MONTHS FOUR & FIVE.

Five month old Finnegan Francis is one of the better people I've ever had the opportunity of knowing.  Somewhere between month three (I missed an update during the busyness of the holiday season!) and now, Finn transformed from something that was cute to look at to someone who is FUN.  His personality shines through stronger each day.  He is equal parts reserved and curious, and will make a very serious face, sucking in his bottom lip, while running his hands over my face, grabbing my nose and poking my eyes, feeling my hair and then giving it a tug.  He is also quick to smile and often buries his head in your shoulder once you've caught him smiling back for a little too long.  His favorite thing ever right now is his buddy Bruno's exersaucer.  He rolls!  Back to front, front to back, over and over.  In just the past few days, he's taken up rolling as a means of transportation.  Rolling across the room, rolling towards Papa's side, rolling until he can reach his toy.  Speaking of toys, the other day I laid him in his crib, and while I was taking care of something across the room, noticed that my little baby was scooting around, playing with this toy and then that, having a wonderful time entertaining himself.  I sat across the room watching him play, and couldn't believe my eyes.  My little tiny sweetheart was already beginning to look like a boy to me.  Makes me a little weepy.

He is getting stronger by the day, holding himself up in a variety of yoga poses, but taking rests occasionally by putting his face flat on the ground.  We're getting there, though.  He is growing long and lanky (as lanky as you can be with rolls), no longer the hugest, chubbiest newborn I'd ever seen.  He doesn't fit in his little tub anymore, so we've moved on to baths straight in the sink.  His eyes seem to be changing, ever so slowly, to maybe a brown or even a green.  His hair is growing in a sweet strawberry blonde (bud don't worry; his bright red mullet lives on).

Finnegan has taken to solids over the past week or two.  After a long stretch of nights in which he wouldn't stop nursing, we figured he could use the extra calories.  Turns out they aren't helping him sleep much better, but he seems to enjoy the experiment that is putting food in your mouth and figuring out how swallowing works.

He talks and talks (and talks and talks).  He seems to try out new sounds every day.  I'm still on my campaign to help his first words me "mamamamamama", but no sign of that quite yet.  He doesn't seem to recognize his name yet, but I've made it my mission to use it all the time so that hopefully that comes around.  He is most talkative first thing in the morning, and so expressive too; serious faces and lots of shouting.  I imagine that he is telling me about the very compelling dream he had the night before.