Claire @ 5 Months

Wow, the months just keep flying. Yes, I will probably say that every time I post a Claire update ;)

Months 4 and 5 have been soooo much better than 2 and 3. Claire is much happier, more interactive, and ...she sleeps! She is just the best little bundle of joy. We love her so much!

Here is a typical day in the life as of late (@ 5 months old)...

7:00--Claire wakes up, rolls around in her bed for a few minutes. When it's clear she won't be going back to sleep, I got get her (she is always so excited to see me...the best!), change her diaper, and put her in bed with us for a few minutes. She usually just talks and looks around and grabs my face/tries to eat me :)

7:30--I pump Claire a bottle and read scriptures. Sam plays with Claire/puts her in the Bjorne while he starts getting ready for the day.

7:45/8:00--I feed Claire a bottle. Sam brings her to me, and when she sees me and the bottle she gets so excited she starts giggling, grabs the bottle, and starts chugging it. :) Sam usually heads off to school about this time.

8:30--Claire bounces in the exersaucer thing while I unload the dishwasher, clean up the kitchen, and prep dinner. (If I don't make dinner now, it usually doesn't happen...)

9:00--I eat breakfast quickly and feed Claire rice cereal/oatmeal and fruit.

9:30--Bathe Claire and get her ready for the day.

10:00--Claire goes down for a nap. I pump and then either workout, shower, clean, work on a project, or a combination of those things...that is if she takes a good nap (longer than 30 min.)...

11:45/12:00--Claire wakes up and drinks a bottle. I eat lunch and finish getting ready for the day. Sometimes I'll take Claire with me for a walk or run at this time if the weather is nice. If not, we play at home/go visit my parents/run errands/etc.

2:30--Claire takes a short nap. I pump and watch TV or play on my phone.

3:00/3:30--Claire wakes up and drinks a bottle. We play/go for a walk/run more errands/etc.

5:00--This time of day always differs from day to day. I usually pump around 5, and then Claire drinks a small bottle and snoozes either in my arms for 20-30 min. or in the car if we're out and about. When she wakes up, I finish getting dinner ready.

6:30--We eat dinner. Claire sits in her high chair and plays with toys.

7:00--Sam plays with Claire while I clean up dinner and pack his lunch for tomorrow.

7:30--Sam bathes Claire and gets her in her pjs. I pump her a bottle.

8:00--I feed Claire while Sam starts on homework.

8:30--We both go in Claire's room for a few minutes to tell her a story/hang out. One of us sings "I am a Child of God" while rocking her and then puts her in her crib, says goodnight and leaves the room. She is usually asleep by 8:45 or so. (She either cries a little or just rolls around before going to sleep.) She always sleeps on her tummy, usually squished up in one of the corners.

4 month stats:
16.31 lbs (76.26%) 26.25 inches (92.3%)


4 month dr. appt: 
Claire's immunizations went much better this time around! We gave her some Tylenol before the appointment, and (other than a few tears in the moment) the shots hardly fazed her. No more screaming for two hours that evening, thank goodness. I kept her on Tylenol for about 48 hours after, and she slept fine. Yay!

Eating: 
At the 4 month appointment, the doctor gave us the ok to start introducing solid foods! I was nervous, but she did well pretty much from the get-go. At almost five months, we started her on rice cereal (I am using Beechnut brand because it's supposed to be dairy and soy free--just playing it safe with her allergy issues). We did rice cereal only (1-2 T mixed with breastmilk), once a day for a few weeks and then tried the same thing with oatmeal. She did well with both. Around 5 months, we started trying a few fruits: bananas, apples, and pears. She tolerated all, but didn't seem to like bananas as much as the others. Bananas also seem to back her up a little, so we haven't been feeding her those much. Of the three, I think pears are her favorite so far. She has worked up to eating about 3-4 T of oatmeal and 1 container of fruit each morning.

She also does really well with a sippy cup of water at meal time. She can pick it up and drink a little all by herself. She doesn't take in very much at all but likes practicing. It's so cute!

Other notes in regards to eating--I am still pumping, believe it or not :/ I am just taking it a day at a time and will probably keep going as long as I have a good milk supply. I pump 5-6 times a day, and Claire drinks 4-5 bottles a day. It is a lot of work, but it works for us right now! She loves her bottle! She has learned to hold it a little on her own, but I still hold her and feed her--we both like that time together. It's the only time she snuggle and sit still on my lap! :) She giggles when she is hungry and sees her bottle.

Favorites:
-Obsessed with jewelry and anything intricate
-Looking at herself in the mirror
-Rolling around on the floor with toys
-"Helping" clean the house in the Bjorne carrier
-Being outside
-Going to the store
-Walks/runs in her stroller
-Jumping in her activity center, especially in the kitchen
-Driving in the car
-Seeing/interacting with other babies and kids
-Bath time
-Sitting in her high chair to eat or play with toys

Dislikes:
-Being held by a stranger, especially men. (Her "stranger danger" is getting pretty bad. She sometimes only wants me, but will usually happily go to her dad, grandma, or Tara. If she's in a good mood and has had time to warm up, she'll go to other people too.)
-I can't really think of much to put here! She's a pretty happy, easy-going baby right now!

New Tricks:
-Sitting up (still pretty wobbly)
-Getting up on all fours
-Fake laughing/coughing to contribute to the conversation
-Grunts/growls/yells a lot
-Says "mamamama" when she gets really sad and is crying. Don't think she connects the meaning with anything yet, but it still melts my heart. :)=kl/