{lion: jellycat via nordstrom // onesie: babyGap // jeans: babyGap // moccasins: Freshly Picked}
{month eight} this month eloise seems suddenly so much older! (like light years older!) I think it’s just that she is more independent & is able to do so much more on her own. it is very bittersweet for this mama – I am so excited for this little one to be growing & learning, but am also sad to be losing my tiny little baby.
she has kicked off this month with some nasal congestion which doesn’t seem to bother her as much as it bothers me. I thought I had my normal spring allergies, but I am suspicious since eloise also is a snot machine (which is what aaron affectionately refers to me as when I have a cold). as long as eloise can sleep & breathe normally, I don’t worry about her nose being stuffy. getting mucus out of her nose is pretty much impossible these days. she HATES the nose frieda or any wiping of her nose or mouth. so I guess it’s a snotty nose for me & eloise until we beat this. super fun…
eloise is all about blowing raspberries the past few weeks. she often does it while her diaper is being changed or while she is in her exersaucer. it is so funny to hear her babbling to herself & then start blowing raspberries. I have been trying to get it on video, but she’s pretty camera (phone) shy. her tongue has definitely become a fascination (as well as other people’s) and she likes to stick it out. sometimes you can get her to play mirror & stick your tongue out & she will reciprocate.
related to eloise’s new tricks with her mouth, she is teething like crazy! her left front tooth has finally cut, & the next two are well on their way (the right front tooth & the one just next to that). the drool seems to be increasing & eloise seems to be sucking & chewing on her thumb more these days. neither of these are definite “teething” symptoms since she does them pretty much all the time, but I feel like they are probably related somehow.
meals & eating have been going really well. just yesterday eloise started eating breakfast, putting her solid intake to three times a day. I need to figure out how much food to give her for breakfast & lunch since her usual large lunch portion seems to be too much now that she is eating just a few hours earlier. though eloise has continued to be a great eater, she seems to be slightly pickier the past few days. sometimes it takes a few attempts to get food into her mouth since she always makes a face during the first few bites. up until now there hasn’t been anything eloise wouldn’t eat & she has always been excited about eating. just last night we made beef ragout from Bebe Gourmet since we could just add pasta & have an adult meal as well (love only cooking one meal!) but eloise was not a fan. I was super surprised. she was interested in eating & opened her mouth wide for the spoon, but as soon as the ragout hit her tongue, she was spitting it out. the ragout had beef, tomato, & celery in it (none of which she has had before) but I am still surprised since aaron & I both enjoyed it. I saved some in freezer trays to try again this weekend.
since we are doing BLW solids, eloise has learned so much about how to feed herself. the tricky part is that many of the foods that are easy for her to eat are also super slippery (avocado, mango, kiwi, etc.) but she is managing really well. sometimes I have to help her get the piece of food from the tray into her hand, but she can take it from there. she has now learned that she can move her hand around & bring it to her mouth at different angles which helps once she has bitten off the top part of the food & there is nothing left sticking up out of the top of her hand. she will also use her left hand to help her move food around in her right hand to eat it, though her right hand does nearly 100% of the self-feeding. eloise isn’t as interested in grabbing the spoon to feed herself purees these days, & normally just opens her mouth up like a baby bird to take a bite. on occasion, & usually towards the end of the meal, she will grab the spoon handle & try to flip the food out. she really just wants to bang the spoon on the tray.
eloise’s favorite part of meals these days though is water, specifically drinking water from a straw. we are back to using just a small glass & plastic straw since it seems easier to use than the straw on her sippy cup. I think the sucking motion to use for drinking is similar to blowing raspberries (just the opposite, right?) & sometimes eloise will end up blowing bubbles in her water instead of drinking. she smiles when she sees the bubbles, but hasn’t figured out that she is doing it yet, so I think we are in the clear for now. (pretty soon she will probably be blowing bubbles all the time!)
eloise is still on-the-go & I don’t seem that stopping, well, ever. she still prefers to roll if she can since it is much easier for her to do. she seems to be able to maneuver really well & can change directions surprisingly well. eloise is, though, officially army crawling in addition. she has one arm down on the ground & the other hand down, so I think once she gets that other hand down (instead of the entire arm) she will be able to crawl on her hands & knees. often when I put her down on her playmat, I will set her down in a crawling position to see what she will do. most of the time she will instantly drop down to her tummy, but sometimes she fusses like she doesn’t know what to do. also, she has started the wiggliness during diaper changes & instantly flips when you lie her down on the changing pad. super fun! if aaron is home & I am changing her diaper, I recruit him to help me keep her on her back. during the day when it is just me & eloise, I give her a toy (usually one that rattles or squeaks) to keep her attention & then attempt to do the quickest diaper change ever.
we’ve noticed over the months that not only does eloise like to tap her foot (usually her right one) when she is laying down or sitting, but she likes to tap with her hand as well. books, toys, & most recently the table top. just this past week aaron has started playing a tapping game with her where she will tap her hand or hands on the table & aaron will mimic. she loves it & laughs & laughs. it is super cute!
{weight} last we checked, 19 lbs.
{hair} dark reddish brown.
{teeth} bottom two teeth, two top teeth (left front & incisor), & two more on the way (top right).
{eyes} dark brown/grey.
{clothes} 9 (or 6 to 12) month.
{diapers} full-time cloth* {bum genius freetime, pocket, & elemental} & honest company size 3 diapers at night with a bum genius diaper cover.
{feeding} during the day, 3 hour cycles. when e gets a bottle, she will take 4 oz. at bedtime when she takes a full 5 oz bottle of pumped milk*. we are still nursing 5 times per day, and eloise is eating two solids meals per day (lunch & dinner) which is a mixture of purees & BLW solids. introduced egg yolk, cheese, yogurt, ground chicken, & salmon this month to add to the variety of veggies & fruits.
*just these past few days I have dropped my extra morning pump session (for a variety of reasons) which means that if I don’t pump at least 5 oz. during my evening pump, we have to make up the difference with formula. it is something that is still really new for us & while there is nothing wrong with formula, it has been weighing heavily on my mind (for the past few months). this is the first time I haven’t been able to completely fulfill eloise’s needs & it’s difficult for me to comprehend & accept. I am almost sure that if I nursed eloise at bedtime instead of giving her a bottle & pumping my supply would be enough (pumping isn’t as effective for me) but we are happy knowing exactly how much eloise is consuming at night & that aaron can do bedtime too. on a happier note, we are trying the new Honest Company formula which seems really great & also have some from Europe en route (European standards for food, including infant formula, is much, much higher than those in the US).
{likes} books, her Papa, anyone’s cell phone, FaceTiming, Sadie, music & songs, bath time, wiggling!
{dislikes} the Nose Frieda, being on her back during diaper changes, being hungry.
{nicknames} Bug{s}, Love Bug, E, Wheezy, Kiddo, Little Love, Bugaboo.
happy EIGHT months eloise!
M
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