5 months old!

Carson is 5 months old today! And he is just getting to be so much fun! I get what veteran parents mean when they say every stage is fun. I loved it when Carson was just an itty-bitty newborn, home from the hospital, and just oh-so snuggly. I loved it with Carson was just starting to smile. And I love it now when Carson lets out the occasional laugh.

Carson is still an incredibly happy, content baby. I actually took him to Madison last weekend by myself, and he was amazing. Obviously I was super stressed about the idea of having Carson by myself for that long and in another city, but he did terrific! I only stopped once on the way there to feed him, and when I came back he slept the entire way! He did great in the hotel, and just loved looking around at everything. Everyone had to stop and comment on how adorable he was, and of course I agreed. :) And even though Carson's "schedule" was really thrown with traveling around so much and hardly napping, he was a trooper! It was actually really exciting seeing how much Carson's curiosity has developed. He was just so alert and checking everything out. And even with meeting Uncle Ryan and his fiancee Mie, along with some other people, Carson was great! He's definitely a little cautious upon meeting new people, but he was just such a happy boy!

Carson does so well with tummy time now, especially if I put some toys in front of him. He has started to really reach and grab for toys and is great at holding onto them. And of course he loves putting anything and everything into his mouth. His toys and toes are definitely his favorite. :)

His head seems to get steadier and stronger by the day, and it's crazy to me just how well he's able to control the movement of his head! Carson's a lot more coordinated than he was; you can tell he deliberately bats at hanging toys instead of his randomly moving his limbs like he used to.

His legs are getting so strong, too. When I hold him up to stand, he's just so steady! His latest thing has been standing up and then doing squats in order to poop. Gross, yes. But super funny.

And I just love how much he needs me and is aware of me. When my face is close to his, his eyes just light up and he'll mimic my smile with his own big toothless grin. He'll watch me leave a room, and he'll smile upon my return. If he's crying, he'll stop and give me the biggest grin when I come in and pick him up. And even though he's pretty good with other, less familiar people holding him, he'll still want me within sight.

I just love being his mommy. I love being needed, but in a healthy way. Haha. I love that he needs my help to learn more, discover, and grow. And at the same time, I love how Carson is becoming more and more independent - being able to entertain himself for longer and longer stretches.