20 Weeks Old

Today is 20 weeks for Bennett. (Usually I'd do a 5 month photo but I decided to do that on his birth date, instead of his weekly birthday.) Obviously Bennett's biggest accomplishment this week is sitting. He is still pretty wobbly, but he can do a good minute or so before falling. Each day he gets a little more sturdy in his sitting, so he's working at it!

We're wondering if he will start crawling soon. He will get up on his hands and knees once in a while, but then settle back onto his stomach. When he is on his stomach, his legs and arms will move like he is trying to army crawl. I kind of hope he holds off on this skill until I go back to work! He loves to be on his stomach though (he spends most of baby yoga on his stomach, looking around the room) which isn't a big surprise because he had a lot of neck and back strength when he was born.

Our biggest struggle this week is going down for naps. He just doesn't like going down for naps on his own, in his crib, the way he will when he goes to bed for the evening. I'd say 70% of his big naps during the week are a struggle (he has two a day). Sometimes I will feed him, even if he has an hour before his next feeding, and he will eat a full meal. Maybe he is just going through a phase where he wants to eat more? If that's the case then it is fine, but I don't want him to get in the habit of needing to eat to fall asleep. I am going to try putting him down for a nap earlier, in case he is overtired when I put him down, to see if that helps.

 

Bennett has been yelling and shrieking A LOT this week. Like, A LOT. He went through a phase of this previously, but it's back and worse than before. I'd say he spent a good 3 hours shrieking today. And he has to do it with an outdoor voice, so it's high-pitched and loud. It really just goes straight to your brain. He was doing it one morning as Joel was getting ready for work and Joel goes, "I don't know how Mommy puts up with this all day long. I can't stand it so I'm going to leave now. Bye!" Keep in mind, Joel has horrible hearing, so if he thinks it is bad, imagine what I put up with all day long!

 

It seems like Bennett is moving into the stage where he gets upset when he can't see us. I can't put him in the swing in the living room and go into the kitchen without him screaming. Or if we're grocery shopping and I step out of sight, he will start squawking until I come back. I'm not too sure how to deal with this, or if it is something he will just grow out of, but I hope it doesn't get worse. He doesn't have a problem with different people holding him though, so that's something.

 

 

 

Bennett laid in the grass for the first time today. Just like his mommy, he wasn't a fan. I could tell he wasn't too sure of it when I set him down. His bottom lip started protruding, as he surveyed the grass. Then he looked up at me for reassurance, so I told him to smile, which he did:

 



 

Then he immediately went back to pouting. I notice he looks for reassurance a lot, like if he hears a new noise or we're in a new place. I always try to smile and say, "It's okay," and then explain what he heard or where we are.

 

He still hasn't started solid foods yet. We're not too anxious to get him started on it, but he is definitely ready to go. I can hold a sandwich up for him and say, "Want some?" and he will open his mouth. When we are eating dinner, he will make the sucking motion with his mouth as he watches us chew. I'd like him to be a bit more stable in his sitting before he starts eating solids though, but we are still letting him taste fruit. He loves lychee and eats one a day. I bite into it a bit to release some juice, then let him suck on it as I hold it. He had it for the first time on Saturday and since then he has learned to stop sucking when there is no more juice, so that I can puncture more of the flesh to release more juice for him. Such a smart kid! He did, however, swallow a piece of lychee that was a little smaller than my pinky nail. (I know, I know, be more careful.) Then he managed to pass it whole the next day. He really sucks hard to get the juice!

 

 

He continues to enjoy yoga and even made it through the whole class today (instead of getting fussy during the last 10 minutes). Bennett still loves music. His ears perk up and he gets very intent if I sing something instead of saying it plainly. When I play music he will quiet down and listen for a while, which is something he has done from the beginning. He still loves baths but can't seem to sit still for reading. Instead of reading daily, we read every few days. He has also been grabbing his feet and doing the Happy Baby yoga pose. One of the best things he has done all week is laugh when I laugh. I do a horrible fake laugh, then stop and he laughs. Then I laugh again, and he laughs. It is the best!

 

 


This was the second picture I took of him today (out of 100-some). He clearly knows what to do when he sees a camera. Also, note how this infant hat doesn't fit his 16th percentile head...



After 20 weeks of modeling, Bennett decided to take a stab at acting. I'd say he does scared pretty well! This is my absolute favorite photo this week!!

 

Nailed it!

His first pair of shoes!

And yes, he really does know how to pose for pictures! He loves to look at my iPhone, so I turned on the camera so that he could see himself and he started smiling. This makes me realize two things: 1) I better be extra cautious because I bet he'll post a lot of pictures on the internet when he gets older; 2) My 4 month old is interested in technology. FOUR MONTH OLD!

 I should note that his photos were taken during his nap time today, because he didn't want to go to sleep. It makes me wonder if his happy smiles are really his way of gloating because he didn't have to nap. He did go down for a 1.5 hour nap after we finished photos though.