Tag Archives: 5 months

5 Month Vaccinations After Easter!

04/22/2014 R.C. Liley 3 Comments

Yep, we’re that mean, we had our daughter get shots the day after Easter.

Pretty cruel, huh?

We are following the alternative vaccine schedule, so it wasn’t a lot of shots, but we’ll be there again in another month. Sorry, Avery.

Going Mom took the day off to go with us for the shots, and I always appreciate her company. I feel kind of guilty sometimes because when she’s home, I tend to do less of the baby tasks. But, Kelley does enjoy soaking up every extra second she can with Avery, so I don’t think she cares too much.

Once in the car, Avery was flashing us smiles unaware of her pending pricks.

Avery surprised with a hefty poo while waiting in the doctor’s office and we immediately changed once she was in a room. With her diaper off, we put our squirmy baby on the scale to see how much she gained from her 4 month appointment. At 4 months, she was 13 lbs 9oz. and this time she was about 14lbs 13oz. Almost 15lbs!!

I love seeing how much more attentive Avery is with everything and she’ll grab whatever is in reach. We laid her on the patient table and she wasted no time grabbing the paper liner and bringing it to her mouth.

Poor girl, so ignorant of what’s come.

There were 3 shots for the day and one nurse tried to console Avery as the other administered the shots.

So much for the consoling, Avery lit up in tears within seconds. She made sure to hit the high chords so everyone knew she was NOT happy.

With all of her squirming, Avery knocked one of the needles off the table requiring the nurse to prep a new one. No worries, Mommy was there to help soothe her.

Oh, okay, that wasn't too bad.... — Oh, okay, that wasn’t too bad….

With the last needle ready, Going Mom the now somewhat content Avery back down.

Okay, I'm ready to go back in the car n...hey, wait... — Okay, I’m ready to go back in the car n…hey, wait…

The nurse was quick, but Avery let us know she felt the prick (I like rhymes, what can I say?).

And once more, Super Mommy was there to calm our distraught daughter as Daddy just took pictures.

At least she tried to console her. I think Avery lost her trust in us after thinking shots were over the first time. Now that she’s more aware of her surroundings, I wonder if she’ll pick up on the doctor’s office in another month.

Back in the car, I asked Avery if she was looking forward to her 6 month shots, and judging from her look, I’m thinking NO.

We have been meaning to open a savings account for Avery, and decided to go after the appointment. As we sat in the cubicle with one of the bankers, he asked us for her social and we both turned to look at each other.

Crap! Shots after Easter and we can’t remember our daughter’s social security card! Oops, sorry, Avery.

To try and make it up to her, I offered to let her drive back home.

She wasn’t impressed.

So I put her back in her car seat and we made a stop at Sprouts and an auto parts store before heading home.

Going Mom took advantage of being with us and she wore Avery in the Ergobaby Ventus that they sent me free of charge to review. Kelley was able to quickly put it on and get Avery secure before we went inside.

I made my usual zig-zag through the store as Kelley picked out some baby and lavender oils to make our own baby wipe solution. The solution will consist of baby oil, lavender oil, and tea tree oil. Hopefully this will aid in clearing Avery’s rash and we’ll feel better knowing the ingredients are pure and simple.

Going Mom’s extra day off was spent mostly with us just running around and doing errands, so hopefully we’ll be able to slow things down next weekend and enjoy playing with Avery together.

Have you ever followed up a fun day with your kids by having something not fun for them? Sayyyyy, like shots?

Do you make your own baby solutions for wipes, bathing, or general cleaning?

Life, Monthly List, Parenting

5 Memories from my 5th Month since “Going Dad”

04/15/2014 R.C. Liley 3 Comments

As a parent, there are countless memories we want to love and cherish forever. Sometimes we forget all of the memories as they happen so fast or we get caught up in the next big “first” for baby.

Another Dad Blogger, Jonathan from Dad’s the way I like it, has been making monthly posts to capture a number of thoughts depending on his son’s current age in months. I enjoy reading all of his posts, and here is his current post on 12 thoughts from my 12th month as a parent.

Inspired by this, I am going to start writing a list of memories as if talking to Avery every month. Like Jonathan, the number of memories will be driven by my daughter’s current age in months.

Today, Avery is 5 months old, and although my list of memories could already span across the U.S., I will limit it to 5.

So, Avery, it’s exciting and scary to think of reading these with you years down the road, but here are 5 of my memories since becoming your father.

1. I remember mommy and me sitting in our living room with the lights off while you slept in your swing every night for about the first 2 months. We usually had the swing turned on and it made the most nerve-wracking “click-click-click” that drove us insane.

Mommy would nurse you to sleep and gently lay you in your swing with a tenderness only she can give. This is when I would be eating dinner and I made sure to tip toe every trip to the kitchen and my heart would stop a second if I made even the tiniest of noises.

2. I remember laying mommy’s breast milk soaked shirt in your crib to get you to sleep there at first. I would tightly wrap your arms in a swaddle in order to keep your arms from thrashing all over which kept you from sleeping.

Mommy and I eventually had to upgrade to the Woombie and keep your arms down by wrapping a long strip of t-shirt that I cut around you. We did this every night after bath time and most of your daily naps just before you were 4 months.

3. I remember sleeping in with you in the recliner on several occasions during the day and when you woke at night. Mom would usually be the first to try and calm you, but if you were still restless, I would take you to the front room and eventually get you to fall asleep with me in the recliner.

There was one time during a harsh winter storm in February where I had to wrap you in my jacket to keep you warm when our heater went out. But, we still made the most of it and went for a very cold, white walk in the snow.

4. I remember the first time I brought you in the garage to workout with me; you were just over a month. I was scared and worried you would start screaming when I was in the middle of lifting something heavy, but you were great!

I used to depend on your morning naps to get a workout in, but now you come to the garage with me every day and do fine watching me…..usually.

Sleeping while daddy works out in the garage

5. I remember mommy and I cheering you on as you rolled over for the first time. Our excitement was even captured on video to show just how proud we were! Even you were excited!

Well Avery, like I said, I could keep going forever, but it has to stop at 5 for this post. No worries though, you’ll be 6 months before any of us know it!

Going Mom and I love you so much, may you have another wonderful month of learning and growing!

Avery Talk, Parenting

How to Survive the First 5 Months of Your Life

04/12/2014 R.C. Liley 3 Comments

Well, hello there, earth newbs. Want to know how to make it through the first 5 months of your life?

If so, then I’ve got some important information you need to hear. Now, first things first; see this mouth? Listen to it!

I’ve learned a few things about those giant babies hovering around us like we depend on them or something. Little do they know, I’ve been pretty sneaky in my 5 months sans womb.

I mean, reaaalllly sneaky….

I’ve been pretending not to understand things, but I get it all….up to 5 months, that is. So, if you learn nothing else from me today, just remember one thing.

Most of you will mainly have two giant babies around you, one calls themselves “Mommy” and the other “Daddy”. Now look at my mouth……..your MUST remember these two.

Your mommy will probably hold you to the middle of her giant baby body in front of these two dark and odd-shaped pacifiers; just latch on and drink until your stomach feels better. Now, your daddy, he doesn’t do this….I know, confusing, right? Instead, he will usually hold you higher and only have one clear pacifier that is more uniform in shape. Just do the same, latch and drink. See, kinda like this….

And DON’T, I mean DON’T latch on like this…

Mommy just screams and daddy gets frustrated. Hmmm, or wait….unless you want to make them mad.

Yeah, in that case do that, but not very often, just enough to keep them confused and at your mercy. You see, what they are giving you is what keeps your tummy full and gives you more energy to cry. But it also makes you mess up your diaper.

But don’t worry, mommy and daddy will take it off and give you a nice and clean diaper. This will make you very happy!

Speaking of diapers, mommy and daddy call mine cloth and they’re always putting them in some basket and when it’s full. Once the basket is full, they put them in some loud machine and after a few hours, I see the same ones again! When I can, I always wait until right after they put a full basket in the machine to make a poop. Hmmmm, I wonder if they like that or not.

Oh well, just remember, latch on, drink, dirty your diaper, then cry so they know to change you. Trust me, you want them to change you! These little tips will help you grow and stay clean. Another important piece of advice is getting some sleep. Yep, when you are like this…

Only your eyes will be fully shut and you could be in a number of other positions. Plus, I’m not wrapped like a burrito but you most likely will be. The sooner you accept having your arms strapped down, the better off you’ll be. I accepted, for a while, and l usually slept well. Here’ me pretending to be happy when I had no control of my arms or legs.

And once you wake up, if your mommy and/or daddy are there, flash them a smile. It’ll get you places and they seem to like this.

Eat, sleep, poop, and pee; that’s basically what you do these first few months. I’m still figuring out the rest and will keep you updated as I go. Oh yeah, you might start what the big babies call “teething” which really hurts and makes you slobber more than you already do.

I find it helps to chew on my hands……like all the time. Just try it, it feels soooo good.

If you eat and sleep well, then you might be able to roll over on your own after a few months. You can find my thoughts about rolling over in another post.

So, follow my simple advice and you’re sure to survive your first five months of existence. Make sure to throw your parents a few curveballs by acting excited about something, and then like you could care less.