Liam at 5 months

Milestones. Liam can now sit down on his own. He has to be propped by pillows when sitting on the bed. But he can balance more when he is on the floor. When on his tummy, he loves to raise his buttocks and straighten his legs. I think this is because he prefers to stand than lie down. He can do that, too. He loves to stand on my lap and look around. Liam also loves to squeal. Especially when he is mad.  

Physical Changes. Liam can grasp his toys better. And he loves to grab things. His favorite toys to grab are the Baby Einstein caterpillar, the chain links, and the rattles from his mobile. If he is carried and I drink from a glass, he tries to grab that, too. People notice that his eyelashes are long and curly. His skin still has dry patches and I put baby lotion on him every night. His birthmark (on the chin) has become more prominent. He also has rashes on his neck. I try to keep it dry and put baby powder often so it would not turn into 'neck cheese'.

Breastfeeding. Liam is still 100% breastfed. I am not pumping as much anymore since I am with him 24/7 anyway. Half of his milk stash in the freezer has expired already. I don't plan to stock up as much anymore. He will be starting his solid food next month anyway. I will probably just keep enough milk for three days.

GERD. He still spits often but we have become accostomed to it already. Even Leelai understands and tries to help out. Whenever Liam spits up, Leelai rushes to the cabinet to get Liam's burp pad or wash cloth.

BABY SIGNS. We are starting to use baby signs when talking to Liam. Baby signs has helped Leelai communicate with us when she was a toddler. So we are teaching it to Liam as early as now. The first words/signs we are using are: Mama, Papa, Milk, More, and Toilet.

Happy birthday, little boy!