Precious baby girl, I have to start with a disclaimer: This post is going to be filled with exclamation points (!!!) and superlatives (you’re the sweetest, cutest, bestest baby we know!). You see, your Mommy and Daddy are allowed to say things like this. And although we’ve declared it nearly every month, FIVE months is our favorite stage yet!

Let’s see… Your first Thanksgiving was a blast. You spent much of dinner napping, but you must have known you were missing out on a party, because we heard you loud and clear on the monitor right before Aunt Erin’s pies were sliced for dessert. That evening, Mommy decided that painted-hand “turkeys” were a must. Boy, these were a challenge! The cute-ness was worthwhile, I believe, but perhaps we’ll wait til you’re a bit older before trying them again. Deal?

I delayed your 5-month update because I wanted to include a few snapshots of your first Christmas. (I’m writing this sitting next to our still-glowing tree.) It was glorious! We kicked off the fun early with a visit to Santa when Grandpa and Grandma Rippey visited in November. You were cheerful and chatty waiting in line, but once Mommy put you in Santa’s lap, you gave us your favorite stoic face. At least there weren’t tears!

Christmas Eve you went to Journey Church with Nana Beth, Haley, Mommy, and Daddy, and we put you in the KidStreet nursery for the very first time. I have to admit Mommy spent the first 10 minutes of the service with tears in my eyes…but it was good practice and hopefully we’ll both get better at being apart 😉

Christmas day brought tons of family and you hung in like a champ, entertaining folks with big grins, “Claire-plane” kisses, and lots of time in laps. Even though you didn’t give Mr. Claus the time of day, he clearly put you on the “NICE” list — your amazing family was incredibly generous to you this year, gifting us with donations to your college savings account (!!!), adorable clothes, educational and chewable toys, a pretty piggy bank, a hand-crafted Claire bench, and much much more! You’re a loved little lady, that’s for sure.

Here are some other highlights from your fifth month:

Weight: 16.8 pounds, according to our home scale. WOW! Length: Long & strong 🙂

Eating: Nursing is still going really well — and frequent! When you’re awake, you’re eating nearly every two hours. I certainly won’t complain, though, because I believe it’s these daytime calories that make you such an amazing nighttime sleeper! You’re still a pretty speedy eater (we’re usually done in about 10 minutes), but you’re prone to distraction these days and have been known to stop eating if you hear Daddy’s voice or spot the screen of Mommy’s phone. We’ve discovered that your room is the best place to nurse — away from the “fun,” so a girl can focus on the task at hand.

We’re really excited about introducing you to solids in the next few weeks! Our pediatrician recommends waiting til 6 months, but I’ve started my research and sure can’t wait to see what you think of food. Although you haven’t cut a tooth yet, we think it’ll happen any day now. In the meantime, everything goes in your mouth — clothes, hands, blankets, and especially your little thumb… so we’re pretty sure you’ll be a fan of solids.

Sleeping: Rarely does a day go by when Daddy and I don’t thank God aloud for blessing us with a sleeper. Seriously, little Claire, we’re so grateful! We noticed about 3 weeks ago that you started getting really fussy around 7 p.m. At that point we’d been trying to push your bedtime out til 8 because we were worried you’d wake too early in the morning. But one night, as a test, we put you down at 7. Wouldn’t you know you slept straight til 6 a.m. — and have been giving us 11+ hours/night ever since! Bingo!

The hardest part of this new schedule is being sure to squeeze in family time. When Daddy goes into the office, he usually gets home from work around 6. On those nights we’ve been sure to play in your room together — reading stories, giving you “naked time,” and practicing sitting — until you get fussy, signaling sleep time. We zip you into a little muslin sleep sack for warmth and let you nurse til you’re nearly asleep. Then, Mommy rocks you for a few minutes while I say my prayers and try not to drift off too. It’s a sweet, special time that I look forward to each evening.

Naptime is a little more inconsistent — you still go down about an hour after you wake up in the morning (which we think is hilarious), and then take about two or three other 30- to 45-minutes naps throughout the day. We typically put you up in your room when you sleep, although you’ve been known to fall fast asleep playing in Mommy and Daddy’s bed…and we LOVE getting a little snooze in with you there.

Playing: All that sleep does a body good. When you’re awake, you want to play! And play we do. You spend your day learning in the Exersaucer, spinning in the Johnny Jump-up, riding in Mommy or Daddy’s arms as we explore the house, practicing sitting up, and playing with your feet. My word, you love your toes! Mommy used to hold her bottle with her feet, so perhaps you got that fascination from me. You certainly make us laugh, though, because despite your cloth diaper’s bulk, you’re able to twist and pull until those toesies make their way to your mouth. We try to give you “naked time” each day so you can enjoy this delicacy a bit easier 😉

Although most toys make their way to your mouth pretty quickly, you’ve been taking a little extra time to study them lately — and we love to watch your curiosity grow. Although you aren’t fully engaging with toys, we can tell that you’re intrigued by sound and texture and color. It’s fun to know we’re on the horizon of so much great change!

Thank you, precious one, for bringing us so much joy!

All our love, Mommy & Daddy