old

Growth/ development: Asher has about five chins these days ;) His face is so chubby and kissable, and we can't get enough! We don't know his official height or weight, but he is wearing 9 month PJs and mostly 6-12 month/9 month clothing. (According to our scale at home, he weighs about 17.5 pounds. Not sure if that is at all accurate.)

This has been a big month for development. Asher can roll from back to belly, and sometimes from belly to back (though he usually only does this in his crib, so we don't get to witness it). When he is playing on the floor, he almost immediately gets himself to his tummy, then reaches and scoots and kicks his feet happily as he turns himself in all directions. It's adorable!  Asher can also sit up on his own for very short periods of time. He continues to "talk" and has begun screeching/screaming loudly, just to entertain himself. 

Sleep/schedule: about halfway through this month, we had an awesome rhythm going. Asher was taking three good, consistent naps. His night sleep was fine, too, with a couple of nights just waking to nurse once at 3am. But since last weekend he has been totally off... He has a cold, and seems to be teething (?!), and is generally not sleeping well. One night he was awake from 3am-5am, and the next night he woke up every 1.5-3 hours and screamed until I nursed him. Ugh! 

His daily routine is to wake up between 6:45 and 7:30. He can only stay awake happily for 1.5 hours in the morning, so his first nap begins between 8:30 and 9, usually. Then he is awake from 10:30/11 until about 12:30 or 1pm. His last nap of the day usually starts around 3:30pm, and he goes to bed by 7pm at the latest. 

Asher likes: watching Charlotte, being near Charlotte, , watching the iPad with Charlotte, hugs and kisses, nursing, playing on his belly, being in the stroller outside (as long as it is moving!!), talking loudly to himself, stretching, bath time, kicking his legs, talking to his grandparents on FaceTime, and snuggling.

Asher doesn't like: bottles, riding in the car seat at night, being alone for too long.

Big things this month: first trip to Rhode Island to visit the Nelson relatives (and first time seeing snow!)! First time in a swing outside!

Asher Patrick, we cannot imagine our family without you. We could (happily) imagine being a bit better rested and sleeping longer stretches at night. But we wouldn't trade you for a million hours of sleep. We love you! Hugs and kisses, Momma, Dad, and Charlotte.