End of May

Gerritt is growing up fast! His eyes are definitely brown now. They were blue-grey when he was born & it took a few months for them to turn brown. Gerritt's hair was black right after birth so I assumed he had inherited my hubby's hair, however, it changed its color to light brown. The black hair fell out (Gerritt looked almost bald for a few weeks) & now he has a thick head of hair that is similar to mine in color & texture.
This past week my husband & I have been sleeping together in our bedroom. We are slowly getting our life back. Gerritt has been sleeping for 10-11 hours lately with awakening only once at night to eat (usually around 5 am), so my husband & I don't have to take turns sleeping next to Gerritt's crib anymore.
Gerritt is developing quite a personality. He is very persistent & determined. If he is focused on doing something or on playing with a particular toy, he doesn't like to be disturbed. If the toy happens to be far away, he is going to keep reaching for it until he gets it even though he may fall as a result. Gerritt also likes the predictable, the routine, quiet & slow-paced environment. He gets pretty overwhelmed being in loud & crowded surroundings. Gerritt is a unique & different from me person. I feel like I was a vessel to give him life & now am a guardian angel to help him discover this world, to develop & be the best person he can be. Gerritt is very vocal about his likes & dislikes so I am just going with the flow of things instead of trying to control him. Of course, I will discipline him as he gets older, but I want him to be his own person.
For the past week Gerritt has been doing something different - squinting when he wants something badly. For example, when he sees me nearby & wants to be picked up, he'll make a few upset sounds, extend his arms out & squint. It is the funniest thing to observe! It makes me laugh every time! He uses squinting as a warning to let me know if his need is not met soon, he'll to escalate to crying. Another funny thing Gerritt has been doing for about a month now is shaking his head side to side quickly when he is in a playful happy mood. Usually he will do it while seating in his high chair. Sometimes he shakes his head so fast he has static electricity in his hair from rubbing against the back of the chair. I laugh & shake my head in the same pattern, then Gerritt repeats. We go back & forth until one of us is too dizzy to continue. What a funny baby!
On May 22nd Gerritt received 2 more immunizations - HIB & pneumococcus. He did pretty well afterward, no fever or sleeplessness. He has been fussy for the past week though & I am pretty sure it's due to him teething again. Gerritt puts everything he can get his little hands on in his mouth & rubs it against his gums. The top right tooth is about to come out.
He is eating more at one time as well - about 7 ounces every 3-4 hours. Today (May 23rd) I have cooked & pureed organic yam & squash for him & he just loved eating both! Eating mostly formula since his birth must be pretty boring so I am determined to help Gerritt explore all of the different flavors & textures. I am thinking of mashed peas, kale & spinach next. Yum!