To be honest, the title is a little deceptive today as our son is a week away from being 5 months old, but since he had his five month doctor's appointment yesterday, I figured that I could get away with it. But in all seriousness, we couldn't ask for a more healthy baby or one that is as well tempered as he is. When we got to the doctor's yesterday morning, it was right about his feeding time, but he managed to hold off his screaming until the end of the doctor's appointment. I think one of the factor's that helped keep him from not screaming was the fact that he didn't get any shots or injections once again. For those of you who don't know, we are not having are son vaccinated at all. He received no vaccines in the hospital and will continue to receive no vaccines as long as he is under our care. What makes this so much easier is that we found a doctor who, while administering vaccines to those who want them, also supports those who wish to abstain from vaccines and their potential harm. After hearing horror stories of other pediatricians pushing vaccines and medicines on their patients or outright refusing to take on patients who won't vaccinate, we have found one who is the complete opposite. She completely supports breast feeding and is not one to push solid foods on us as long as our son is content with his breast milk, which he is. She also doesn't go the normal route of suggesting rice cereals or any cereals for that matter but rather bananas and avocados as a good starting point for solid foods. We have too many friends whose doctors have started their children on solid foods before 5 months of age and in general, they have been started on the standard rice cereal. Those babies are plump, chubby, and overweight in my mind whereas our son is slim and active. For those who want to find a more natural pediatrician, our doctors name is Diana Lopusny.
But back to our son who weighed in at 15 pounds 10 ounces and is 25.8 inches tall. He is described by all who meet him as a flirt and we are already being told that the girls should watch out for him later as he will most likely suck them all in. Whoever he meets, he smirks and smiles at, and stares intently at them, studying them, taking them in, becoming a social butterfly at 5 months old. Granted, he is still a baby and as most babies do, he charms everyone he meets. He is still getting more and more active every week and is actually getting accustomed to taking his naps, an hour in the morning and a 2 hour mid day nap. The mid day nap is the only one that he fights every so often, sometimes not napping at all and as a result, becoming fussy a little bit earlier than normal in the evening. But he still sleeps through the night like a champ, the only sound emanating from his room being the occasional banging of his feet on the crib rails as he squirms around to find a more comfortable position, often times ending up on his belly for a good portion of the night. His development thus far even amazed the doctor, most of all his flipping over from back to front and front to back as most babies don't figure that out till at least 6 months. Well, he has been doing that for at least a month now and with each day his arm strength increases and he get closer and closer to crawling around. The other amazement the doctor had was that he was getting as much solid sleep as he was through the night (11 hours). We realize that we are blessed with this little early achievement as almost every person we talk to is amazed that he has been sleeping through the night since two months old, a sure sign of contentment.
So we have a feeling that the next two months will be big in terms of his advancing development. Our pediatrician said not to worry about feeding him solids till the next time we see her which will be in another two months. She said we could try if we want, but it is not necessary as he is getting enough nutrition through his breast feeding. Every time I see our son, I can't help but smile and be amazed at him. Yes, I am his dad and as such have every right to be amazed and happy, but every day it seems to grow within me. He has become such a part of our lives that I can't imagine life without him at this point. He is just so precious I can't help but to give in to the desire to hold him. Nothing else really matters except the time I spend with him, and of course my wife who always comes first. But those days I get to spend alone with my son our priceless. There is nothing better than laying on my belly with him on his belly next to me staring into each other's eyes, his searching and studying, mine just drinking him in and living in the moment with him. A phone could ring and I just don't care. The dogs could be barking outside and I leave them for a little longer, simply staying with my son as long as possible. Nothing could have prepared me for the joy I have as a father. While I relish every moment I have with our son now and don't push him to achieve more than he is capable of, there is still a part of me that can't wait to see how he grows and develops in the future. But for now, everything is perfect and while I know things can turn on a dime at any point, I live in the moment right now and try my best to live up to my favorite short saying, "carpe diem" or "seize the day"!
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