my weekend in pictures.

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{All afternoon on Friday Eloise waited for Mimi and Paga to come… it was so sweet!}

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{Crafting with Paga.}

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{Eloise finally (FINALLY) agreed to a haircut if Mimi came and held her hand. She wasn’t sure at all though and ended up sitting on my lap. Once we got started though, she was great and even let the stylist braid her hair!}

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{And lunch at Din Thai Fung. So, so delicious.}

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{Selfie with Mama and Eloise!}

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{Eloise LOVES the noodles. And is way too cool for a fork.}

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{Daphne was happy with a plastic spoon.}

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{Since Eloise did such a great job with her haircut, we celebrated with Molly Moon’s. She insisted on a cone and I worried it would fall the entire time she ate it!}

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{Last week our neighbor’s super tall tree (like 100 feet!) split from the heat and part of it fell. So, they started taking it down. We watched all last weekend and most of Saturday afternoon. It was amazing!}

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{Painting is a must when Grammie is around. And Eloise is delighted!}

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{Reading a new book with Paga.}

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{Visiting the Chihuly exhibit this morning. I promise Eloise had way more fun than her facial expression!}

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{Love these two!}

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{Aaron and I slipped out for a date night this evening and enjoyed a kid-free trip to U Village! First course was ramen, second course was a fried chicken sammie, and dessert at Molly Moon’s. I definitely regretted wearing my super skinny jeans tonight because my belly was so full!}

Mimi and Paga (my parents) were in town this weekend, so it was pretty much a great time seeing as they are two of Eloise’s favorite (favorite, favorite) people. The weather also feels like FALL! I am not ready for the rain yet, but ready for the cool, crisp weather.

How was your weekend?

M

daphne {week 28}

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{letterboard: Letter Folk (Poet) // peplum top: Target (old) // leggings: Carter’s (old) // bandana bib: DIY with Rifle Paper Co. fabric // quilted playmat: DIY for Eloise}

{week 28} Daphne. Always on the move. As you can see from this photo, during our weekly shoot on Sunday, she did not want to stay still. These days, as soon as I put her down on her back she will immediately flip over (except on her changing pad which is great).

Since Eloise started preschool again, we’ve had much more Mama and Daphne time which has been nice. I have been really trying to focus on one-on-one playtime in the mornings between feedings and naps since that is really what we miss out on when Eloise is home. And that’s not to say that Daphne doesn’t enjoy playtime when E is home, because in all honesty, Daphne would probably rather play with Eloise than Mama! She is just so mesmerized watching Eloise. But, we can take time to feed and it doesn’t feel rushed with a toddler saying “Mamamamamamama” the entire time! (Though her feedings are shortening even more, sometimes clocking in around 15 minutes. #progress) She seems satisfied and once her belly is full of milk, she sits right up and starts chatting. It’s the sweetest.

We added solids at lunchtime this past weekend because Daphne seems SO interested when she see us eating lunch. I’ve been doing a smaller portion at lunchtime than at dinner and usually doing either a single puree or a BLW food just to make it a little easier at mid-day for me. We have also been offering this Prune + Pear + Clove puree a lot since Daphne is a bit constipated! It worked like a charm for Eloise and we are hoping it will do the same for Baby D. I may have mentioned, but this is the one puree that we will continue to make and offer, even in a few months when we stop offering other purees and do strictly BLW solids.

Happy 28 weeks Daphne!

M

my weekend in pictures.

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{This girl. She let me put her hair in a ballerina bun. And then she twirled around the house all day. Magical.}

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{Eloise went to the neighbor’s house after nap time on Friday so Daphne and I headed to Trader Joe’s. Guys, shopping with only one kid is like a vacation. And Daphne got to sit in the cart for the first time, like a big kid. She loved it. Can you tell?}

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{We introduced Baby D to a sippy cup. She’s not so sure and makes a hilarious face when she realizes it’s water in the cup and not milk.}

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{On Saturday morning we headed to a PEPS playdate which is always so fun! Eloise has been into puzzles lately so she was excited to see some.}

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{Tuned into the Boise State game and while they played a good game against Wazzu, it just didn’t work out. Darn 4th quarter! And triple OT. Crazy.}

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{Buh-bye old dishwasher! Aaron hauled it away to the transit center for disposal this morning since apparently no one wants a free old dishwasher… haha! And thanks to the Sweeneys for letting us borrow their truck!}

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{Daphne is discovering finger foods. She puts every single thing in her mouth. Except for pieces of food. If Aaron or I hold the food for her, she will eat it, but won’t do it herself.}

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{We ventured up to the Andersons’ house for the Seahawks game this afternoon. Great company, terrible game. The kids had so much fun, especially Jaz and Eloise.}

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{And these two littles. So sweet!}

We had a fun weekend packed full of social events. It was great to see old friends and catch up!

And the weather was a-m-a-z-i-n-g today. Seriously perfect. The smoke has cleared out, the temperature was a few degrees cooler, and the sun was out.

How was your weekend?

M

eloise {first day of preschool 2017}

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{letter board: Letter Folk // top: Cat & Jack for Target // skirt and pants: Cat and Jack for Target // lunchbox: PackIt // backpack: my old backpack // shoes: babyGap (old)}

Eloise headed back to preschool today and she was pretty excited about it. She was a little quiet when we first got to school, but I think mostly it was because everyone was doing drop-off right at the same time, so it was pretty busy with kids and parents taking off shoes, hanging up backpacks, and saying good-bye. She sat with me for a minute and then was ready to go!

Eloise will be at the same preschool this year, but will be going four mornings per week (Monday to Thursday) instead of just two. It is going to be wonderful for all of us. Plus I am so excited for her because on Tuesday mornings she will walk down to the library with her teachers and friends to storytime. That is one thing I just haven’t found the time and energy for but Eloise loves it.

She seemed so big this year going to school. Last week we went to Target to pick out a first day outfit and she picked it out all by herself! And she even wanted to get dressed as soon as she woke up this morning which is unusual since she normally just wants to hang out in her underpants!

And see E’s first day of preschool last year. She looks so little!

Happy first day of preschool Eloise!

M

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daphne {week 27}

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{letterboard: Letter Folk (Poet) // top and bloomers: Carter’s (old) // Sophie the Giraffe}

{week 27} This week was all about solids. I am glad that we waited (our ped gave us the green light at 4 months) but I forgot how fun it is to see babies learn about food. Daphne has been such a champ and a great little eater.

We started on Friday after her “dinner” nursing session with solids and opted for a puree and some banana. The puree we chose was the Mango + Kale + Ginger (which I didn’t include in her 6 month update) which was a bit obscure. The entire process is so interesting because Daphne has never had anything but milk, and her faces were hilarious! I think the texture of the puree and the banana were throwing her off and I don’t think she actually swallowed a single bit from that first feeding. She just kept making a face and then spitting everything out. It was completely different than our first feeding with Eloise who couldn’t eat it fast enough!

Fast-forward to the next evening when we offered Roasted Blueberry + Cinnamon puree during our sushi date night. She LOVED it! I couldn’t get it on the spoon and in her mouth fast enough. It was interesting though because we didn’t have access to a highchair. So Aaron sat her up on the table against the wall and held her while I fed her as fast as I could. It was messy but effective.

I have decided to try doing one fruit cube (all of the purees were frozen into ice cubes so we just defrost* one or two when we need) and one vegetable cube (or soft hand-held food/BLW) for her solid meal. I want to expose her to a lot of flavors, but also continue to re-introduce foods that she has liked and also disliked in the past. We re-tried the Mango + Kale + Ginger last night and she devoured it along with the Cherry + Basil. And tonight we offered Zucchini + Pea + Mint along with the Roasted Blueberries (again) and about a quarter of a banana. We are hoping to keep introducing new purees along with the old ones as well as some roasted veggies this week.

*I mentioned this when we were starting solids with Eloise, but I thought it was worth mentioning again. If you are a weirdo like me about the microwave (I use it for almost nothing) and want to heat up frozen purees on the stove top, consider getting an ebelskiver pan. We got one somewhat randomly for our wedding and it works perfectly for defrosting a cube of puree!

And in other news, Daphne can almost sit up on her own and is working on getting those knees up under her when she is crawling!

She goes in for her 6 month check-up on Wednesday, so I will update next week about all of her stats!

Happy 27 weeks Daphne!

M

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my {long} weekend in pictures.

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{We met up with some new friends at the Zoo on Friday morning. The baby gorilla wasn’t out, but we got to see this sweet one taking a snooze!}

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{It was Daphne’s first Zoo trip, but she really spent most of the time in the stroller. For lunch, we found a nice shady spot near the tigers and Baby D got to venture out for a bit.}

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{We started solids with Daphne on Friday to celebrate her turning 6 months! She was super stoked about it.}

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{But then made this face a lot. She didn’t love it (or even like it) at first, but things got better quickly (as you will see).}

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{I got home from Pure Barre on Saturday morning and Eloise had let Aaron do her hair in piggies! That is big for us. She will sometimes let me do her hair, but then three seconds later just pulls it out…}

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{We dropped Eloise off at the Sadliers’ house for her first overnight stay on Saturday night. I was worried that she would change her mind at the last minute, but once we got there she was like “when are you leaving Mama?” Bittersweet for sure. She had the BEST time though, as you can see she got to make her own pizza! Thank you SO MUCH Amanda and George for taking such good care of her.}

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{And meanwhile, we went to Musashi’s for date night and had some time with Baby D!}

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{As crazy as it was because we didn’t have a highchair at the restaurant (!) we did a second introduction of solids. And Daphne LOVED it!}

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{After a lazy morning, we picked up Eloise from her sleepover and headed to Snohomish County to Flower World. It’s been almost two years since we completely re-did our yard and we still haven’t planted plants in the flower beds. So, we attempted to get some plants to fill the yard and mostly succeeded. It was super hot and we had a cranky, hungry toddler close to naptime coupled with WAY too many plants and choices so we didn’t get everything we needed. Baby steps, right?}

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{There was a lot of eating around here this weekend and I have forgotten how cute it is when babies eat. Even though it is such a mess!}

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{Get it girl!}

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{This morning Aaron headed outside to work in the yard early (to mow and plant and clean-up the beds) before it got too hot, so the girls played while I ate breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen. They are already playing together and it makes my mama heart melt. The sweetest. Also, Eloise refused to wear clothes for nearly the entire day.}

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{Attempting to plan out my week after I did meal planning and grocery ordering. School starts mid-week and I am so ready for it!}

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{Finally getting some hydrangea in the front yard. We have much bigger plans for the front, but for now Aaron has cleared out this side bed next to our parking pad and we are focusing on that. I think it will be some time before we can really overhaul the entire front!}

First I have to tell you that in true Seattleite style this weekend was unbearably hot. Like record-setting hot. 90 degree heat is no bueno for the PNW and thank goodness we have an A/C in our living room and basement bedrooms. And the heat is supposed to continue until mid-week. I am planning on being out with the girls early in the morning and then holing up inside once the heat starts!

But, this weekend was still really great. I purposefully tried not to plan too much because weekends, especially long ones, just fly by. Of course, I had a mental list of many, many things to do and only some of them got done, but I still feel like I was productive without being exhausted.

I am still in disbelief that Labor Day has come and gone and fall is almost upon us. Where the heck did the summer go?

How was your weekend?

M

daphne {month six}

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{alligator: Jellycat // romper: June & January // bib: DIY with Rifle Paper Co. fabric}

{month six} Six months. Guys, how is my tiny little baby SIX MONTHS old already? In some ways I feel like there’s no way it has already been six months (that’s half of a year!) and in other ways I feel like I have known Daphne my entire life.

Teething machine. Daphne has her two bottom front teeth which came in super fast as compared to Eloise’s teeth which I remember taking forever to actually grow in once they cut thru the gums. But with the amount of drool and gnawing that this kid has and does, I am pretty certain there are more teeth on the way! She has been loving this Lifefactory teething ring and this Nuby teether which creates so much more drool but seem effective.

Along with her excitement about teething rings has come Daphne’s ability to pick things up and put them directly in her mouth. It’s a gift. And a curse. I have been sitting Daphne in her highchair when she is awake during mealtimes and it is awesome to be able to fill the tray with toys and know that she can pick them up and chew on them or throw them on the ground which is generally what ends up happening (and quickly!). I am considering getting this really cool toy that suctions onto a tray and holds different toys, preventing them from falling on the ground.

Daphne has been working so much on her dexterity and finding her hands (not just to chew on!). This has been really sweet to watch her grab for things or use her hands to get what she wants, but has been super helpful too. I have noticed that Daphne can put a paci in her mouth all by her self, whether it is in her car seat or in her crib. If she can get a hold of one, it will surely go into her mouth. Just a few days ago (or maybe last week?) I was watching her on the webcam in the middle of her nap (she was fussing a bit, but I wanted to see if she could self-soothe before I went down to help) and she rolled onto her belly, crawled across the crib (in her sleepsack), grabbed her paci and put it into her mouth. Within a minute she was back asleep. It was amazing! And this is a game changer. Now that she can get her lovie or her paci during a nap she can self-soothe and get herself back to sleep even better! I am super impressed with her newly developed skill because I feel like it was forever before Eloise could find her paci and get it into her mouth during sleeping time!

We have introduced a story at bedtime, though sometimes Daphne isn’t into it because after drinking an entire 7 to 8 ounce bottle in about 5 minutes, she’s ready to pass out. But, she does really like books and loves any page with a big face on it or the color red. I have also noticed while I’ve been reading to her that she follows along with the book and seems to understand reading left to right. I will turn the page and she will look at the left page and then scan to the right. Maybe it’s because that is our instinct when you turn pages from the right side and open to the left (?) but it is really cool. And I suspect we have another book lover in our future!

As I mentioned in last weekend’s post, the first baby gate went up since we officially have a mobile baby! I don’t love baby gates (and am already counting the days, weeks, months before we can take them down) but for my sanity and Daphne’s safety, it is pretty much a requirement. We are doing the same configuration of baby gates that we had with Eloise: one across the doorway between the living room and entryway (right next to the playmat) and another one in the doorway between the upstairs hallway and the entryway (right next to the stairs). This basically allows for the kids (and adults) to move freely around the upstairs and into the bathroom (imperative for Eloise now!) but prevents any mishaps on the stairs. Once the other gate goes up (which has a door) we will have to teach Eloise how to open and close it (which should be interesting!) and that will happen once Daphne is really crawling on her hands and knees. But even though she is still army crawling and scooting around, she is picking up speed quickly. I am amazed how fast she can get from her playmat to the living room rug, normally right under the coffee table.

This girl is happy. So happy. Not 100% of the time, but probably about 90%. Seriously. That’s not to say she doesn’t get sad, because she definitely does generally when she is overtired or hungry. But even when you wouldn’t expect it, like when I have to wake her up from a nap, she’s so smiley and happy. It’s infectious and makes this mama so happy too!

Daphne has also found her voice and is working on sounds. She talks and talks, especially right after she has eaten. Lots of “ma,” “ga,” “ba” sounds. We are also starting to do baby signs as well, just as we did with Eloise. We will probably focus on the same signs since they worked so well before and allowed for almost all of her communication needs: milk, more, all done, please, and thank you. Plus, this time around we have an eager big sister who is more than willing to help teach signs!

And a very exciting update (at least for me) is that Daphne has greatly reduced her nursing times in the past week or so. This girl, just like her big sister, was a s-l-o-w nurser from the get-go. 40 minute nursing sessions were our normal when she was brand-new but we were still doing 30 minute sessions up until last week! And then all of the sudden she seems to be fully satiated after 20 minutes (10 per side) or even less during her last feeding (like 6 or 8 minutes!). It seems crazy that just a few minutes can even make a difference, but I am telling you it is life-changing. Even though I enjoy nursing sessions because they force me to sit and be still, the time adds up thru-out the day and there are still demands on my time and attention (ahem, one very cute but sometimes needy toddler).

Finally, since 6 months is official, we should probably get going on solids and the plan is to start today at dinnertime, after her final nursing session (which falls between 6 and 6:30). Even though we want to focus on BLW like we did with Eloise, we will still use purees in these first months to help introduce flavors (I find that purees are best to introduce different spices and flavor combinations that BLW foods can’t). I went a little crazy with purees and ended up with a lot more than we originally planned, so we have a variety to choose from. I tried to stick to things that were in-season (summer fruits) and we will incorporate squash and potatoes as they come more into season since they are great BLW foods (just roast with butter or oil).

Like I mentioned above, I like purees because they allow you to introduce a lot of different flavors and combinations. Now that we are doing this for the second time, we know now that starting solids is all about introducing flavors, not about getting baby to eat. Last time we didn’t introduce meat until much later, but we decided to offer some meat early on, which is great in theory, but pureeing meat is slightly gross (just my opinion). So, almost nothing is off-limits and we want to introduce a wide breadth of flavors and tastes.

{weight} I would guess close to 17 pounds. I will update if there is a big difference at her check-up next week.
{hair} blackish brown.
{teeth} two bottom middle teeth.
{eyes} dark grey/brown.
{clothes} 3 to 6 months (barely), 6 months and 12 months (Carter’s), 6 to 12 months.
{diapers} size 3 {from the honest company and Babyganics}. At home we are doing cloth (bumGenius and Grovia) and disposables when we go out and overnight (and add a cloth cover).
{feeding} nursing every 3 to 4 hours during the day, starting around 8 am. feeding sessions last around 20 minutes (10 per side). bedtime is at 8 pm with a 6 to 8 oz bottle.{likes} crawling, spinning on her back and belly, teething rings, chewing on anything, sitting in her highchair, staring at her quilt (from Amanda), rattles, nursing, riding in the car (usually), her big sister Eloise, Sadie, singing, lights, paci, being bounced, sucking on her hands, being tickled, talking (cooing).
{dislikes} having gas, lying down flat right after eating, being hungry or tired.            {nicknames} Daph, Bug, Snorty, Baby D, Daphne Doo Daph-a-do, Love, Lovebug.

And here is Eloise’s six month update! These little ones are most definitely sisters. I think they look so similar!

Happy six months Daphne!

M

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