What's up at 5 Months for Liam

Happy as a clam!

Five months old now!  I wish the time would not go so fast!  Liam is adorable and still very easy to take care of.

For daytime naps though he can easily sleep in his bassinet if I am able to place him there at the right "window of nap opportunity". He can also nap in his crib but I don't think he thinks of it as a place to sleep, since it has been used mostly as a diaper changing station. I've moved all the diapering stuff off the crib now and will try to place him there to nap more often. He is a bit more fussier now closer to bedtime. He sleeps in bed with me, I rarely place him into the bassinet for the night.

Liam cannot quite sit up by himself yet, but he can hold the pose for a minute or more without support.

Other milestones reached: he can hold/grasp items such as his toys. Yesterday he grabbed my dinner knife as I held him next to the table! Have to keep an eye on him, he is fast!  Often he will gnaw on his toys or a cloth or a bib - he is likely teething (but it may be a month or more before the teeth will show).  He often plays with his hands and feet. Definitely shows signs of separation anxiety from his momma. Here is a list of milestones: http://www.babycenter.com/0_milestone-chart-1-to-6-months_1496585.bc

Asleep in mommy's bed, not a care in the world.

Sitting up for the camera!

Sound asleep in his bassinet.

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Toes

Yumyumyum! Toes sure are yummy, especially with a dash of beach sand!

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Liam's First Time Sitting by Himself

Liam sat up by himself for the first time on July 13! He was sitting in my lap and squirmed to get down so I tried to sit him on the floor... and here he is, the moment captured...  of course Connor wanted a picture taken with Liam too!

Liam sitting up in his big red bouncy car.

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Liam Rollover and Kicks

Liam can roll over already. First he was able to roll from his front onto his back. Then a couple of days later, I had left him on his back in his crib and when I came back he was on his tummy! The first time he did it was around June 3rd. This is on the early side for a baby to be turning over - typically it occurs between 4-6 months. Here's a video of one of his early turnovers from front to back.






These days when we place Liam in his bouncy chair, he really kicks up a storm! Check out this video - it's like he's boxing with his cute little feet!

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Liam's 3 Months - Milestones

Liam is now three months young, and weighs 15 lbs. It's been exciting to observe that he's reached a few of the three-month milestones: 

• While on his tummy, he can keep his head off the floor for quite a while. 
• He is now using his hands and his feet to swat at his toys on his bouncy chair. 
• He is now grasping objects.
• He has laughed out loud on occasion. This is such a joy to watch!

The new fascination with his toys means that we can leave him in his bouncy chair and it appears he is very entertained. He kicks at the toys more that uses his hands. Below are two videos, one of Liam's first time swatting at the toys in his chair. The other video shows Liam holding his head up during tummy time - and Connor being a bit naughty and I subsequently had to place him in a time-out!

Note, if you are receiving this by email, you will need to go to the website to view the video.

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Post-Partum Discomforts

Liam is almost 3 months old - no longer a newborn. He is much more aware and he 'talks', 'coos' and smiles a lot more. He has also started to laugh out loud, which is so wonderful when he does it.

My friend Amie visited last week and brought back my baby scale for me from Vancouver. So now I can weigh Liam anytime I want. Liam now weighs 14 lbs. What a heavyweight!  It's great but also adds to my health issues.

My right leg/hip hurts when I walk, especially if I am carrying extra weight or going up or down stairs. My physiotherapist says it is instability at the sacroiliac joint (side effect of pregnancy, the joint relaxes or is sprained during delivery). Because the joint has too much movement, other muscles are trying to take up the slack. I've had this problem since a week after giving birth to Liam. So I cannot run or easily go up or down stairs or do any exercise.

I've also got carpal tunnel in both hands, and also plantar fasciitis in both feet - I had both these conditions with Connor as well. Plantar fasciitis causes pain in both feet when walking, especially upon waking in the morning.  I'm just falling apart!

I need to try harder to do all the prescribed physio exercises to get better. I've been doing them but I also seem to keep aggravating the SI joint every other week.

Connor loves being a big brother!
He loves Liam's soft hair and skin.

With my friend Amie, visiting from Vancouver

 

 

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Liam's Moon Yuet - One Month Old

March 24th marked Liam's one-month of life!  In Chinese this is "Moon Yuet" which means "Full Month" and traditionally Chinese parents will celebrate this milestone by inviting friends and family for a grand meal.

Here in Toronto we don't have any Chinese relatives, so we just had a quiet celebration at a Chinese restaurant with Grandpa Brian and Grandma Jackie. Well, it wasn't that quiet because there's no such thing as a "quiet" Chinese restaurant! The grandparents did their 'homework' and gifted us a couple of red "licee" lucky money envelopes for Liam.  Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!

Liam poses for a one-month photo at home to commemorate the occasion. :)

 

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Smile Baby

Liam is still too young to really smile, but he does crack one every so often. Here I caught a few on camera, while he was sleeping...(dreaming of milk?) :D

According to a Baby Milestone chart from BabyCenter.com, smiling is an 'advanced' skill for a one-month-old baby.

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