5 Months Old!

Pictures to come later today.
Sam gets bigger and bigger every day, and so does his smile! He loves to giggle and smile and, recently, chatter and squeal. He still loves diaper changes and has taken to giggling every time I wipe him, especially if it's a very messy diaper. It sure makes my day. He also loves tummy zerberts (or raspberries,) nuzzles on his neck, being tickled in his armpits, kisses from Teddy Bear, and when mommy makes silly noises.

He's going through waves of sleep patterns, not helped at all, I'm sure, by our frequent traveling these days. He sometimes will sleep from ten 'till five, other times he'll stay up past midnight and then wake up every two hours.

In the last couple of days he has learned to roll over onto his back! Last month he was perfecting the back-to-front roll, but would then get stuck and let me know that he wanted to roll back over. He has also started sleeping on his side, which I think is adorable. I'll lay him in his crib on his back and he'll immediately roll onto his side, move his limbs around until he's comfortable, then drop right back to sleep. Cameron got me a rocking chair for my birthday and Sam loves it! I think it's good for him to be able to stay in his room to eat if he wakes up at night so that it's easier for him to fall back asleep with out being moved around so much. The rocking also helps him to calm down if he's fussy or wound up at bed time.

He's been trying hard to sit up on his own, and it is darling. If we're holding him he'll try to balance on his own, or if he's lying on an incline he'll lean his head forward and try to get himself centered. It's really sweet. He's also managed to get his toes into his mouth and he loves sucking on them. He's also frequently seen with two fingers from each hand stuffed in his mouth.

This month was Sam's first (and second) time going swimming. He didn't like it so much the first time, on a nice day in a cool pool, but he seemed to handle it pretty well on a hot, hot day at a lake.
We also took him to a movie for the first time! He was very well behaved. We went to the Scera theater in Orem to see How to Train Your Dragon 2 with my sister Mary and our cousin Raegen. This theater has a "cry room" for moms to take fussy babies into where you can still see and here the movie or play, but he didn't end up needing it. He also went to his first BYU soccer game!

Samuel loved meeting his auntie Mary. They got along the moment she got off the plane! They were instant friends and Sam treated her just the same as he does Cameron and me. It was so great to have Mary here for a few days and to have Sam be able to meet and bond with her. We're really excited to take Sam's first plane trip to Michigan to see all the family there in one week!

After a lot of driving around this month (family reunion in Draper, 4th of July in St George, day trips to Salt Lake City and Alpine) Sam has decided that he is not a big fan of his carseat. His teething is also getting worse and he seems to be in more pain, which is so sad. All in all, it has been a wonderful month. We are so grateful for all the joy that Sam brings to our home, and for the smiles, and sweet spirit, and love. We are a happy family :)