Dear Baby Catherine,
You are now five months old. It’s been a big month!
The month started with (your favorite?) Auntie Ellen’s visit. She was here during her spring break and we all had a great time playing. She bought you a shirt that says, “My aunt is my BFF.” You certainly thought so this week.
We went to Cave Hill Cemetery to take photos with the spring flowers. You finally love the camera (sometimes) and had a great time playing in the grass and dirt.
BFFs stopping for lunch at 5 Guys Burgers.
This month, sleep started to get the better of you. You continued to try to stay awake through every activity, but once in a while, you’d have to have a quick nap. Here, you feel asleep in Daddy’s lap while we were out to dinner with Ellen and Lowie and Paul.
We’ve settled into a routine of work and day care, and although I would rather spend every day at home with you, it’s going pretty well. We both love Kristen and you enjoy your time with her and the kids. I leave school quickly after the students do so I can gather you in my arms and spend the evening with you. Lately, you’ve just fallen asleep when I get to Kristen’s house as that is a quiet time there and there’s not a lot of action for you to watch. You wake up when we put you in the car seat and then talk with me the whole ride home. Just as we get to our house, you usually fall asleep again. Your nap then allows me to unload anything I’ve brought home and get dinner started. By the time Daddy gets home and dinner is ready, you are awake and ready to tell us about your day – and share any food you can get your hands on. One of the biggest steps for you this month was solid food. You’d eaten rice cereal a few times already, but you continued to be more interested in what we were eating. 
Sweet potatoes are probably your favorite food right now. You eat them up and have begun to snatch the spoon away from us – you are determined to feed yourself just like you see us doing.
You’ve grown a lot this month. At your 4 month doctor visit, you weighed in at 11 pounds, 8 ounces, and were 24 inches long. You like to sit in the Bumbo when we are cleaning up our dinner dishes. You aren’t quite big enough for it so you slip and fall over sometimes, but you enjoy being upright and being a part of our evening activities.
You started holding your bottles on your own. You can’t quite keep them upright enough to finish them by yourself, but you are trying.
You’ve also started reading. You love this book because the pages are crinkly and you can chew on the corners. It’s great to have with us in the car. At night, as part of our bedtime routine, you and I read three or four other books. Your favorite one right now is a touch-and-feel book and you think the doggy page is the best. You like to pet his curly fur.
This month was also special because you and I flew up to Wisconsin for a few days. We got to spend an afternoon with Grandma Elaine and then three days at Grandma and Grandpa Colby’s house.
Maggie loaned us an exersaucer to use while we are at Grandma and Grandpa Colby’s house, and you loved it! Each time we put you in, you spun around and played with all the toys. Your favorite one was the one pictured on the right – it bends so you can chew it’s ears, and the animal blocks slide up and down. You had hours of fun with the exersaucer.
We tried the Auntie dress on you one more time and got one last picture of you in it. You are growing so fast!
You are gaining more control of your hands and they are finally doing what you want them to do. When you are tired, you play with your pacifier and see how many times you can put it in your mouth and then take it out.
Loving time with the Aunties.
Along with eating solid foods, your other big achievement this month was rolling over. Once you figured out that rolling over is a good thing, you kept doing it. Yesterday, you rolled from one side of the living room to the other in a matter of moments. This morning, you tried to roll off the bed, and luckily you didn’t get stuck between the mattress and the headboard. We know we have to watch you more closely from now on and we can’t rely on pillows to keep you in your place – you are ready to move!
Finally, the weather has been consistently warm and sunny here. Yesterday, you and I enjoyed a quiet afternoon on the back porch where we could watch the robins and rabbits who were playing in the grass, and the caterpillar who was climbing up the screen. Napping in the fresh air was good for us both, too.
These have been five wonderful months and I am looking forward to the next five and all the ones after that. I love watching you grown and become more independent each day. You are so special and we love you!
