Bobby is 5 months old!

I haven't been keeping up with the lists of "your baby should be able tos" found in the sequel to the number one recommended pregnancy book What to Expect When You're Expecting (the aptly named What to Expect the First Year), a copy of the 1989 or so version of which I happened upon at the Beverly Library book sale and purchased for about 5 cents a while back.  But I have decided that as a part of my first ever "boblog post" -- in honor of Bob's 5 month birthday -- I will go through the lists and figure out just how my baby does line up against all those other babies out there.  Here we go:

Should be able to:

• Hold head steady when upright -- he's been able to do this since he was just a couple weeks old
• On stomach, raise chest, supported by arms -- check
• Roll over (one way) -- he rolls over occasionally from belly to back, and he's done it a couple of times from back to belly, but he's not very consistent yet
• Pay attention to a raisin or other very small object -- yep
• Squeal in delight -- yes, he's a happy little pig
• Reach for an object -- he is just now figuring this out; he stares with concentration as his tiny hand inches toward the object he wants to grab
• Smile spontaneously -- check
• Grasp a rattle held to backs or tips of fingers -- um, sort-of; he's still mastering it

ONE MONTH OLD!

Will probably be able to:

• Bear some weight on legs (5 1/4 months) -- he's been able to do this since he was a couple of weeks old
• Keep head level with body when pulled to sitting -- he's been able to do this for a couple of months
• Say ah-goo or similar vowel-consonant combinations -- yep
• Razz -- yep, learned that a couple of weeks ago

FOUR MONTHS OLD

May possibly be able to:

• Sit without support (5 1/2 months) -- not yet
• Turn in the direction of a voice -- yeah, he's been doing that for a while

YESTERDAY

May even be able to:

• Pull up to standing position from sitting -- only with help
• Stand holding on to someone or something -- he's been able to do that for a while
• Feed himself a cracker -- we don't give him crackers, but he likes to feed himself lots of inedible objects
• Object if you try to take a toy away -- he gets mad when he drops his toy, does that count?
• Work to get a toy out of reach -- not really, he just writhes aimlessly
• Pass an object from one hand to another -- I watched him doing this intentionally a couple of weeks ago and it brought a tear or two to my eye
• Look for dropped object -- no, he doesn't look for it, he just whines
• Rake a raisin and pick it up in fist -- hmm... haven't tried this
• babble, combining vowels and consonants such as gagagaga, dadadada -- nope

EASTER DAY -- Riding in the Jeep

And, does any of this really matter?  I'm guessing not.

***

I just finished nursing Bobby and laying him back down in his crib.  He fell asleep, as he sometimes does after eating, with his face smushed up against mine.  (I try to settle his head down onto my shoulder, but he picks it back up and gets face to face with me again.)  I sat holding him for a bit remembering that amazing day five months ago when this gorgeous gift arrived.  I love these little monthly "birthdays" -- I love thinking back to that moment, at 11pm exactly, when I first saw my little son's tiny face emerge.  He's only been around for five months, and yet I can't imagine my life without him.

And now I must get to bed; I only have about four hours until my prince calls for his mid-night snack.