Charlie is officially 5 months + 1 week old! With life being in this weird limbo, the time somehow just surpassed me, and I am not going to lie I feel VERY grateful to be at this stage. I love a squishy newborn, but I really love having a solid, more on a schedule, 5-month old. Now that Matt is working a bit again, and I find myself alone with both kids more often, it is nice to have Charlie on a predictable schedule, and also at the point where he is interacting more with Hudson! He is just the happiest baby, and is for the most part easy, which I NEVER thought I’d be saying about my own child. Let’s get on to his updates because there’s a lot!!
BABY UPDATE: There’s been SO many changes this month. Maybe more than any other month. First off, we started solids! I am not the mom to do Baby Led Weaning, I just fear choking far too much. I had an incident with Hudson where he gagged and I about lost it, so I do the old school way of feeding him purees. I made all of Hudson’s food at home, and thought I would do the same for Charlie, but let me tell you, having two kids kicks your ass, and I’ve suddenly been completely guilt-free using store-bought baby food. Occasionally I will use a banana or avocado that we have fresh, but I do not have the time to sit and boil peas and pears like I did when I had only one baby, and there’s so many wonderful options out there! I usually check the label just to make sure there’s no additives. I started with cereal first, and then he ate banana, avocado, peas, carrots, pears and now we’re on pumpkin! I introduce 1 food for a few days just to make sure he has no allergies to it! He has been a great eater so far, and he even kind of chews now, it is so cute!
He is also playing with his brother way more these days. Seeing their relationship blossom has been so special. Hudson feels like he has some ownership over helping out, and if he hears Charlie crying while I’m making his dinner, or busy with something, he’ll step in and play with him. It is gut wrenchingly cute. Charlie absolutely adores Hudson, like maybe more than he likes me haha. He gives him the biggest giggles!
As far as sleep goes, we are soooort of sleeping through the night, it depends on your definition. At 5 months on the dot we transitioned Charlie into his own room, because we felt we were each keeping eachother up. It has been a game changer and everyone is getting more sleep! I put him down at 7PM and he sleeps until 5:30AM. At 5:30AM he has a bottle, and then goes back down until around 7:30AM. On a typical day he:
8AM eat solids + bottle
9-10:30AM nap
10:30AM bottle
12-1:30PM nap
1:30PM bottle
3:30-5PM nap
5PM solids + bottle
Bath time
7PM bed
One other thing I’ve noticed is that separation anxiety is settling in. The other day Sea stepping in to give him a bottle, and it was water works and refusal to eat. I think it set in a bit later with Hudson, but being home with only us must intensify it a lot. He is so cute though, super close to sitting up, he scoots in his crib but won’t do it when he is awake, and he is just sooo active. He loves to jump in his bouncer, and even when he eats hes moving every part of his body lol. He is such a sweetheart, and has the best smile and laugh. He loves bath time more than anything! It’s so fun seeing the little person he is turning into.
MOM UPDATE: I am finally not “so tired” and am getting decent night sleeps. I am just overwhelmed now – I think because Charlie is moving in the direction of needing more attention throughout the day. I am moving into my busy season, and find myself feeling like work is taking a hit or just not getting as much attention as it used to. I remember feeling the same way with Hudson, and keep reminding myself that my career isn’t going to combust if I have an off week, or share a bit less on certain days.
CURRENT FAVORITE PRODUCTS:
1 – Love this $20 IKEA high chair! I got wood contact paper to make the legs cuter!
2 – This bib set has been great, and I just throw them in the wash after each meal!
3 – I saved this from Hudson, but it’s a car seat toy. Charlie doesn’t love the car seat, so this helps keep him busy.
4 – This placemat has such great suction, so they can’t flip their plate! We haven’t used it yet, but I love how easy it is to wipe off, and can be used for on-the-go as well.
5 – On messier days, this full coverage bib is amazing!
6 – I love how easy these spoons are for Charlie to eat off of!
7 – Our jumper was handed down, but this one is very similar.
