Brice hit the big 5 month mark this week. I took a look at the BabyCenter.com website to get a feel for what babies are supposed to be doing at 5 months.
Here's a down and dirty overview:
1. Your baby now realizes where sounds come from and he'll turn quickly toward a new one.
Check. Brice has been doing this for a couple of weeks now. Ask Joel to make the "Brice face" when there's a loud noise. It is hilarious. Similar to popping a balloon near an unsuspecting cat.
2. You may notice that your little one turns his head when you call him or talk about him with others.
Um, not so much. Perhaps it is similar to the Shamus syndrome where by Joel chastized me for using too many nicknames with our dog, therefore hampering the dog's ability to ever come when called. What's actually happened is Shamus now answers to just about anything you yell out, which is a win-win in my book.
I have a few nicknames for Brice. They include (and are not limited to): Monkeypants, Bricicle (thanks AJ), Lord Stickyfingers (and Lucy has become Sir Licksalot), Birdy Boy, Bricey-poodle (don't ask) and Brice Muffin (sung along to the Oscar Mayer Weiner song). My poor child will probably think his name is Lord Brice Monkeypants Stickyfingers Birdy Poodle Muffin.
3. If you want to engage and entertain your baby, all you need to do is talk to him. At this age, babies don't learn language from the television or radio, so turn them off and use real dialogue instead.
We talk to Brice ALL THE TIME. We also always have the tv or radio on, so I'm not really sure if what we're doing is harmful. This morning, Brice was sitting next to me in bed and all of a sudden he lunged forward and grabbed the remote. He actually managed to change the channel on the tv from the news to Spongebob Squarepants. Should I be concerned?
Other developments:
Brice now has two bottom teeth. He kinda looks like a crazed drooling bulldog these days. Or a vampire in need of braces. Everything goes into his mouth and of course, his favorite thing to eat is our blackberries. Ugh.
This past weekend, Brice had his first servings of peas and sweet potatos. He loved them both and believe it or not, he managed to be much neater with his veg than he has ever been with his oatmeal.
Brice attended his first birthday party for Marissa McNeill, who celebrated her big 2. Ask Marissa to say "truck." Nuff said.
At the pool getting ready to jump in:
Singing London Bridge makes putting our faces in the water more fun:
