October Post

As October is nearing its end I have yet to post about Nate's five-month birthday or anything going on this month. It may be because this is the first weekend in October that I have actually been home. The first weekend we went back to NY to see my brother-in-law, Wes, who was on leave from Afghanistan. The second weekend we went to see John's mom and brother, Bobby, for their birthdays and the third weekend I took the train with Nate to see my niece for her birthday. It was great seeing our family so much this month, I just wish it didn't involve all the hassle of packing, traveling, unpacking, laundry etc. If we could invent a teleporter that would be awesome.


I think seeing so many different people this month helped Nate get used to other people holding him and diminished his separation anxiety slightly. He still cries when I leave him at daycare, but he seems a little less upset. It was great that he got to meet his Uncle Wes and see all his family again. He did well enough on the train that we booked tickets for Thanksgiving weekend. Just thinking of dealing with I-95 Thanksgiving traffic with a baby who isn't a big fan of his car seat makes my blood pressure spike and the train went pretty smoothly so we'll hope it goes as well again.


Nate is doing so many things now. Some highlights of the month are: rolling over more easily both ways, jabbering, babbling, giving kisses and hugs, sitting on his own for brief periods (we have to put him into position), reaching for us, greeting familiar people with smiles, playing with toys more purposefully, putting everything in his mouth, laughing more often, grabbing anything he can reach, pulling things to get them closer to him, "kicking" a ball, showing interest in other babies, and using his social smile frequently.


Nate also moved into his crib this month. I think it was more traumatic for me than it was for him. The first night was okay, the second was pretty bad and the third was decent. He has been having a hard time staying asleep lately and we aren't quite sure why. Teething, gas, being overtired, reflux, constipation, the transition to the crib, a cold, and us making too much noise have all come up as possibilities. It could be any one or combination of these things or it could be something we haven't thought of. I don't think we will ever know. Hopefully he just starts sleeping better.

We have tons and tons of photos from this month so here is a sampling.