Kenji,

I think you are in a race with your brother to see who can be the craziest. At 5 months old, you have mastered leap frogging; this is how you get to things. Mostly, you are interested in Takeshi’s toy motorcycles (which he leaves everywhere!) and you leap-leap-leap to get to them. You can lay in the Pack-N-Play very calmly, holding your toes and talking to yourself but the moment your brother jumps in there to join you with a motorcycle in hand, you flip onto your stomach and leap like mad to try to commandeer his Amazingly Awesome Must-Have-It-RIGHT-NOW motorcycle. Needless to say, although Takeshi can be quite generous (on his own terms), he is almost never willing to give up his motorcycles. Then there is the sound of squealing, a staccato of “My! My! My!” from Takeshi and a thud! as your brother jumps out of the Pack-N-Play to ensure the safety of his toy.

Your bachan has commented that you are a very happy baby and she couldn’t be more right. You wake up every morning around 6 o’clock and just roll around, babbling and gurgling and making high-pitched happy squeals. If I’m not awake (which is the case 99.99% of the time), you bat me in the face and just laugh and roll away from me, then roll into me, then roll away, then roll into me. This usually continues for about an hour until your brother wakes up or until my face can no longer take the scratchings from your little razor-like baby nails (which seem to grow back to eye-gouging length the moment I finish cutting them). And so begins your day.

You have absolutely no set-in-stone nap routine. Mornings usually contain a small nap or two (less than an hour) and are mostly had when I am out running errands. I try to stay home in the afternoon so you can get a decent nap, which can last up to 3 hours (if you’re extremely tired and/or sick) but are mostly 2 back-to-back 1 hour naps (with a feeding in between). You have a definite preference about where you sleep and prefer the “family bed” versus your own crib. While I don’t mind you in the bed, I worry that Takeshi will roll on top of you and squish you. At night, before I come to bed, I usually have to separate the two of you a few times because Takeshi will scoot in his sleep and make his way over to you. Even though he may give you a hard time, he loves you so much. For a while, he thought all babies were called “Ahh-nee!” (as he so affectionately calls you). And whenever he has a snack, he always tries to give you some. I know some day soon I will find you with a chicken nugget or a cookie in your mouth, courtesy of your big brother.

As much as Takeshi loves you, you are equally enamored by him. If he wasn’t in day care, I don’t think you’d ever eat. If he is around, I have to make sure you can’t see or hear him, otherwise you won’t eat. You’d much rather stare and laugh at him, while milk sprays all over face, in your ear and onto your clothes. Papa often refers to you as “Stinky Cheese Boy” because you’d much rather wear your food than eat it. And in case you were wondering, clothes do not smell good when they are constantly sprayed with boobie juice.

We are trying not to rush you with your development and are trying to enjoy your babyhood but you are making it so difficult! Just yesterday you sat up on your own; I didn’t even get to see it! Takeshi and I were sitting in front of the Pack-N-Play and when I turned around, there you were — on your butt with your legs in front, your hands in your lap holding your torso up. You seemed a little confused about how you got there, then you leaped and threw your face into the mesh side of the Pack-N-Play.

You have also been doing something which I believe is called “Downward Dog” in yoga. You plant your hands and feet down, then you put your little butt in the air so you look like an upside-down V. Then you pump your little legs so your butt goes up and down; it’s the funniest thing to watch. You look very intent, as if you think you’re going to go somewhere after doing all that, but when you plop back down you’re in the very same spot that you started out. But don’t worry — soon enough you will be running around, jumping off the couch, climbing the windows and hanging from the fireplace mantel like your brother. And then I will have to bust out Takeshi’s old straitjacket.

I love you, Stinky Cheese Boy,
Mama