Big Baby

Over the past three weeks you increased your weight by 25%! I guess when the doc said it was time to add solid foods he knew what he was talking about! You went from a lean, mean, ready for martial arts 4 month old to a plump 5 month old; exactly what we wanted. Bring on the growth spurts.

Eating

Your mom and I were very pro-breast-milk when you were born. Supplementing your diet when you had jaundice was not what we had in mind, but we are way to practical to be stubborn in a situation like that. Now however we are drifting away from the breast-milk-only world. Some of what has happened to move us this way:
- You are not making weight and Dr German started you on solids to bulk you up (its working)
- Now that solids are in, you're eating less milk, anticipating what is next (and dropping milk production)
- We have had four months of up all night with you
- Formula is really, really easy
- I learned that I was completely formula fed (and I seem to have turned out fine)

So from here the path is less clear and you are enjoying a bottle as I type...

Love,
Dad

That new baby smell

Babies have a certain smell and it is really hard to describe and when you get to hold a newborn close you will know what i mean. My point in writing is that you have lost the particular smell you had for the first couple or few months of your life... never would have thought there was something to be known here. I wonder if it would catch on as a fragrance?

Love you,
Dad

Food, Vacation, And The Chills

Avocado, rice cereal, and banana are the three solid foods you started with. Like all of us, you suck it down when tilted back so that it doesn't have anywhere else to go.

You spent last weekend with Grammie and Grandpa Walker. Mom and Dad were able to escape to Cle Elum and get two nights of sleep uninterrupted by you... a really great thing. Mom was great and didn't call once to see how you were doing. When she picked you up, everyone was doing great!

Over the past couple days we've had temperatures ~14degrees at night and 30 during the day. All the heaters are on in the house to keep the temperature up and you are in your hats and sleeping bags. Even though it is so cold you still love being outside in it!

Dad

Focus on growing

You didn't grow much over the last two months and your doctor wants to see you in 3 weeks for a weight check. Even more interesting is that today you will get your first solid foods to try to jump-start your calorie intake and put on the pounds. Other than the your doctor says you are doing great!

On another note, you are really starting to experiment with sounds. You have a favorite screech and some tamer "coos" and "kois" and they have flown forth over the last 2-3 days... here comes the talking!