Hank @5Months

I count my blessings; my child is healthy & happy. All the rest doesn't matter right now. It will again soon, and I do love my husband - we went to lunch this week, just the two of us and talked about work, art, life - almost no baby talk at all. It was great just to connect with him, sit with him, eat with him and not be tired like I am at dinner after Hank is asleep or be distracted like I am when Hank is with us at meals. I really like that man I married! I remember a friend saying to me before we got married, "the like is more important then the love" and it is so true. It's hard to love someone you don't like. You can do it for a while, but to be consistent - and have a lasting bond, you really have to like them.

I like Hank too - but really I just totally adore him! He is so funny, charming, and happy. It is a joy to go in and get him out of his crib when he wakes up. He generally chats when he wakes up and often has his blanket pulled over his head and his legs in the air. When he sees us he smiles and giggles. It is a fun game, and one he loves to play. It usually leads us to Peek-a-Boo! another thrill for the 5 month old boy!

This month he really is on the move - he rolls over easily and at will - sometimes lingering on his side along the way. Just this week he started pushing himself backwards - he gets frustrated when he can't get to where he wants - which is usually in front of him. So far he can't quite get that belly off the ground! I'm not sure he knows that he is moving backwards - but as soon as you put him down, off he goes! It can't be long now till he can move himself in a purposeful way. Let the baby-proofing begin! Terry has found a website for this - full of nifty gadgets and widgets. We shall see what we end up with. One thing is for sure - we will need to secure the dog food and the wine fridge!

I keep forgetting to write about one of the nicest parts of our routines - the go to sleep music. When I was pregnant and thinking about what did I want Hank to fall asleep to, one song stuck in my head - and you do not know it. It is the lullaby Dale wrote for Sean and I when we were kids living on the farm in Eaton Rapids. I can hear it in my head as Dale played in on the shiny black grand piano. It would echo as we walked up the yellow stairway to the red spot painted on the ceiling at the top of the stairs. I have a copy of it and we play it for Hank as he goes to sleep. It doesn't sound the same as the version in my head, but it does the trick. I find that when I hear it, I relax and settle in for our passage to dreamland. I love to think that Hank will grow up knowing and feeling safe and happy to the same song! It really feels like the best "gift" ever each time I hear it.

Two weeks ago we went to our first story time - for babies - at our favorite local bookstore. It was fun, but a bit like a baby-moshpit! Hank cried when I put him down, he was probably the youngest one there by a month or two - all the other babies seemed pretty mobile. Once the reading started he really enjoyed it - we talked to Stewart, the book reader, afterward and will try to go again, though it is at a time when he is often napping. And speaking of naps, I can hear the happy tones right now - so I will finish this soon!