5 months, 2 weeks

I'm officially at the point where I can't remember how many weeks old Max is!  So, for simplicity sake, I'm going to go by #month,#week (in that month). I'm pretty sure we're in week 23 now, but to know for sure would require me to go back, check my last post, and then return to this entry- and we all know that's a bit much :)

The biggest thing to be going on in Maxwell's world is that he is one step away from crawling!  You can't leave that boy anywhere, and expect him to be where you set him down.  He rolls and scoots all over the place, and now, he gets up on all four and rocks himself.  He ends up crawling backwards at this point, but soon he'll be moving forward!  Luke and I have no idea where to start with the whole "baby proofing" thing, so we better get on it soon...

Max is becoming more and more fun each day.  Yesterday, when I got home from work, the second I walked into the house, he was all smiles and gaspy laughs for me, and he clearly recognizes who I am.  He loves playing with the baby in the mirror even more, now that he has realized that he can swat at the mirror and touch hands with that magical handsome baby.  He LOVES that baby in the mirror, and seeing him light up while playing with his reflection is the only time I have any regrets about him not being in daycare.  I worry that he is missing out on that type of socialization.

Another change in our world is the introduction of the Baby Merlin Magic Sleep Suit.  While it doesn't help Max sleep through the night, it has made transferring him into the crib after being nursed to sleep a whole heck of a lot easier.  He doesn't startle himself awake, and force me to start the whole process over again.  It has also helped to use our electric blanket to pre-warm the crib mattress for him, so that makes the transition easier as well.

Yesterday, I made Max's next doctor appointment for the first week of February.  How can it be that we are already at the point of counting down to his six month check?  While I really enjoy that he is growing and learning new things, and becoming much more entertaining to be around, I find myself already getting nostalgic.  Yesterday, as I held him while he was napping, I just started to cry when I realized that these days are truly numbered.  While breastfeeding has been one of the hardest things I've ever done, I'm really going to miss the closeness and the snuggles.  One day, he won't want to be snuggled or carried around all the time.  One day, he's going to be a high schooler who is too cool for mom.  One day, he's going to be a grown man, with a family of his own, and I will no longer need to take care of him anymore.  Oh, man, I'm getting teary thinking about this- need to stop so my students aren't concerned when I come back in from my pumping break...

I love my little man with all the parts of my heart that I never even knew that I had.