5
5 Months
7.8 kilograms ( 17.2 pounds)
Likes:
laughing and smiling
music & singing
sucking his thumb
snuggling
bath time
being near Mommy
looking in the mirror
Well, this is Isaiah's last monthly update to be written from the Philippines. Excuse the ugly sheet as the backdrop of his pictures. Most everything else we own is packed up. We begin our long journey towards America tomorrow. The past month has been so fun. Our boy is so loved here and we've enjoyed watching him interact with his Filipino family. We're excited now for him to meet his American family. We know the feeling is mutual :)
This month Isaiah really began to get active. Sometimes it's hard to even hold him as he wiggles and kicks and bats his arms. He loves to be the center of attention. He lights up at familiar faces and smiles and giggles as they talk to him. He's quite the charmer. We've all fallen in love :) My favorite new thing this month is when he lays his sweet little head on my shoulder and nestles into me for snuggles. I could literally sit and snuggle all day if he'd let me.
As for the more serious stuff, he is still exclusively breastfed and eating every 2-3 hours. We're excited to start solid foods at 6 months/when he's able to sit up well/when he shows an interest. He doesn't really seem to be intrigued by food yet, but he's practically begging for a drink of water every time I take a sip ha! We're thankful he's a healthy growing boy. And this may be t.m.i. but for my own record he only poops about once a week now, and they're killer :) We're still loving cloth diapers, though. We haven't had a single booty rash. We are, however, ready to move up to the next size and have those waiting for us at my parents house in Mississippi. We'll be using disposables for our travel days.
He is still a great sleeper. Sometimes I feel bad because our lifestyle is so inconsistent and I wonder if he's getting the good sleep that babies need. But, he's a trooper; he can practically sleep anywhere. He usually takes 2 short naps in the morning and a long afternoon nap. Around 7:30pm or so he's restless and ready for bed. He sleeps until midnight when he wakes to eat and usually wakes again at 3 and either puts himself back to sleep or eats. He's up again at 5 and then for good at 7. He's still sleeping with us so it's pretty easy to wake and get back to sleep. I'm sure we'll transition him to a crib (and hopefully sleep through the night!) sometime after we get to the States, but we'll take our time since little man will be facing a lot of transition with the move across the world!
Isaiah's developing into a smart little thing. He finally enjoys toys (or at least enjoys chewing on them) and will play contently for about 10 minutes or so before he becomes bored. He loves to swat and grab at toys that hang from his bouncy chair and my hair is a new main attraction. He likes to pick up anything in reach and put it in his mouth. He's had a few days where I feel like his gums have bothered him and I can see tiny white specks under his bottom gums, but I wouldn't say we're full swing teething yet. We are full swing thumb-sucking, though. He pretty much hates a paci now and sucks his thumb when he's tired. It really could not be any cuter. He's practicing sitting up, but it's quite the challenge. And the highlight of this past week is...he found his feet! It is so funny to watch him grab his foot, eat his toes, and laugh about it.
As for looks, he still looks more like Dad, but he's gotten a few "you look like your mama"s lately. Most people here say he looks like his Randaddy, Josh's father. One neighbor here even nicknamed him "Randy Boy"! We're planning on leaving that nickname here :) He's lost most of his hair besides a little mullet in the back and what hair he does have seems to be turning blonde. His eyes are still a blue/gray color (which makes the Filipinos go wild!) and his chunky little legs are absolutely adorable.
Isaiah,
This month I spent a lot of time reflecting. We're moving back to America soon so I've had lots of thoughts in my head about our memories here in the Philippines. I remember finding out that I was pregnant with you. I was so surprised but I praised God, because I knew His plans were better than my own. As you grew in my belly, sometimes I feared. I wanted so badly for you to be healthy and I did everything in my power to give you what you needed while you lived inside of me. My love for you was so strong and I hadn't even met you! I prepared our house and my heart for the day you would arrive. I rocked in the big wooden rocking chair in our room and imagined holding you there. Now I've sat in that chair a million times with you in my arms. We've rocked, we've read, we've slept, we've laughed, and we've cried there. Sometimes I still fear. When you cough or when I peek in at you to make sure you're still breathing and it takes me a minute to see your little belly move up and down. Being a parent is a lot of responsibility, but I sure am glad God has trusted me to be your mama. As we prepare to move you to a new home, I'm a little nervous. But I'm thankful that the God we serve has prepared the way for us. I hope, Isaiah, that you will put your trust in God alone as you grow. He's been faithful, and He always will. I love you more and more all the time.
Love, Mama
Isaiah,
We're moving back to America, and it scares me to see the the USA since God has continued to refocus your parents' lens. I'm thankful for Him bringing us here, and I believe we'll be able to follow Jesus better there because of our time here. Unfortunately, you probably won't remember much of Aurora, but Lord willing, we'll bring you back to see the family that took you in when the rest of yours was a world away. As I type, you're asleep, and our room looks a little bare. We'll be starting our journey to Manila tomorrow morning so tonight is your last night in this bed as our baby Isaiah. You have no way of knowing (obviously) the affect you had on this community of people. I don't think we have a clue how much they've affected us either. Tomorrow, most likely, we'll see a lot of people hold you and cry. I guess some of them have helped make you cry, so you'll be returning the favor. It's going to be hard leaving here son...it just is... and it should be.
We love you anak,
Dad
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