Documenting Declan (5 Months)

Weight: 17 pounds, 2 ounces
Length: 26 inches

My happy baby. Everything about this baby is happy. He is even happy in his sleep. I have to force myself to walk away from him so I can get at least one thing done each day. He is addictingly adorable. His brothers love him just as much as I do. Alex runs in to see Declan as soon as we hear him cooing after his nap. Edison runs in to see him mid-nap. They want to snuggle him and be around him or share their toys and blankets with him. He is definitely well loved; it is impossible not to.

He is a cooing machine.

Still has the blue eyes. I wonder how long they will stick around.

How quickly things can change.

He has some very cute "vintage" outfits for church.

He wants to stick everything in his mouth. His hands will do if nothing else is within reach.

Taste testing everything leaves him slobbery.

"I was sitting in my Bumbo minding my own business and BAM! Sleep snuck right up on me."

Sneaky, sneaky sleepies.

He goes on grasshopper catching adventures. Sometimes he gets bored.

One more month and then that high chair is his!

He sleeps in his bed most of the time but sometimes he just falls asleep unexpectedly and I can't let him go.

Hat.

He got attacked by mosquitoes at a baseball game.

Sometimes Edison tries to slip him some tongue.

He has perfect skin.

He is so resilient. He gets bumped all day long and just looks around grinning.

Sit ups are his new favorite thing. He can hold this position for several minutes at a time.

Noisy keys and a three-finger snack.

"If I could just get on top of him..."

"I'll kill you!"

Another spontaneous nap and a post-nap snack (paper was also Alex's favorite snack).

A few more things Declan does for which I do not have a matching picture:

He...

...coos when he wakes up.

...loves being swaddled for bedtime.

...has a great schedule (wakes up at 6am, eats and goes back to sleep, wakes up again at 8am. Eats and then plays until 10am. Sleeps for an hour. Eats again at 11am, plays until 1:30 or 2. Sleeps until 3:30. Eats and then plays until around 5pm. Takes a short nap before dinner. Eats a small dinner, then plays and helps us get the older boys in bed. Then it is his turn. At 8:15 or 8:30pm: eat, swaddle, kisses, sleep.)

 ...is such an efficient eater. He will eat for only five or ten minutes and then I can hear the milk sloshing in his belly and he will be content for five or six hours sometimes.

 ...laughs and squeals.

...seems to be in his own world until he makes eye contact and then he grins so hard that his eyes squeeze shut.

 ...has some yucky cradle cap.

 ...has not rolled over but he can sit up for about 30 seconds. It is such a wobbly sitting that we aren't counting it officially. He just wants to be able to look around so badly!

...reaches out for things in front of him during tummy time.

...had his first drink of water. 
...has perfect lips for smooching and thighs for pinching.