The Nicklaus Family: February 2015

Colton learned how to roll from his back onto his belly!

I thought this was really exciting, until I realized it means that he is now much more mobile than before. Also, diaper changes have become more difficult. My current strategies are to try and change it quickly before he remembers he can roll away, or to simply distract him. (Is it bad parenting to entertain your child by letting him play with his pants??)

The videos and pictures below are from late last week. It's amazing how quickly he is mastering this skill. He still struggles to roll sometimes (that silly arm gets in the way), but for the most part he is already getting much faster. It's crazy how quickly babies can learn!

Here are a couple videos of Colton and his new trick:

It also means that he can roll away from all of his toys...

And, he's more interested in escaping when possible. Including his bouncer...

This is unrelated to rolling, but he sure does love to eat his socks.

So proud of himself for having rolled over. (Or, he is just excited to be closer to his favorite toys.)

Our little man is celebrated Groundhog Day by turning 5 months old!

Colton has grown and developed a lot over the past few weeks. Here are some updates on our baby at 5 months:

Around Christmas, he became more observant and started reaching for things. Now he reaches for anything and everything!
He moves constantly. Diaper changes can be a bit of a wrestling match since he wants to wiggle and grab everything.
He loves holding his feet. He discovered his feet a few weeks ago, and they just might be his new favorite toy.
He can sit up by himself for a few seconds, when balanced properly.
Colton is SO CLOSE to rolling from his back to his belly. He is motivated to roll by one of two things: 1. If he is reaching for a toy, he can almost roll over to his belly to grab it. 2. When he is fussy or angry, he arches his back and almost accidentally rolls over.
Sleeping continues to be difficult. He started regressing over a month ago and hasn't slept well since.
He is, however, getting better at naps during the day. At least for the past week or so. He goes down for a nap with much less fussing. Although he doesn't always nap for as long as I would like, it's much more pleasant than calming an angry baby who refuses to nap. :) Let's hope this trend continues!
He has a habit of inadvertently grabbing his pacifier and pulling it out of his mouth. Then he gets upset because his pacifier is gone. Sometimes I put him down for a nap with two pacifiers (one for the mouth, one to hold), or with a toy to hold.
Colton loves to grab faces, glasses, jewelry, anything. Nothing is safe from those tiny, curious hands!
He has also started waving his arms wildly. Sometimes with a toy in his hand. Which means that sometimes he accidentally smacks himself in the head with a toy. Luckily he has a huge head and has been unfazed by this.

Colton's Favorite Things:

Toys: now that he is reaching and grabbing, he loves all of his toys.
Books: he likes to grab at them while we read to him.
Eating. As evidenced by how huge he is.
He loves to be held facing out so he can see the world.
He has been doing a great job at tummy time.
His feet! He has graduated from holding his own hands to holding his own feet.

Colton's Least Favorite Things

Sleeping
Letting his parents sleep
Being in his crib instead of being snuggled.
Wearing clothes. Especially when I have to put outfits on over his head. He can go from happy and playful to angry and upset in about 2 seconds.
When his toys are gone because he pushed them away on accident.