The Saenz Family: Eli: 5 months!

Welp, it's that time again. Another month has FLOWN by and our baby boy is another month older! I can't believe in less than a month he will be half a year old. It's even weird to say! But I praise God everyday that he is growing healthy, strong, and happy. God is good!

As always, here are some highlights/milestones/learning experiences we have met this last month. I would say that this last month has been the biggest one of changes yet. Eli is changing EVERYDAY. And it's exciting. And terrifying. And bittersweet. But most of all, it is amazing. Simply and purely amazing.

There he is...in all his cuteness! My little (or not so little) 5 month old!

MILESTONES

-Eli is doing the "swimming" motion where his legs and arms wriggle in the air while he squirms awkwardly on his tummy. He so badly wants to crawl but we try to tell him he is a little to young. He doesn't wanna hear it.

-Rolling is a HUGE thing right now. We roll from stomach to back, back to stomach, side to side, side to tummy, tummy to side to back. You get the point. And we don't just do one roll. We roll from one side of mommy and daddy's bed to the other which is 4-5 rolls we have learned.

-Eli lifts himself all the way (as far as his arms will extend) like a little seal. It is so cute and he puts his chin up in the air, smiles, and coos as if saying, "Look what I can do mom and dad!" Kind of like this:

-He grabs for EVERYTHING! The newest thing is whenever we are out somewhere at a table and he wants to grab your plate or fork or cup or napkin. And naturally it all goes into his mouth. His little hands stretching out towards something and grasping onto it is seriously one of the cutest things I have ever seen. And I get this 'proud mommy' feeling like, yep...my baby can do that. He can grab things. *insert dorky proud mom smile* Oh the things we feel as parents. Ha.

-Eli loves to walk. No not by himself....I mean he is gifted but not THAT gifted ;) Carlos will hold his hands/arms and slowly walk him around the house. It is SO. FREAKIN. ADORABLE when he does it in his little footsie PJ's. and his little padded feet make little triumphant steps across the house as he smiles and drools everywhere. He loves it when he gets to walk up to the puppy or up to mommy and with each step closer, he gets noticeably more excited. God, I love my son.

-He is almost able to sit up. He can do it on his own but ultimately ends up leaning too far to the side or too far back and falls over. Everyday his balance gets better though. I am a proud momma!

-And for the biggest change this month. Our child has found his voice. And I do not mean like "oh what cute little coos or shrieks." I mean full-out-balls-to-the-wall-can-the-whole-neighborhood-hear-me-yet found his voice. He yells and shrieks at his toys. He will just look at one and a split second later he is yelling at it. Then he will smile. Then yell. Then laugh. Then coo. Then yell. And on and on. Sometimes his yells do signal frustration but most of the time Eli is just exercising his newfound ability to use his voice as a source of translating his personality. Most of the time it is adorable. Some of the time it is not. Like at 7:00 a.m. Or in the middle of Hobby Lobby. Or at a restaurant when he gets excited to see all the new things around him. There are a few more instances when it isn't that cute but when it's at home and he quizzically looks at his toy, tilts his head, and bolts out a nice little "tune" (what daddy likes to call it)...well yes, it is quite charming actually :) .

THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED

-When babies learn to yell, learn to zone some of it out or else you will never get anything done, get a moment of peace, etc. And realize it's only just beginning!

-Teething is literally the slowest process EVER. Like, really?? Ugh. Even as I type this I cringe. I just want those 2 front teeth to pop through already. They are right there. Like literally, RIGHT. THERE. C'mon! Baby is fussy which makes mommy cranky which makes daddy unhappy.

-I am learning to take deep breaths (see above)

-Change cribs sheets OFTEN. Don't ask why we just learned this. It isn't pretty.

-Daily, we learn patience. Patience with teething, patience with each other, patience with fussiness, patience with not wanting to nap, and the list goes on.

Best thing for teething? Frozen washcloths.

I will close with saying that as this journey of parenthood rolls on, I love my child more and more each day. Everyday (and this is no joke, it is everyday) I think 'I can't love him anymore than I do today. It is impossible!' But the next day, the impossible becomes possible. I love him more than the day before. Sometimes I feel like my heart cannot expand or feel anymore love but then it happens. God is so good, he allowed parents to love children in a way that is unexplainable unless you have them. It is like this secret club, this community. It is the closest you get to heaven I think. That feeling you get when you look at your baby and your heart could literally burst because you love them so intensely. I thank God every night for my baby. For my husband, my true love. My goal going into the next year is to make sure I focus on my blessings and be grateful for the time I have been given with them :)