Five months old!

Hard to believe....wow. My mom and I were saying how five months seems so old; it's getting close to half a year! The boys are really starting to be more fun, but also more difficult. I won't say this was an easy month! I feel like as soon as I say "oh they sleep this much or they do this, etc" they change. In general, I think they slept well at night. We'd put them down (in their separate cribs now) at 7:30 or 8 and they'd sleep till 4 am to 6 am. But there were many nights someone would wake to eat at 2:30 or 3:30, so it's hard to say. I'm starting to feel like I should try to ignore them anytime before 5 am, because they can obviously go that long. But then I get worried or nervous that they were premature, they're on the bottom of the growth chart, and they need the extra calories, etc, so I always go feed them. In general, though, I can't complain about the night time sleep. (And we haven't started any solid food yet. I know people say when they're still waking at night, that some solid food can help to fill them up and get them to sleep through the night. I don't think we're quite ready, but it could be soon! I just keep telling myself that they're only four months "adjusted age" so I think we're ok to wait a while longer.)

Napping is another story! We are not on any kind of good day time schedule. They tend to eat at 5 or 6 am, and then go back to sleep, and wake up for the day between 8 and 9 and eat again. They start getting fussy an hour and a half or so after they wake up, and I put them down for the first nap. I usually have some success getting them to go to sleep then, but they don't STAY asleep. They wake up after roughly 30 minutes, which is not enough to get the rest benefits they need! So then I have fussy babies on my hands. I think I need to start making sure I feed them when they wake up, instead of nursing them to sleep. There are just too many things for me to worry and wonder about for me to know what to do with them! I think, oh, well, maybe they're teething or maybe they didn't get enough to eat, or maybe they need to burp or their tummy hurts. But I think the truth is that they need some longer naps to feel refreshed during the day. Afternoon naps are sporadic, which is hard for me. If one sleeps but the other is awake, then I don't get a break! But I think it's going to be pretty tough to get us all on a schedule. It'll be worth the difficulty if I know when it's safe to leave the house and have play dates, though.

Milestones are getting closer. As I said, Henry rolled over on Friday, but hasn't done it since. Both boys are grabbing more at their feet and better able to grab toys and bring them to their mouths. (Pretty much everything goes to their mouths now...) Everyone that holds them talks about how strong they are. Head control is good with both boys. When they're on their tummies, they can hold their heads up and can roll to the side. They love people and track everything that's going on in the room (and they're starting to watch TV, which probably means we need to cut back a little!) They may be getting a little spoiled...I think they know when they cry, someone will come running to pick them up! But I'm glad they love people so much and are typically easy to calm down. I think they're starting to teethe; they're very drooly, constantly have their hand/fist/thumb in their mouths, and are starting to get VERY cranky and scream without us being able to calm them down. Maybe by six months we'll have a tooth to report? We're starting to hear them "talk" more, which is adorable, since everyone loves their little voices. They laugh more too, especially if we tickle them or when we're taking their shirts off. :) They like baths, but hate the part afterwards, where they have to get their lotions put on. Henry's skin (eczema) especially is still really bad, even when we use the steroid cream. I don't know if he has some allergies and I should adjust my diet, or if it's just winter and he's going to have problems no matter what. I hope they both outgrow this, but we probably won't get so lucky. Alex thinks we should go visit a dermatologist, so I'll keep updating if we get any improvement.

I weighed them on Friday, so Holden is 14 pounds (!) and Henry is 13.6. That makes me a little nervous for Henry, but we'll see if the doctor has any concerns next month. They're still in size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothes. Here are the pictures this month (and no, I did NOT pose Holden like that....it was so cute he put his arm up on the chair like that!! Lol.) Oh, and I take DOZENS of pictures of the boys in all these poses...Holden will NOT smile! Even when grandma or grandpa is being silly and jumping around, he is just Mr. Serious! He truly does smile, though, just not in pictures...