My 5-Month-Old Little Boy!

Since I have a "bumbo and blankie" picture for Ty and Aiyana, here's little brother, too:

He's still so chill most of the time. But we all have our limits. These next few shots show him turning into the HULK:

Even his mini-tantrums are so cute! (As long as I'm not trying to deal with Aiyana or get out of the house at the same time).

But seriously, 90 percent of the day, this is our docile little boy, so reminiscent of Ty:

He smiles easily and often, though is more contained with his laughter than both Ty and Aiyana were at this age. He's just starting to let them out more though, especially when Khun Yai and Khun Thaa (Thai word for Grandpa, in reference to my mom's husband, Don) are playing with him. As far as Dan and I can tell, his temperament  is closer to Ty's calm nature, but he definitely has a spark! If he's tired or hungry, look out! That's why a schedule works so well with him because he's generally content if his needs are met on time.

Here's Aiyana showing him how to ruin library discs.

FEEDING TIME!
We waited until 5 months to start feeding him. Understanding it just takes more work and time, I haven't been in a rush to introduce another sit-down meal. But the week he turned five months, we've tried one meal a day. Here's his first try at it:

 He did pretty well! I love his squishy, soft lips. 

ROLLING OVER:

 

 Between 4 and 5 months, he could roll once in a while from back to tummy or tummy to back. But almost to the day, as soon as he turned 5 months, he suddenly became relatively comfortable going back and forth between the two!

 Rotate. . . 

 Turn . . . 

 Ta-Da! He enjoys tummy-time now for a while.

 And back we go!

He loves Khun Yai, giving her big grins and squeaky sounds whenever he sees her. 

More Highlights:

• After his 4-month appointment, we've continued giving one bottle of formula a day, usually the last feeding of the night. He has taken to it really well and sleeps better.
• Transitioning to sleeping on his back in the crib gets better every few days. Since we got back from vacation, it took this third week back to get Aaron to where he's not waking up every hour or so, crying for his fallen binky. He's sleeping much more soundly.
• . . .until he has just started rolling over onto his tummy in his sleep! Sometimes he sleeps just fine, and I don't even realize he's been on his tummy until I hear him crying, perched up on his arms and looking around disgruntled. Other times, I've rolled him back over a number of times, only to find that he's intent on sleeping on his tummy. (So how am I doing? A little anxious but able to shake it off and just give up the idea of controlling his sleep. I mostly feel ok about his safety at night, which is surprising since he still likes to start the first part of the night with his face pressed up against the bumper. So glad it's mesh-breathable!)
• His eyes are getting greener! They're such a pretty, marble of hazel.

I look at this little boy and hold him and get teary occasionally, seeing so much of Ty in him at this age. I think I see it more in person than in the pictures. He looks a lot like slimmer, 3-month-old Ty because Aaron's still not as chunky as Ty was at 4.5 months! Ty's face was very full (though Aaron's cheeks are filling out for sure since we started formula). I'm happy about that because I still get to visit with Ty in my memories when I hold Aaron. Yet I'm so excited to see Aaron grow up and to have a little boy to hold, as I've imagined holding Ty at various stages. As always, I hope Aaron doesn't read this and think my love is fixed on his image to Ty. Dan and I have talked about how, despite their looks and similar demeanor, Aaron feels like his own little person and individual Spirit. We love him as much as ever! He is just such a sweet boy with a special Spirit. We had Aaron's middle name picked out before we even saw what he looked like or held him in our arms. I think it's special that he can carry a few traits of his name-sake.