Five months

Little Elliott,

You're five months old! I'm belated on this post because, when May 26th rolled around, our family was in the midst of our first vacation! We went to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, then down to Georgia meet your great-grandparents, great-aunts and great-uncles, as well as my cousins (How are those related to you? "First cousin, once removed"?) You're the first great-grandchild on your Granny's side of the family, and they all thought you were amazing! The family members on your Poppy's side thought you were pretty special, too.

I knew this was going to be a fun month when your Daddy sent me this photo from his phone one day, with the email message "He started in the middle of the blanket..."


You're on the move! You're not exactly getting places very quickly, but you've mastered rolling, and scooting in a circle or backwards. If you're awake, you're moving. When you figure out how to get your knees underneath you, or how to pull yourself forward, we're in trouble. More accurately, Casey is in trouble, as you seem to want to play with him more than with us! Playing with your feet is your cutest new pastime. You're not-quite-sitting, and you've still not had anything to eat but mama's milk (I expect both of those to change this month).

We dedicated you at church this month, on my first Mother's Day, acknowledging we want to bring you up to know God, and that we'll need our church family's help to build into you as you grow. Almost your whole family showed up to see you on stage- it was a very special service!

We love you forever! You're So Much Fun!
Mommy & Daddy



Pictures from this month

Random notes

I didn't mean to take a blogging break. Life just happened, and I haven't sat down to write about it. (Also, our internet at home has been  flaky, and we're about to throw in the towel with the DSL company.)

Saturday, we went to my now-5-year-old nephew's birthday party. As always, time with family was great.

Spongebob Squarepants ranks with my least-favorite cartoons, but my sister-in-law throws great themed parties, every single birthday. This time around, they got the cake from The Fig Tree, and new local bakery and cafe, and the lady there did an amazing job.

I also spent hours this weekend cleaning green garlic that I dug out of our garden, about 25 lbs worth, mostly because it was growing in the way. If you'd like any, The Farming Engineers will be selling it at the opening weekend of the Carmel Farmers' Market. Growing in our yard right now: Strawberries, raspberries, mulberries, peas, broccoli, onions, carrots.



I won't be at the farmers' market because, this week, we're preparing for our first road trip as a family of three! Elliott got a comfy new car seat yesterday. We're making lists, trying to figure out what we need to do before we leave and figure out what we do and don't need to pack. I can't wait for my grandparents to meet their first great-grandchild! Also, I'm hoping this long-road-trip-with-a-baby thing goes well. Fingers crossed.


Question for parents: Babies under 6 months aren't supposed to wear sunscreen. So, how do you get outside with Baby? We plan on going to a national park and hiking. Can we do it?


Other random thoughts:

• I appreciated both Alissa & Catherine's reminder- our kids are God's, not ours.
• Speaking of that, did I mention we dedicated Elliott at church on Mother's Day? 
• And our nephew had his first communion?
• I need a haircut. Postpartum hair loss has hit me hard during the last month.
• To tide the dog hair loss in our house, Casey was groomed Thursday. He looks so cute, and is shedding a lot less. Yay!
• I was excited to hear about a TOMS Shoes drop at a ministry in Haiti we support. I LOVE my TOMS shoes!

On sleep

"Is he sleeping through the night yet?"

You have no idea how tired I am of that question. (The answer's No.) "Nighttime parenting" is something I've prioritized but not stressed over. We're all getting enough sleep. We're fine. I'm not a zombie during the day. Everyone's healthy & happy. I'm baffled at the number of strangers who seem to be concerned, though. Today's post on the NYT's parenting blog was so refreshing:

Over the years I’ve learned some practical things about sleep, but what I’ve really figured out is that teaching my children to sleep isn’t a litmus test for good babies or good mothering. Rather, teaching them to sleep is about establishing a relationship of care even when it is exhausting and difficult and I worry that it will never end. It is about sacrificing my desire to get back to “normal” life and relinquishing my hopes to conform my children to a set of rules I read in a book. 
...
Moreover, I trust that these moments are preparing me for the years ahead, when yet again I will realize that raising my children has less to do with getting it right and more to do with loving them well.

Read the whole thing. Please.

This Mother's Day weekend, I hope I remember this: The point isn't 'sleeping through the night'- it's responding to my son's needs and loving him well. I'm doing my best, and, so far, so good.

Rolling

He started perpendicular to where he is in the picture, under the activity gym, on his back. Josh says every time he put him down yesterday, he'd roll over. I witnessed it over and over last night. Once he's on his belly, though, he doesn't really know what to do, and sometimes gets mad, sometimes rolls back to his back. Also, I'm discovering I need to vacuum more often, or all the dog hair from the floor sticks to a baby face covered in teething drool.

How many days will it be until he figures out he can get places with this rolling thing? We're on the verge of a (somewhat) Mobile Baby!

Practical car seat question

OK, this is probably a dumb first-time-mom question, but here it is:

If your baby outgrows his infant car seat before he can reliably sit up well, and he needs to switch to a convertible car seat, how to you take him out to eat? He'd be too floppy in a high chair- do you just hold him on your lap while eating dinner? Or keep the infant seat in the car as a 'baby carrier' bucket? Or get an infant seat that will accommodate him instead of a convertible seat? Or, just not go out to eat until he can use the high chair? (This option's best for the budget!)

In most instances, I won't mind carrying him, wearing him, or having him on my lap, but while eating, it could get annoying (and, as demonstrated last night, he will get crumbs on his head, and keep grabbing at my plate).