Month 5: Goals and Accomplishments for Boo Boo

Today Boo Boo turned 5 months old! Getting so big so fast! My friend just had her second child this week, and going to visit the adorable tiny newborn really opened my eyes how fast these babies do indeed grow!

What has Boo Boo accomplished in month 4?

• He starts to grab at a toy if you put it in front of him.  (I hold a toy out for him throughout his awake play times and take his hand to show his how to grab. I also take his hands and let him feel things so that he learns through touch.)   **Goal of mine**
• He recognizes the word "bottle" or "ba ba", also "nap time" or "ni ni". I think he recognizes "mama" but I am not 100% sure on this. (I say the words as I am doing things. I talk to him all day whenever he is awake.)   **Not a goal of mine**
• He sits really good in his bumbo chair and I would say has almost complete head control as I started to do the hip hold! (he loves it by the way).......(I would put him in his bumbo a couple minutes until his head got tired. I would also sit him up on the couch and on my lap.)   **Goal of mine**
• Sits good with support and loves to stand (with support of course)...........(I worked daily on him and always changed his positions so he got use to different things. I would go from standing for a minute to sitting with a toy, to laying on back for kicking, etc. He gets better every day.)   **Goal of mine**
• doing so much better with tummy time!! Holding that head up good and can roll from tummy to back. (I slowly built up his time on his tummy and he cried about it less and less. I now can get a decent tummy time before he starts to cry. I try to put him on his tummy at least twice a day or more.)   **Goal of mine**
• Bringing his legs up and trying to eat his feet. (Doing this to help with gas, now it has become a game and I see him doing it almost everytime he lays on his back. I encourage him by playing with his feet and bringing his foot to his mouth for him to enjoy.)    **Not a goal of mine**

What I think Boo Boo can accomplish in month 5:

• Eat with a spoon and realize it is for food. (I just started with oatmeal and he is starting to get the picture of it.)
• Roll from back to tummy. (He is almost ready for the tuck and roll as I call it. He brings his legs up to his knees and goes up to his side.)
• Sits unsupported on his own. (He sits pretty good with support and can go a second here or there when you let go, but ends up face plants.)
• Grabs at a toy on his own. (He will grab it if you put it in his face and encourage it, but will just otherwise just look at it.)
• Says Da Da and Ba Ba. (He can say Mama and hi and sometimes I think he says Ni Ni when its bedtime. He's an early talker, it runs in hubbys family I guess.)
• Start learning baby sign language. (I just started it this week, and I am not into habit of it yet. Just starting out with mama, daddy, and milk for now.)
• Laugh more often. (He loves to giggle, but a great laugh is very hard to come by for Boo Boo.)
• Sleep all of the night in his crib and only waking up once. (He wakes up a couple times and he always needs that closure and comfort of mama and I have to kick hubby out of bed and make my bed safe for Boo Boo and he sleeps on my arm for half of the night.)
• Naps in the crib. (He thinks his crib is nighttime bed and will only nap on mama's lap or in the car seat.)
• Enjoy his exersaucer for more than 10 minutes. (He likes it about 10 minutes and than wants out. I would like to do dishes, etc while he plays. Even just 20 minutes would be great!)

My realistic goals for Month 5 :

• Eat with his spoon. I don't think it will take him that much longer to get the hang of it. In fact, just last night he started to open his mouth, so we already have progress. I think by month 6 he will have started some solids (besides oatmeal) and will start enjoying baby foods.
• Roll from back to tummy. He already gets up to his side. If I just keep working and encouraging him to do so, I think that within a month he can accomplish this! Than the rolling across the room can begin!
• I think that by the end of the month I can have him doing pretty good on unsupported sitting, but I will take it slow and at his pace.
• I think he will be more into his toys in a month and will at least start to grab towards them. I will continue to show him and put them within his reaches and slowly make him work towards them.
• I think he may learn to say a new word or two, I will continue to talk with him and help him form his words. If he says something, great, if not, just keep talking. No biggie. 
• I think I can do all night in the crib, even if it means no sleep for me. Even if he wakes up, I will keep putting him there and not let him cry it out either. I at least hope to have great progress in a month.

Overall, I hope Boo Boo becomes a little more independent as in wanting to try new things and learn to enjoy his toys and moving around. I hope he learns to sit on his own very soon. I hope that in Month 6 he will be sleeping great in his crib and sitting and starting to maybe army crawl as well as being able to roll both ways. I also hope he really learns to enjoy tummy time very soon and starts to want to be put on his tummy more often. I hope that he learns new words and signs and starts to go into his convertible car seat.

Month 5 here we go!!! :)