Jacques is 5 months old

Well, its a bit belated, but Jacques celebrated his 5 month birthday a little over 2 weeks ago. It's amazing how curious and adventurous our little man has become in just one short month. He is much more mobile and attentive now, and wants to explore everything with his hands...and mouth! Here are a few of the things Jack likes to do best now...

1) Hanging out with his two most favorite people in the world...Mama and Papa! We know that this will change shortly, so we are both taking as much advantage of it while we can!

Papa's beard tickles me...

More kisses?...

Happily sitting...on my invisible Mama's lap

Taking a well deserved nap on Mama...

This picture is a nice segway into favorite pasttime number 2...but is also great for showing you all just how much Jack has grown in just a few short months. He's becoming a little boy!

2) Sleeping. Thats right, one of Jack's all time favorite activities is still sleeping. He still needs 3 naps a day and about 12 hours of sleep a night to have all of that good energy to keep active and happy. Like all babies though, his naps and nighttime sleep are always an adventure...sometimes everything goes like clockwork while other times he needs a bit of extra love. (The picture above was taken when he had to take one of his naps on his Mama's chest...luckily it only lasted a few days)

3) Tummy time! We have always encouraged Jacques to play on his tummy, but I can honestly tell you that he was never much of a fan. He has dabbled in rolling over the past couple of months, but never really fully got it. However, the day he turned 5 months, suddenly he figured out how to not only roll from his belly to back, but also back to belly (something he accomplishes more on his playmat when there are things to help him out). It's wonderful to watch him chose to play on his belly and move around to where he wants to be (and not where his mama puts him...). But now we have to definitely keep a closer eye on the little guy!

Tummy time is fun on Sunday mornings...

To cute...had to post 2 pictures...

Blankets are fun!

4) Playing...while sitting up! Another of Jack's newest accomplishments is being able to sit by himself. Sometimes he is distracted, tired or not in the mood and he falls backwards rather quickly, but other times he can just sit and play forever (well...forever in babytime terms). Below are 2 videos which show him playing with some of his favorite toys. The first one I edited quite a bit since there was a lot of time were Jack was just sitting wiggling his feet(fun for a Mama to watch...not so much fun for everyone else)...the second one is over rather quickly, but it's fun to see him reach out and grab his favorite rattle...

I love my new blocks!...but I love my red box and my thumb even more...

The one where he falls over...

5) Watching his mobile. Yes...even after 2 months have passed, and with no mobile upgrade...Jack still loves his mobile. Since he is a bit older now, he sometimes has trouble deciding what is the MOST interesting thing to watch. Below is a video of him trying to watch his mobile, but he is clearly distracted by me (and the camera) and his new favorite campanion, his doudou (the tiny blanket you see in the video)!

Watch me smile...

Which leads us to...

6) His doudou. For his first 3-4 months of life, Jack could have cared less about his doudou. We always kept it in his crib, but he never showed much interest in it. Then a few weeks ago, he suddenly discovered the vast potential of the doudou. He now sleeps with it next to his head or in his hands, and he even "sings" to it before falling asleep. I'm even convinced it helps put him back to sleep at night...instead of crying, he now has something to distract himself with. Yay for the doudou!

7) Reading. Ok ok...he doesn't read...but he really loves it when his Mama and Papa read to him. He usually gets a quick story before each naptime and before bedtime. It's really cute though, because although he typically enjoys all stories...he definitely has his current favorites (The Ear Book...and The Moveable Mother Goose). Whenever he hears the first few lines of these stories, his face lights up!...and just a few days ago, even seeing the cover of The Ear Book put a big smile on his face.

One other thing, which is new in Jack's life, is that we have decided to start introducing solids into his daily routine. Unfortunately, this is definitely not a favorite, and could not be put into the list just yet. It's still a very new part of his day, and I can't say that he hates it...but he definitely doesn't seem to get much enjoyment out of it either. He seems to like exploring new tastes and textures...but he hasn't gotten around to swallowing anything yet! One of these days... I know there is still plenty of time, and right now it should just be something new and fun for him to explore.

The list could go on...but I just wanted to give everyone a tiny glimpse into our life with Jacques! I hope you all enjoyed!