5 months.

The 5th month has been one of my favorites so far. I love watching Henry discover and master new tricks. And I love to hear him talk. His personality is really beginning to come out. We have a really happy baby – he’s independent, determined and so curious. Jesse and I can definitely see ourselves in him.

Here are a few highlights from the past month:

• At the tail end of the fourth month he started rolling over. Well, he’s now a pro. I’m not sure he stays on his back for more than a few seconds. He loves to look around and see what’s going on.
• He absolutely loves Roger and it’s the sweetest thing. Whenever Roger walks in Henry’s face lights up. Roger is really sweet with him – lots of kisses (ew) and even lets Henry pull on his hair.
• Henry is almost mobile. He’s been making his way around the living room floor by scooting backwards. He’s started to get on his knees. It’s a little easier for him in his crib, but he tries on the floor.
• If we set him just right he can sit on his own.
• We think he was teething last week, so hopefully we’ll see a little tooth soon. At least we hope that’s what was going on. He’s always been a chewer and drooler, so it can be hard to tell. But he wasn’t as happy as he normally is.

And of course there’s the helmet. The smelly, smelly helmet. At Henry’s two month appointment the pediatrician noticed his head was asymmetrical. Of course no one’s head is perfectly round, but it was really noticeable. From day 1 Henry has preferred sleeping on his left side. After a couple of months of trying to reposition him and more tummy time, the flat spot had improved a bit, but the pediatrician referred us to a cranial specialist. After getting his head measured we decided to get the helmet. He has torticollis (one neck muscle is tight causing him to tilt his head and prefer sleeping on/looking to one side, probably caused by going past due), plagiocephaly (asymmetrical head) due to sleeping on that one side, and brachycephaly (his head is a little flat on the back and wide on the sides). At first we thought it was purely cosmetic, but after a consult with a physical therapist at the cranial specialist office, we decided to get the helmet. Torticollis, plagiocephaly, and brachycephaly can cause issues with his jaws, ears, and the position of his spinal cord. Everyone’s question is “Does it bother him?” Not at all. He wears it 23 hours a day, and goes on just like normal. It’s come in handy when he rolls around on the floor and bumps his head.

Enough with the scientific jibber jabber and onto some pictures – because that’s what everyone cares about anyway.