baby lower – Page 5 – emerald city diaries

eloise {month twelve // one year}

{sorry this post is so late today. I was having crazy computer issues…}

{lion: jellycat via nordstrom // onesie: Lil’ Giggles Etsy Shop // skirt: DIY from this tutorial with fabric from JoAnn // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

{month twelve // one year} happy one year eloise!

eloise is still in PT for her torticollis (see the original PT post here) but I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. we saw a new PT two months ago after we were referred back to PT by eloise’s pediatrician, but really didn’t jive with that particular PT (our original one had retired right after we were originally discharged). so, we found another PT & she has been great; eloise has been to see her twice & things are progressing well. we are in the final 10% & eloise’s tilt is hardly noticeable (& only if you are really looking for it). we just all really want to make sure that she is treated fully & there are no repercussions later on (vision & full muscle range are the biggest concerns). after a lot of back & forth, & the meeting of minds, we have decided to go forward with a cervical collar. it is a small wedge (basically) that will be fitted for eloise & will be placed at her neck on her left side; the point is to make it uncomfortable for eloise to tilt her head to the left & she will self-correct to the right. hopefully it will be short-lived & will be effective! (there is a chance it won’t do anything…) stay tuned for updates!

recently when I pick up eloise, she has started giving me little pats on the back. almost like she is saying “good job mama!” it is the sweetest thing! she also gives me lots of hugs throughout the day!

I just picked up this munchkin snack catcher at target because I have seen a few other mama friends with it. I wasn’t sure at first because I don’t do a lot of snacks with eloise (though she often gets hungry after her second nap since she eats lunch so early!) but I was sold immediately. eloise is still getting the hang of reaching in the cup, grabbing a few pieces, & pulling her hand out without spilling all of the snacks everywhere, but she is learning quickly. the biggest issue is that she likes to crawl & walk around with it (holding onto the handle) & the cup is upside-down… even so, best $5 I have spent in a long time! plus, sadie loves it too!

eloise is still a great eater & tries everything that we offer, even if she ends up spitting it out. it is so great to see your kid eating what you cook! she has started this new thing in the past month or so though where she waits until there is a little bit of everything on her tray before she eats anything. like she wants to know all of her options before she commits to her first bite. it is pretty funny. plus, if she sees any type of food on her plate that isn’t on her tray (since I don’t give her the entire plate), she will let you know that she wants to try that one thing she doesn’t have (usually by raising her voice & waving her hand in the air). her current favorite foods: cheese, avocados, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, mango, broccoli, tortilla. though the only food she refuses to eat is tomato. she will always try it, but then spits it out as soon as it hits her tongue. she will try it multiple times before she throws it from her tray.

books are still a big favorite around here. eloise LOVES books! we have books all over the house & she adores “reading” to herself. she will sit down with a book & turn the pages, sometimes babbling to herself or pointing or touching some of the pictures, before she gets to the end of the book. at the end, she sometimes gets sad (& will let you know!) & will turn the book over to the front & start again. she also has a particular book that plays music (it is one of two toys we have that requires batteries!) & she likes to open it & leave it open to play while she does other things. I have watched her & she often sings or hums (in her own way) when she hears the music. adorable! she also likes to dance when she hears music (she stands up & bounces up & down).

eloise adores her pacifier but has only ever gotten it when it is sleeping time (with the exception of travel – car or airplane). however, eloise, if she had her way, would suck on a pacifier all day long. if she has access to my diaper bag, she knows exactly what pocket her pacifier is in & will find it every time. if we are playing in her room after naptime, she will go over to her crib & try to get her pacifier. she will reach thru the crib rails & grab one within arm reach, or pull on her blanket or lovie thru the railings if the pacifier is on one of those things. if she sees a pacifier & can’t get to it, she usually raises her voice! she is pretty easy to distract though at this point & I can give her a book or a toy & she will forget. I can also take a pacifier away from her if it isn’t time to sleep & she doesn’t fuss or get upset.

while eloise has sported a mohawk for a lot of her little life, her hair is getting long enough that it doesn’t stand on its own (unless it is wet). I have noticed that her hair is starting to part on the right side. it is interesting because aaron & I both have left side parts! she looks so old (& sort of like a boy) when her hair is parted, but if I don’t push it a bit to the side, her bangs are in her eyes.

we celebrated eloise’s first birthday this weekend with a party at the house this past saturday (as seen here). we had the best time & were so thankful for all of our family & friends who came out to join in the celebration! I promise I will do a full recap in the coming weeks (I hope by next week!) once I get all of the photos & edit them. I had SO much fun planning & made all of the decorations. I am excited to share the fun!

{weight} 23 lbs (I will update if this is vastly different than her weight at her one year check-up tomorrow!)

{hair} dark reddish brown.

{teeth} four bottom teeth & four top teeth. (& two more on the top are about to cut!)

{eyes} dark brown. (but look dark grey sometimes!)

{clothes} 6 to 12 month, 9 month (in pants) 12 month, & some 12 to 18 month (18 is super long!).

{diapers} full-time cloth {bum genius freetime, pocket, & elemental} & honest company size 4 diapers at night with a bum genius diaper cover.

{feeding} during the day, 4 hour cycles. eloise started drinking only 2 to 4 oz at bedtime, so we split that milk feeding in half; she gets 2 oz in a cup at dinnertime & the other half at bedtime in a bottle.

{likes} books, anything she isn’t supposed to have, toys that squeak or rattle, singing & music, Sadie, standing, FaceTime, bathtime, pulling up to standing (on everything).

{dislikes} getting her face wiped off (after eating), seeing something she cannot have/chew on.

{nicknames} Bug{s}, Love Bug, Baby Bug, E, Wheezy, Kiddo, Love, Bugaboo, Ellie or Elle.

happy, happy, happy birthday to our little eloise! you are the most amazing adventure we have ever been on. there is nothing we would rather be doing than being your parents & we are so proud of the (tiny) human you have become over this past year. we are thankful for the sheer joy that you have brought into our lives & for making us happy every single day. your giggles are infectious & you have such a great sense of humor. you are light-hearted, kind, determined, & curious about the world around you. thank you for making us your mama & papa!

happy twelve months {one year} eloise!

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project baby {newborn essentials}

as promised, here are my essentials for a newborn. obviously this isn’t everything I needed or used for eloise when she was a teeny babe, but if my memory serves me right, these are the things that helped us tremendously! aaron & I were both pretty adamant about not filling the house with baby gear (& stuff) & we did a pretty good job (& still do).

also, see my pregnancy essentials & post-partum essentials.

{one} swaddle blankets. even if your baby doesn’t like to be swaddled, swaddle blankets still come in handy & have lots of uses: spit-up rag, nursing cover (tie two ends together & slip over your head!), blanket, car seat cover, sun shade, & the list goes on. eloise LOVED to be swaddled (we called her our baby burrito) for those first months. we loved the aden & anais ones, especially the larger size.

{two} Rock N’ Play. we had the standard rock n’play (just had a vibrating function) & it was hands-down the most used piece of baby gear we used. it is lightweight, keeps baby propped up, & cradles baby just a bit. we kept it by our bedside to use as a bassinet (for the first five weeks), used it all over the house as a place to have eloise sleep or hang out (particularly useful when you want to shower & no one else is home), & used it as a travel bassinet when we took a road trip to boise at christmastime. I know the new versions of the rock n’ play include lots of fun features, including self-rocking (!). I don’t know whether we will make the upgrade for any future baby, but we will most definitely be using one of these.

{three} Boppy pillows (nursing & lounger). the Boppy nursing pillow was & has continued to be a lifesaver. I have used the Boppy pillow for nearly every single nursing session with eloise. even aaron uses it when he gives eloise a bottle. it is also great for newborns when the neck isn’t quite strong enough to make tummy time more than just a face plant (see eloise here). the Boppy newborn lounger was also awesome those first months to give eloise a place to hang out. we used it on our couch a lot & once I started pumping during the day that is where she hung out (before she could roll). we didn’t have a swing (ever) or a bouncy seat (until a few months in) so if we weren’t holding her, she was hanging out in the lounger.

{four} toys for tummy time. it was other mamas who first suggested that I add toys to our baby registry (thanks amanda & kendra!). it never dawned on me that baby might need toys so early, but we definitely used them starting those first few weeks. we had a few early favorites: Oball rattle, loopy rattle, & monkey. I would also suggest some type of mirror. during tummy time, we would hold a toy out in front of her face a few inches, & then move it from left to right & up & down once she started tracking.

{five} mama friends & a community. I didn’t know how isolating being a new mama would be, but it really is. regardless of how you are recovering (from natural birth or c-section) you will likely be home a lot those first weeks (or months). venturing out of the house is important, but it is so much work to get out of the house with a newborn. I feel incredibly fortunate that we have a local organization PEPS (Program for Early Parent Support) which I have talked about before. the entire point of the program is to help build your community (your village!) by placing you in a group of other mamas (or parents) who live in your neighborhood & have a child the same age as yours (within a few weeks or months). for 12 weeks I was able to meet with these other new mamas & get out of the house for a few hours on monday morning. if you are expecting a baby, be sure to ask around to see if there are new parent groups (facebook is a good resource) that you could join. on a bit of a related note, setting up a meal train (or having a friend or family member set one up) can be helpful. it is so nice to have food prepared for you & maybe even someone to hold your new babe while you eat (or shower or sleep). & if you aren’t feeling up for visitors, food can still be dropped off at the front door.

{six} baby carrier. baby wearing has been a thing for some time, & aaron & I were both on board with it. I had heard mixed reviews about the Moby wrap so I opted for the K’Tan wrap instead. I used the K’Tan a lot in those early months when eloise was sleeping all day & would nap on me in order to get things done around the house, or just to walk around. the only thing about the K’Tan is that it is sized, so we just got one that fit me (I had an XS). we also got an Ergo carrier because every parent we knew had one & loved it (we had a Nordstrom edition I snagged at last year’s Anniversary Sale). the Ergo 360 was just coming out when I was registering & since it had no reviews, I opted for the well-loved original. we starting using it with eloise when she was just a few weeks old (with the baby insert) & have loved it ever since. it is sturdy & completely hands-free, & aaron & I can both use it (with some adjustments on the straps). I used the Ergo everywhere – the grocery store, walking around Greenlake, vacuuming the floors, window shopping. next time around we will probably try the Ergo 360 (since it allows for front-facing) & the Solly baby wrap (since I have heard good things about it). regardless of what type of carrier you use, definitely try one (or two)!

& lastly, I would recommend a good baby phone app (see here where I talked about the Baby Connect app) & a journal of some kind (or a blog) since those early days & milestones happen so quickly & you just don’t have headspace to remember every little thing!

mamas – what were your essentials for those first few weeks & months?

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eloise {week 51}

{tee: Carter’s // shorts: Target // rubber duck (from dentist)}

{week 51} ah, how is it possible that eloise is going to be one next week? it’s been the longest & shortest year of my life!

eloise is so chatty these days, except when a stranger comes up & says “hello” & then expects her to say something. nope, not gonna happen. but most of the rest of the time she is happily babbling to herself or chatting with me or aaron. I thought for sure the other day she was saying her first word “ball” because I was saying “ball, ball, ball” when eloise had a ball in her hand & she would say “ba, ba, ba.” turns out her second favorite sound is “ba” & that is what she calls everything! & for those who are curious, her favorite sound is “ma.” she particularly loves to say it when she is sad – “ma ma ma ma ma” in the saddest little voice ever. eloise does say more sounds than just these two though & is really starting to mimic intonation & can repeat the sound “ba” the same number of times you say another sound. soon enough she will be chattering up a storm!

walking is still a work in progress & she is so close. she can stand for a few seconds unassisted, but immediately squats to the ground when she’s run out of something to hold onto but wants to continue moving. she is usually pretty graceful about dropping down from standing (much more controlled) & isn’t just falling on her bottom like she was in past weeks (that is the good thing about big cloth diapers, right?). her crawling is almost exclusively up on all fours now & boy is she fast. like lightning fast! keeps me on my toes all day.

as I would expect with most kids this age, eloise is much less interested in her toys & much more interested in everything else. specifically she loves the remote controls, cell phones, DVDs, a box of wine (it has a lid that she can open and close) & the kitchen cabinets. I used to be able to set her down during playtime in her little corner of the living room & she would play by herself (or with me) for 20 or 30 minutes. it was a magical time that I had to prep food, check email, etc., but is quickly diminishing. she will still entertain herself for quite a long time, but it usually involves taking the DVDs off of the shelves, pulling everything out of the kitchen cabinet (I have designated one for her that has her stuff in it – bottles, bibs, spoons), & sadie’s dishes (the waterbowl & dog kibbles are the BEST!). as much as it can be a headache to keep her from destroying everything in the house (or at least flinging it all over the place), it has made shopping for her birthday easy & will make toy rotation (& minimization) more of a thing in our household.

eloise’s newest bottom teeth have pretty much made a complete appearance, rounding her total tooth count in at eight. yep, eight! based on her friends, she has the most. she is also really starting to use them when she eats. I have noticed that she uses them to rip food or nibble, though it is amazing what she can gnaw on with her gums!

eloise is growing, though not quite as quickly as she was in early months. she is still comfortably in size 12 months clothes & even 6 to 12 months. in anything new I have been getting her 18 months, though the length is a bit too long. I also just sized her up in her Freshly Picked gold moccasins (from a size 2 to a size 3). the new ones are so shiny! it will be fun with these particular moccs though because she will be walking in them & her feet will leave an imprint in the leather sole. such a good keepsake! I am hoping she can make it in this size until FP’s Black Friday sale… what are the chances?

happy 51 weeks eloise!

eloise {week 50}

{tee: Old Navy // bloomer shorts: Carter’s // block: Uncle Goose (similar) // bird from this Manhattan Toy Company set}

{week 50} not gonna lie that I am having some trouble with eloise being so close to one. it makes me a little sad that my little baby isn’t so little anymore. closer to being a toddler than an infant (or a newborn!). I have been loving all of the new milestones, activity, & development, it is just going way too fast! I often wish I could just rewind a bit & slow it down… at least to the parts where she wanted to cuddle. those don’t come too often these days.

eloise is still such a happy child (as you can see from this week’s picture) & had such a great time with my family this past week. she is sometimes shy at first with new people, but usually comes around pretty quickly & will reach out for others to hold her so she can touch their face or play with their glasses. most of the clinging to me comes around mealtime or sleep time, or shortly thereafter. in the mornings, for example, as soon as she sees me she wants to nurse & if aaron is holding her she will fuss. lately if eloise & I are upstairs in the living room playing before breakfast & she sees aaron leave out the front door for work, she will fuss & cry for him. she also really enjoys when he gets home from work & gives him the biggest smile & crawls over to have him pick her up. it is the cutest.

teeth have been a fun (read: not fun) thing this past week. she is getting two teeth in front on the bottom (the left one is almost completely in & the right one is broken thru), & I still think she is working on a back molar. teething is the only thing we can really blame for the handful of evenings she has woken up screaming (around 9:30 usually) & cannot be calmed down. it usually takes both of us giving her cuddles & reassurance that we are there for a while before she will settle down. it hasn’t been very fun for any of us, but she is sleeping well otherwise (knock on wood!).

when we got home on sunday evening it was super cool in seattle (temperature-wise). for the first time in a while we didn’t need the fan on in eloise’s nursery & we put on a sleeper with long-sleeves & legs (Hanna Andersson makes the BEST ones!). she woke up a little bit after I put her to bed & her feet felt really cold, so aaron & I decided it was safe to give her a little blanket. I just put a swaddle blanket (folded in half) over her & even though it isn’t keeping her feet particularly warm (since she kicks it all over the crib), she seems to have enjoyed an extra something soft to cuddle with. she loves to rub her lovie on her face when she is tired & trying to put herself to sleep, & I have noticed she does the same thing with the blanket when I have seen her on the webcam.

a few months ago, I mentioned that I thought eloise had eczema on her chest & neck. I also started noticing some rash on the very back of eloise’s neck between her shoulders. I was making sure to wipe it down really well after each meal; put Zoe Organics Everything Balm or Cream, or Aquaphor on it; & even limit corn & eggs (as possible allergy culprits). while we were out of town last week, I stopped using our normal SnapBib in favor of a Bumkins one* we had for traveling at the suggestion of my mom & aaron. lo & behold, eloise’s rash cleared up! I am still going to chat with her pediatrician about it at her one year check-up & may still take her to an allergist, but maybe she is just allergic or sensitive to vinyl?

eloise is still loving cruising around along the couch, coffee table, & anything else she can walk along. she is still pretty quick to drop to her bottom when there isn’t something to hold onto, but she is starting to be able to stand on her own for just a few seconds! crawling is also up on her hands much more these days as she is almost as fast on her hands as she is on her elbows. I notice that she will still army crawl when she wants to hold something in her hand & crawl at the same time – smart kiddo!

happy 50 weeks eloise!

*I picked up another Bumkins bib so that we have two, but I have to say I don’t LOVE it. it has a pocket that I find to be more of a hassle than anything else. plus, I am not a fan of all of the graphics – why do all of the bibs for boys have to have cars & all of the bibs for girls have to be pink?? any suggestions on good bibs for toddlers?

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eloise {week 49}

{tank: Old Navy // shorts: Target (similar) // teething ring: LifeFactory // blanket: Milkbarn Organic Swaddle}

{week 49} oh three weeks left until eloise’s one year? how did this happen? but then looking at that photo, we are definitely entering toddlerhood.

eloise (& mama) have been enjoying our weekly playdates with our PEPS friends. now that the babies are a little older, they are starting to interact with each other & it is so sweet. recently, there has been a clamoring over one toy which is pretty funny – all the babies decide that one particular toy is the best thing ever & then steal it away from each other.

we left home last week on the (pretty) short roadtrip to boise & I was worried about eloise sitting that long in a car seat. worst case, it was going to be me, sadie, & eloise in the backseat. luckily, eloise did SO well. she only napped for an hour total, but it was hard to complain. she kept herself mostly occupied with a basket full of toys & watching sadie. we stopped for lunch & had a picnic (see here) & got all of our wiggles out, & then one more time for a pit stop, diaper change, & nursing. eloise was ready to be out of the car about five minutes before we pulled into my parents’ house, but so were we!

eloise has been very vocal (more than usual) lately. she babbles all day long with me, but has in the past not been as vocal around other people or babies. these days though, she chatters all the time! & volume is a fun thing – eloise likes to see how LOUD she can be, especially if she needs something like water or milk (or attention from someone) at mealtime. I’ll work on getting a video to share.

I talked last week about thinking about weaning eloise, but didn’t think it would be happening for at least a few weeks. well, go with the flow (ha, pun intended!) but I inadvertently dropped eloise’s lunch nursing session on the drive over. when we stopped for lunch, there was enough commotion with the food & sadie, etc. that I completely forgot to nurse! I chalk it up to a difference in schedule since I usually nurse eloise between napping & lunchtime. aaron & I realized it a few hours later, but eloise didn’t ever seem to notice. so, ever since I have been giving her 4 oz of milk (formula for now) with her lunch. she doesn’t seem overly excited about milk with lunch & normally will drink it after she finishes eating. {which is different with the milk we give her at dinner – she usually drinks that up before she gets into her meal!}

eloise wants to walk, but doesn’t have enough balance yet. she climbs up on everything to standing, but will drop down to her bottom & crawl to wherever she wants to go. I think we have a little time before she is walking, but she is mobile enough to keep us on our toes!

happy 49 weeks eloise!

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eloise {week 48}

{tank onesie: Carter’s // jeans: babyGap // rubber duck (gift from E’s dentist)}

{week 48} just as soon as I hit publish on eloise’s monthly post last friday, I noticed a tooth bud on the right-side next to her bottom two teeth. I still have a hunch that she is getting at least one back molar, but I was definitely right-on about eloise acting like she was teething (drool, fussy during sleep, wants mama, chewing like crazy). & then just yesterday I discovered that the bottom tooth on the other side is also coming in! sorry kiddo. your teeth like to come in all at once!

eloise has always preferred me (I am her food source afterall) but lately she is super clingy. I guess it is separation anxiety? but even if I am standing right next to her, it sometimes isn’t enough. usually she fusses & cries a bit if she wants to be with me, but then as soon as I pick her up or hold her, she wants to be down & crawling around. maybe she just needs a quick mama hug?

cruising (along the couch, coffee table, side table, sideboard, or any piece of furniture she can stand up against) is still eloise’s favorite activity. she does know that she can’t stand on her own just yet & doesn’t actually try to stand or walk without assistance. once she gets to the end of whatever she is cruising on, she will drop down to her bottom & start crawling. I know walking is imminent, but I am thankful she doesn’t want me to walk her around all day long (having her hold onto my hands so she can walk)!

this week marked the end of the baby bathtub. sniff. we had long taken the infant insert out of the tub, but really liked using it inside the bathtub (both to help contain eloise & to save on water use). however, eloise wants to be active in the tub as well & would hold onto the sides & try to pull herself over. not good for anyone. so we got this tub mat & are just putting in a few inches (if that) of water. now eloise can splash & play, & I don’t have to be worried about her falling over in the tub. plus, with her current bath toys that stick to the wall (see below) she has much more fun since she can reach them all, whether they are floating in the water or sticking to the tub.

{Boon Tub Applique toys}

as we are approaching 12 months (what?!) I am planning on weaning eloise (from nursing). we still nurse three times a day (after she wakes in the AM & after each nap) which I am hoping will continue for the next four weeks. at that point I am thinking about dropping the middle feeding & doing milk at lunchtime instead, & then a little while later (depending on how my supply is doing) I will drop the late afternoon one & add more milk at dinnertime. that final nursing session, though, is still really special to me & (for the most part) I would like to keep it going for some time longer. some days I am ready to be done, but mostly I love that time with eloise, even though she isn’t really snuggly during that time anymore & just wants to eat & play! any advice from you mamas out there about weaning babes from nursing to milk in cups?

happy 48 weeks eloise!

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eloise {month eleven}

{lion: jellycat via nordstrom // tank & bloomers: Gymboree // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

{this picture is brought to you, in part, by eloise’s nursery clock/sound machine without which I would not have gotten a non-blurry picture &/or one without eloise launching herself head first off the front end of the chair. holy hannah. see my note about toddler below.}

{month eleven} good grief, eleven months? in some ways it is so hard to believe that we are approaching one year of life, but in other ways, eloise is more & more like a toddler. did I really just say that?

the toddler-like behavior to which I am referring is the “baby tantrums” that eloise is starting to throw when she doesn’t get what she wants. usually this manifests because eloise wants to chew (or hold or throw) something that she shouldn’t & I take it away from her. yep, the worst.

eloise loves to stand & cruise all along the coffee table, couch, & anything & everything she can pull up to standing on. she is so much more steady on her feet these past few weeks & I am predicting she will be walking (at least a little bit) by her first birthday. a big shock to a mama who was convinced her little one wasn’t going to be walking for a few more months!

even with all of the (assisted) walking, eloise is still really into crawling. while her army crawl has been mastered & she is lightning fast, just in the past few days she has really started crawling on her hands & knees. she was doing this before when she was getting close to something she wanted to pull up on, but now she is up off her belly more & more. she definitely isn’t as fast though & if she needs to get moving, she will drop down to her belly & army crawl! in terms of getting around, eloise has figured a lot of things out. she will start at her playmat on one end of the living room, crawl over to the coffee table or couch, pull up to standing & cruise along (walking) until she gets to the end of either of those, then she will drop down to sitting & crawl to her final destination (usually the kitchen, & usually sadie’s dog bowls…).

the past week maybe, eloise has begun to stick out her tongue (think Albert Einstein). she knew about her tongue months ago when she learned to blow raspberries, but now the tongue is back in full force. she is constantly sticking out her tongue & it is pretty funny. I think it may have something to do with all of the drool suddenly that has started. I will look over & eloise’s entire chin is covered in drool. lovely. & the drool, I believe, is from teeth. specifically lower molars (right-side). it is slightly early for molars to be coming in, but her dentist warned that since eloise got so many teeth so early, we could expect the same for molars. the teething hasn’t been awful, but we are thinking it has something to do with the fussiness at bedtime & one or two times in the middle of the night. while eloise usually just wants her pacifier & her lovie (which she has rolled away from) in the night, bedtime takes a lot more attention now with a few trips down to the nursery to retrieve her pacifier or give an extra snuggle.

eating is going well still & eloise is enjoying everything we are feeding her. lately I have been focusing on (& have been successful at) feeding eloise what we are eating at dinnertime. sometimes this is a challenge because of the type of food that we are eating (for example, aaron’s homemade pizza can be tricky for me to make baby-friendly) & also because I am still neurotic about organic food for eloise (& aaron & I don’t eat everything organic). but, when I do get it to work, it is so easy & awesome, & it means less clean-up & eating together as a family (if eloise isn’t eating what we are, she generally eats before we do in the kitchen while I prep aaron & my dinner).

speaking of eating, eloise’s new thing in regards to food is wanting to rip everything into tiny little pieces. I have started giving her larger pieces of food because she can bite or chew a lot of things these days (either with her front teeth or with her back gums) & that seems to be her preference. if I give her a tortilla, rice cracker, sandwich, she holds it between her two hands & rips it apart, eating only small pieces.

eloise LOVES sadie. always has & always will, but these days eloise’s mobility has meant that she gets a lot more opportunity to be near sadie. on occasion, sadie will stick around when eloise comes close & even let eloise pet her. we are trying to teach eloise to not only be gentle with sadie when she touches or pets, but also to respect sadie’s space. eloise is curious about sadie’s two crates (the one under the stairs & the other in our bedroom). on a few occasions sadie has been sleeping in her crate & eloise has crawled up to the gate, leaving sadie without an escape & sadie has growled or even barked. eloise hasn’t seemed to mind, but it has been a good reminder for aaron & me that sadie is protective of her own space & we need to set boundaries for eloise.

while it isn’t all the time, there are definite moments where eloise shows separation anxiety or a strong preference for either mama or papa. after waking up in the morning, after naptime, or at bedtime (when there is nursing or milk involved) eloise has a very strong preference for me. sometimes she will cry or fuss if I am not there & won’t stop until I do get there, or she will be fine with aaron until she sees or hears me & then starts to fuss. & recently I have noticed that if eloise is up & sees aaron before he leaves for work, she fusses when he leaves. also, eloise likes other people & doesn’t show signs of stranger danger, but often doesn’t like to spend too long in someone else’s arms if I am nearby. she would much rather have me hold her & interact with the other person from my arms.

one thing that we have been working on with eloise (but knew it would take months for eloise to learn) is sign language. we have kept it simple: milk, more, water, eat, & please. eloise knows the sign for water & will reach out for her cup during mealtime if you sign water to her. while eloise sometimes waves her fingers near her head when she wants water (which is sort of close to the actual sign), she often will hit her bib with her hand when she wants water (which I am assuming is from me signing please after water). the other way eloise lets us know she wants water (or more food) is to yell & hit her tray with her hand. not the best, but effective! she also knows milk & will stare at or grab at my shirt if she wants to nurse. since we nurse after eloise sleeps & that is consistent, I use the milk sign mostly to ask if eloise wants more milk; she likes to take breaks during nursing to read books (or I will do a diaper change) & so I will sign to her to see if she still has interest in nursing for longer.

{weight} 21 pounds.

{hair} dark reddish brown.

{teeth} bottom two teeth & four top teeth.

{eyes} dark brown. (but look dark grey sometimes!)

{clothes} 6 to 12 month, 12 month, & some 12 to 18 month.

{diapers} full-time cloth {bum genius freetime, pocket, & elemental} & honest company size 4 diapers at night with a bum genius diaper cover.

{likes} books, anything she isn’t supposed to have, toys that squeak or rattle, singing & music, Sadie, standing, FaceTime, bathtime, pulling up to standing (on everything).

{dislikes} getting her face wiped off (after eating), sitting still, (most) diaper changes before nursing, sitting in her highchair & not eating if she is in her highchair, the vacuum.

{nicknames} Bug{s}, Love Bug, Baby Bug, E, Wheezy, Kiddo, Love, Bugaboo, Ellie or Elle (my family).

happy eleven months eloise!

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eloise {week 47}

{romper: Gymboree // plastic link (in her mouth) // ball & mallet from this Hape Xylophone}

{week 47} eloise turns 11 months at the end of the week (what?!) so stay tuned for a big monthly update!

happy 47 weeks eloise!

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eloise {week 46}

{onesie: American Apparel // bloomers: Carter’s // teething ring: Lifefactory Teething Ring}

{week 46} wiggly: the word of the week. now that eloise has discovered she can move around on her own, it is all she wants to do. she prefers to be standing with something in each hand & something in her mouth. the best things these days are things she isn’t supposed to have… we are working on moving things up from shelves (sideboard, bookshelf, coffee table) since eloise has easy access to these places now.

eloise’s newest trick (as of just this weekend) is to spin while sitting. she uses her feet to propel herself around & it is hilarious! of course, she usually has something in her mouth while spinning. the kid is a great multi-tasker!

just this week eloise has also learned to pull herself up to standing on our sidetable in the living room. it is the low shelf of this sidetable that has become an eloise play space & I store some books & toys there. before this week, she could only pull herself to standing on the coffee table as it is a few inches shorter. BUT, the coffee table is eloise’s favorite thing to help with her walking (see her here on instagram!). she is still pretty unsteady on her feet, but she is getting the hang of moving one foot in front of the other & is motivated by whatever is on top of the coffee table (mama’s cell phone, the remote, a glass of water, etc.).

waving has also become a new favorite thing. eloise will wave one or two arms when I say “bye-bye” or if someone is leaving the room (including herself!). & when she gets really excited, she waves both of her arms around (I guess it looks like flapping) which I think is her equivalent of clapping. some day her hands are going to meet in a clap, but until then, it is totally a coincidence if they do…

happy 46 weeks eloise!

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eloise {week 45}

{top: Carter’s // bloomers: Carter’s // Dada book: Amazon // blocks: Uncle Goose (similar)}

{week 45} this week was mostly spent in boise visiting my family – grammie & grandpa needed an eloise fix! aaron, eloise, & I flew down all together, & boy am I glad I wasn’t flying on my own! eloise was so, so good, but she is so, so busy. she spent most of the flight on the way down flirting with the people in the rows behind us & playing with her water cup. & on the way home she was obsessed with pulling everything out of the seat-back pocket.

eloise snapped into the time change right away (it is only an hour) & slept really well – she took such long naps during the day that we had to wake her up a few times! she has gotten used to sleeping in a pack n play from our visit back east last month & also does well without blackout shades. we do bring a sound machine when we travel since she is used to white noise at home. I find that she can fall asleep without white noise, but staying asleep is tricky without it!

we spent some time swimming which was fun & eloise seemed to enjoy it more than her usual swimming lesson. she loved to splash when being held & did so well even when water got on her face. we also tried this baby pool float which was a pretty big hit. it was the first time eloise has been in a pool without being in either my or aaron’s arms. she did well & kicked her legs around.

my parents put up a swing for eloise & she LOVED it! we visit the swings at the park a few times a month if we can, & eloise has always enjoyed that so I knew she would enjoy it. this swing tended to go sideways a little more than the park swings & she didn’t enjoy that too much. the seat is pretty big still so there is lots of room for eloise to grow into it!

eloise is pretty much always on-the-go when she is awake & army crawling is still her preferred mode of transportation. I have noticed that she will get up on her hands & knees as she approaches something she wants to pull up on, so I know she can crawl, she just doesn’t most of the time. she has become a master at pulling up to kneeling (& sometimes standing if it is low enough) & now the issue is whether the thing she is using is steady enough to hold her weight, or whether it will slip around once she puts weight on it. eloise has also started walking along the coffee table (cruising!) & isn’t very steady on her own, but has gotten the moving of her feet part (which she lacked just a few weeks ago). while I think independent walking is still a ways off, it is closer than I want to think about!

here are some pictures from our trip to boise (eloise swinging & meeting my parents’ horses):

happy 45 weeks eloise!

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