Dear Mack - Month Five

Dear Mack-a-licious,

As we come to the end of your fifth month of life, you continue to mystify the current scales of cuteness.  To me, they simply cannot measure you accurately.  I am not sure how I got so lucky.  You are one amazing and wonderful boy and I am truly blessed to get to be your mommy.

First let me just say "Whew!!!!!!".....We have had a very busy month with no let up in sight as we head into July.  I must have taken 2,000 photos of you with all your "firsts", so this edition will be a bit more photo intensive.  They were all so precious.  It was impossible to have restraint.  Here is a mere sampling...but I just love them so much...as I do you..I want to remember everything. 

The end of this month of your life has us returning from many more travels and adventures to Arizona and the great state of Texas where again there were many people looking so forward to meeting you and spending time with you and generally wearing your little hiney plum out!

Here you are with your Papa and Granny: 

And Swimming for the first time with your cousins:

Taking the new jumper I got you for your 5 month birthday for a test drive:

I had a sneaking suspicion that you might not nap through these flights like you did last month.  But that was for naught.  You were a model traveller - smiling at everyone when you are not sleeping - which is a very good thing since your mommy likes to roam the planet.  However, I did learn a couple of things this month about travelling...

Fact No. 1: It is nearly impossible to travel with a cute baby without having to talk to every single person in the airport because you smile at them as we journey through with you in your little baby carrier facing out to the world on my chest. This includes the airport bathroom. This is fine, because it's not like it pains me to be told that my baby is cute. But seriously people. Leave me alone in the bathroom.

Fact No. 2: The new Delta and Southwest Airlines "family boarding" policies makes me want to write a strongly-worded letter. Because it turns out that "family boarding" is a nicer sounding way to say "Oh, you have a stroller and a 40-pound diaper bag and a baby and you're traveling alone, so you'd like to chance to pre-board so you don't have 65 antsy airline passengers breathing down your neck while you try to get all that onto the plane and into the seat? Well too bad, lady!"

Fact No. 3.  Whoever said baby poop does not stink has NOT changed your diaper.  It seems especially odorous when confined to a small regional jet full of passengers who can also smell it as you squeal, giggle and smile at absolutely everyone as it descends into its destination.  This makes for a long 20 minutes while holding said poopy diaper and wriggly baby it is attached to trying to keep the "larger than normal" poop from becoming a much larger problem if it escapes from the diaper it is housed in.  In future, I will do all I can to get poop before takeoff.

Fact No. 4: It's good to be home. We are both exhausted and need to sleep in our own beds for a few nights. But we had a really good time on our trips and these pictures alone make all the airline hassle worth it.

Your cousins and Granny helping convince you that you are, indeed, the center of the universe:

Uncle Z telling Mack about the art of being a deer hunter:

Ashton toting you around the Fredericksburg Farmers Market. She could not hold you and play with you enough while we were there.  She is sooooo good with you...

A very special treat!  Your meeting with the other "Mack's" of the family...Darrell Mack, Carol Mack(Mc)...and you!

You with your cousins and Papa and Granny:

Meeting your first bird:

With Grandma:

Playing with Papa:

Overall Month Five has been a really fun month for you. Your current goal in life appears to be to kick your legs incessantly. All day long, whether I'm holding you or you're playing on your playmat or sitting in your bounceroo or getting your diaper changed, you kick your legs. I think you're building up your muscles for crawling, which is something you're also quite interesting in doing as evidenced by the amount of time you spend on your stomach, waving your legs and arms around like a tiny, spastic Olympic swimmer and then seeming puzzled when your efforts don't propel you forward.  

You are also working equally hard at perfecting sitting up on your own.  You are not quite there yet, but I expect any day now to look up and see you sitting upright. For the last couple of weeks I've been propping you up and watching you immediately slump over.  I am waiting anxiously to report on your new accomplishment when you do finally succeed.

Now that we are at the end of month five, you are teething in full force as well.  It appears that a little lone bottom tooth is starting to break through on your bottom gums but I just noticed it yesterday, so only time will tell.   You will chew on anything as if you cannot get enough.   And you have also developed a newfound ability to spit.  And I mean spit.  Not drool.  But launch spit in my eye which you have done on numerous occasions as you practice the new things  your mouth can do.  And with the teething also comes lots and lots and lots of drool.   You are spending a good part of the time with a soaked shirt from all the drool.  You also took to teething to your cousin Bailey's nose....a bit of baby weirdness...but very funny.  

We started this month with our own personal angel, Aunt Lori, coming to save your mommy from a stereotypical loser nanny situation.  I am not sure she will ever know how much she is appreciated or how much I love having her gentle spirit caring for you as I have to work.  But the guilt and processing of the guilt I am doing about working is for another time.  She listens to my insane neurotic ramblings and reassures me that all is good for everyone.  She was a godsend and earned extra angel points while dealing with you and your catnap style sleep during the day.  You definitely do not take long naps unless I lay with you and then you will pass out cold for 2-3 hours.  It is quite a phenomenon.  We pieced together your day care the rest of the month with dear friends, family and neighbors so your mommy could earn a living and we just finished up the month with a 12 day stay in Texas where your Aunt Jen and cousins continued their fan club meetings for you while your mother slaved away in the back room darting out during the day because I was missing all the fun.  Starting this next month you will get Aunt Lori full time and that will be superfun!

And although our travels were fun and necessary as someone has to keep up the cash flow around here, I found myself by the end of the month missing our time alone together when I get you all to myself and get to work for those precious baby smiles and just snuggle and simply "be".  I really enjoy spending time with you and longed selfishly to just have an evening with you all to myself.    Again I wonder how you will ever be entertained when left with only me for entertainment, but as family is the most important thing in our world, I just love that you get to spend as much time with them as you do.  And as we are a family "on the go", then we just will enjoy the ride and "go" until it is time to "rest".

Ulitimately you are a such a very happy baby.  Many people say they have never seen a happier baby.  I don't know if they are just saying that, but all in all, you are my mostly happy baby most of the time and I just love that.  It makes you so much fun to spend time with and see you interact with the world and people around you.  You really are a charmer.

By far the most fun thing about you this month has been getting you out of bed in the morning. Most mornings I wake up and hear you over on the other side of my bed babbling to yourself since you usually move into bed with me about 5am for another couple hours sleep for both of us. After a while, I open my eyes and smile at you, and that is the moment I love the most, because every morning, when I open my eyes and smile at you, you break into the most ecstatic smile the world has ever known. You are so happy to see me that you kick your legs and squirm and giggle and squeal.  I pick you up and you snuggle your face into my neck and we're off on another day together, our little family. And life is grand.  

I love you.
Mommy