5 Months!

Clara is 5 month old! Some days it feels like we just brought her home from the hospital and others like she's always been here with us. 

Cedric and Clara are like peas and carrots. He loves her and is still very patient with her and her needs. He wants to hold her and watch Curious George together. He wants to talk to her and make her laugh. He loves when she "figures him out" by touching him and babbling. 

 Cedric has started getting bothered by all the napping. He chimes in when it is nap time that he doesn't want her to nap or wants her to keep napping when she is waking up. I think he doesn't want me to leave. Cedric has been dropping his nap about half the days of the week so it makes for longer days and more TV. 

 

Clara is still a very smiley girl. She loves to laugh at silly faces, Cedric and funny songs and voices.  Cedric is the funniest. She likes to try to pet the dog and get into whatever Cedric is doing. He gets a little worried when Clara drools on his stuff. 

She likes bath time, splashing and post bath snuggles.

Clara loves to smile most at her mommy. Obviously, I'm the best :). She is only cranky when tired and hungry. She is starting to get a little worried about strangers. We are working hard to keep her happy with her daddy, which can be hard during this time of year when Bob works a lot. I bet she will end up being a daddy's girl.

She is such a cute girl, I have cute clothes for her but I put her in comfy onesies and pants every day. She is still in 6 month clothes and probably hasn't grown too much since her last appointment. Occasionally I pull out bows but it's usually when she is rocking the hand me downs (which isn't as often as I thought). 

Clara has been putting everything in her mouth lately so I thought maybe we might as well try some food. Cedric has been such a picky eater that I wonder if we had introduced food and new flavors earlier than 6 months if he would have had an easier time of it. 

First food was pureed sweet potatoes from the store (pausing for your gasp). Last time I homemade all my baby food and mixed it with breastmilk and Cedric wouldn't touch it. So this time I'm letting the professionals take care of it. 

So far so good! She has also had carrots and peas and seems to like them all. I am worried about her system being ready for solids (even though literature says she should be) so we only do a little at a time and not every day. It's more for practice swallowing and tasting the food. She is eager to take bites and wants to shove the spoon in her own mouth, so maybe she will be a good eater! Would be a nice change :/

About a week or more ago Clara started grabbing her feet. This has lead to a little rolling to her side and a happier baby when left on her back. 

It messed up sleep a little for a few days, she kept waking herself up kicking her legs up (even though she's in her Merlin). This lead to a frustrated mommy who left her awake and crying in her crib one bedtime. Clara fell asleep after 10 minutes and I realized maybe she could put herself to sleep better then I thought. We aren't in full extinction mode but after a few sleeps letting her fuss a few minutes she no longer needs my help going back to sleep unless it is a feeding time. Also we moved up bedtime a bit to go with Cedric's no nap bedtime. Naps during the day can get messy but she is usually in a good mood so I'm not too worried. Having the power to sleep when she needs to and not rely on me is important. It doesn't work every time but we are moving in the correct direction!

 Clara is getting better at sitting unassisted. I still use the Boppy pillow around her incase she gets tired or knocked over by Cedric or Siena. She prefers to be sitting upright and gets frustrated when left in a reclined seat. 

We also pulled out the old Exersaucer. Clara isn't as strong as Cedric was at her age but she is just as aware of her surroundings. She has been getting very interested in toys so I wanted something to help stimulate her. Clara has been better about riding in the car because she is entertained by her toys. Crinkly ones are her favorite. 

Anyway, Clara is getting good at balancing in the seat and can turn herself 360 degrees. She tries to chew on the toys and can hit some of the buttons.  She is eager to touch and grab everything and is able to reach toward what she wants. We have a doorway bouncer that she is still too little for but I'm looking forward to having more ways to entertain her. Our little "sack of potatoes" is growing up!