Marco is 5 months old!

Where did the time go? It seems like ages ago when he was waking up every 2 hours. Oh wait, that was just a few weeks ago! lol Seriously though, the hardest part about having a baby are those first few months when there is no routine, no schedule, no sleep! He's been sleeping through the night for the past few weeks thankfully. He is eating like a champ too. He eats 3 meals a day of 3 tbsp of cereal, 3 oz of milk, and 1 stage 1 serving of fruit or veggie. He still nurses every 3-4 hours too. He is getting really good at grabbing things, esp. my hair! He's still learning to put his binky in his mouth, but he's getting there. We had to buy him a new exersaucer for Christmas to keep him occupied. He still has bad cradle cap though and it's spread to his face. He has redness on his face a lot when it flares up. Hopefully it gets under control soon. We've tried combing it out of his scalp, head and shoulders, oils, etc. For his face, we wound up having to use hydrocortisone cream as per his pediatrician. We try to only use it when it's really, really bad.

He can sit up with support. He's been doing that for over a month. He's not quite at the stage where he can sit up by himself. I'll try to take pics of him this week and see if he can grab onto a shallow basket or plate. He grabs his toes and almost puts them in his mouth. And I did see two pearl dots in his upper gum (left side) so I think a tooth is developing!

Ho ho ho! | Central Jersey Family Photographer

It's the middle of December and I have yet to put up my Christmas tree or decorations. Time goes by so fast these days and I can't seem to catch up! It was so nice to hang out with my sister and her family this weekend with their big beautiful Christmas tree! I took pics of my nieces and the family for their Christmas cards. Who knew that taking pics of them would be so challenging! I think because I know them so well, I knew when the smiles just weren't quite them. We got some great shots, especially when we told my younger niece to strike a pose!

















They weren't dressed for the holidays, but my kids were wearing their Giants jerseys for good luck (too bad it didn't work!)

He finally slept through the night!

After weeks of waking up every 2-3 hours, I decided to let him cry it out on Sunday night. It was a disaster. Poor thing just couldn't handle it. I debated not doing it again last night, but I thought I had to be strong. He ate cereal at 5 and then I gave him a bath just before 6. He nursed until we both fell asleep in the recliner for about 15 minutes. By 6:30, I put him in the crib. I had jostled him a little so he would wake up slightly before I put him down. I didn't give him the pacifier. I am now wondering if giving him the pacifier to begin with is part of the problem. Maybe he realizes it's missing and freaks out. I dressed him in a onesie, cotton pants, socks, fleece sleeper, miracle blanket (not covering his legs), and a swaddle me blanket. I decided to keep him fully swaddled. We need to conquer the pacifier thing first.

Well, he did stir at 8 when I was putting Bella to bed. We were just about to start reading a book and I heard him cry a little. By the time I read a couple of pages, he stopped. This is what he used to do - put himself back to sleep if he stirred. This was promising! Each hour that passed last night was an achievement. I went to bed at 11:30 and I was shocked when I woke and saw it was 5. I fell back to sleep and woke at 7:15 and he was still sleeping! I can't believe I got almost 8 hours of straight sleep last night, the first time since Marco was born!

I don't know if it's the food, the lack of pacifier before bed, or being dressed more warmly, but we're doing the same thing tonight!