Goodness Sakes Alive! It's Been FIVE!

Baby John,

We might be calling you that until you get married, little boy. Well, W might call you "Bru-dah" until then, but that's his special name for you.  

These days I'm in shock of two things: just how fast you are growing and how you manage to keep getting cuter and cuter. You are still a happy baby for the most part and love catching our attention for a smile.

That is until this teething business began, and then all bets are off.

This month brought your very first trip to LA, and you did great on the car ride there and back. We had to stop a bit more than we hoped in order to keep your belly full, but if that meant keeping the tears at bay, I'll take it.
You loved hanging out with your Nana and Pop and even had a chance to meet and snuggle with other family members and friends.

While there you managed to cut two bottom teeth, and while it wasn't so much a problem for you while there, it seems that they are bothering you more now that we are home.

While you are trying everything from nibbling on your toes to our hands to Sophie the Giraffe, we are pulling out our arsenals as well.

Momma bought into the amber teething necklace craze, and perhaps that's why you weren't so fussy while they were cutting. While Daddy isn't a fan, he rolls with it being the best Dad around! 

Daddy, in fact, was the one to discover the best way to lull your heart to sleep or shush your cries. It looks like you are our little lion, John, because "In the Jungle" is your song. Whether sung at the top of our lungs and with our best falsetto or hummed soothingly before you sleep, this song speaks to you for some reason. 

You are officially swaddle free this month and are a tummy sleeper which seems to help a little, but let's still not talk about how many times a night you wake up. Maybe those pesky teeth have something to do with it. Maybe you are just a hungry, growing boy. Either way, let's keep working on it, ok? 

You have begun "drumming" with both hands and love to hit whatever you can, including the bottle while drinking, and you love when people clap with and for you. We have been practicing with your own hands which always brings a smile. 

I didn't have the best light for your pictures this month, and the black and white ones above certainly don't do justice to your beautiful blue eyes. Don't worry; they are still there, and we still think they are captivating.  

Speaking of captivating, you love being outside, and one of your favorite things to do is look at tree leaves moving.

Lastly, little guy, you are one lucky baby. Your big brother loves you so much, and while he may still be adjusting to sharing room in our walls and in our hearts, he seeks out ways to show his affection to you and for you. 

And you show no lacking in your affection for him either. Of the three of us, he makes you smile the most and often lifts your spirits when you are fussy. You shower him with smiles and reaching out for "hugs."  

We love that you two adore each other and pray for your relationship to always flourish! It's almost been half a year, little one. May God continue to bless you and us as we grow together as a family in His love.