baby – Page 6 – emerald city diaries

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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eloise {week 44}

{onesie: Carter’s // shorts: Target (similar) // Sophie the Giraffe}

{week 44} oh boy, this week has been a blur! & by that I mean eloise is on the move. I am pretty sure it is because I just stated in her ten month post that walking wasn’t imminent. I feel like in the past week, eloise has taken huge strides in the pre-walking & mobility department.

eloise is happiest these days standing up. she can pull herself to her to kneeling on most things, including the fan tower & her nursery ottoman. & she can pull herself up to standing on the coffee table, the side table (whose low shelf I am storing some toys books), & in her crib. so just in a week (!) she has gone from just kneeling to standing. again, oh boy!

the other thing that makes eloise deliriously happy is a book. she has always enjoyed books & has “listened” to stories being read to her since she was born. we started early with storytime & even as a teeny baby she would pay attention to the books we read. fast-forward a few months & I can easily say books are her favorite things. she will most often pick a book to play with (or chew on) over a toy during play time. my mama heart, of course, is soaring because I have always adored books! the only problem is that she is now devouring books in that she is chewing the corners & eating the paper…

also, eloise insists on turning the pages when we read books, so sometimes the stories go very quickly! she does, though, stop & look at the pictures, & sometimes babbles as she flips thru the pages. adorable! when you get to the end of a book, she will shut the back cover & then flip the book over to start reading it again!

happy 44 weeks eloise!

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eloise {month ten}

{lion: jellycat via nordstrom // jumper: babyGap // tank: Burt’s Bees Organic (similar) // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

{month ten} wait, didn’t eloise just turn nine months?

this month has been all about moving. eloise is constantly crawling, jumping, or wiggling. all the time! her crawling has progressed to being up on her knees & with her belly up off the ground, but still down on her forearms. I know she can get into a traditional crawling position since she can rock on her hands & knees, but doesn’t seem too interested at this point in getting up on her hands. she is so fast & efficient with crawling the way that she is that she may just continue!

eloise has also recently learned to pull to her knees (in a kneeling position). she has trouble pulling to standing, though she desperately wants to. I suspect she will first do it in her crib since the bars make for easy support. eloise LOVES to stand, whether she is holding your hands, or she is supported by a table, chair, or ottoman. walking isn’t imminent yet which aaron & I are mostly very relieved about. eloise can already move around so much that I think we need a little more time before she is walking! if eloise is standing up, she is mostly just so excited to be up on her feet that she starts to jump if you are holding her. she will take a few steps, but doesn’t really get the whole concept of walking just yet.

just yesterday I saw eloise, for the first time, go from her belly to sitting. I know that’s a game-changer. & then this morning she was sitting up in her crib when I went in for her wake-up. oh geez, she is such a big kid!

speaking of moving. as you may have seen from recent pictures (& did I also already share?) we ended up putting up one baby gate in our living room. as soon as eloise learned to crawl, she bee-lined for the entryway because shoes are her very favorite thing. she didn’t discover that if she turned down the hallway, she would get to the staircase, & we have been very unmotivated to teach her about that part of the house. I don’t really want a gate at the top of the stairs, but will if we need to, because I always have my hands full going downstairs (so opening the gate would be tricky) and I don’t want to have to drill into the drywall. I know, First World Problems. anyways, we got this pressure-mount gate for the doorway between the entryway & our living room & it works really well. eloise isn’t mad about not being able to go into the entryway anymore, & she discovered her love for the shelf on our side table (which is now storing some of her toys & books).

one thing that eloise is still learning how to do (but is so close) is clapping. she sometimes puts her hands together, randomly, but it isn’t exactly clapping. however, if you clap, she squeals with delight! I try to have her hold my hands when I clap or move her hands together to clap & maybe she’ll start doing it on her own.

just this week I dropped eloise’s third nap, so she is down to just two naps a day. a lot of people (parents & non-parents alike) were really surprised when I would tell them she was still taking three naps. she was on a three-hour feeding schedule, which is what she has been on since she was born (except that from months five & on, she wasn’t feeding in the middle of the night). there were a lot of reasons why I kept her taking three naps a day, including that every kid is different. eloise did really well with that schedule & often would take two 90 minute naps & a 60 minute nap. I think eloise, on the spectrum of sleep-needed, is like her mama & needs a lot of sleep! now eloise will, hopefully, take two 2 hour naps each day. the transition seems to be going really well & it gives us more time during the morning & afternoon to play, though her naps have been shorter than I would like. now we have time in the middle of the day (between 12:30ish & 3) to get out of the house. I still use the eat, play, sleep routine in our day which is wonderful. eloise has three solids meals per day with a nursing session before each, & then a bottle at bedtime after her bath.

in the past few weeks I have noticed a little eczema-type rash on eloise’s chest & neck. the semi-circle shape of it is where her bib doesn’t cover up & protect that part of her skin from food. I have been cleaning the area well after each meal & making sure it is washed in the bath. of course, it looks better in the morning when she first wakes up since it has been un-irritated all night. I picked up some Zoe Organics Everything Balm when I was at Target last night since I have heard it can do wonders for eczema (naturally). I will let you know how it works!

this kiddo is so expressive. she constantly makes faces & can go thru an entire range of emotions in just a short amount of time. her mean muggin’ face (last seen here) is still very popular & she does it constantly! now, though, she sometimes can’t keep a straight face & cracks a smile just as soon as her brow furls. but she also raises her eyebrows (the cutest), smiles & grins, & gives me faces that I know we will be seeing again in about 14 years.

eloise’s hair is awesome. everyone comments on it. I keep it sticking straight up because I love it & it reminds me of her newborn mohawk. it is getting so much longer though & lays flat from the weight of her hair. it still is fine like baby hair, but filling in so much. these days, it gets crazy since it is hot & she sweats. post-nap hair in this heat is pretty funny because the sides are always crazy & sticking out in all directions.

finally, lots of people (seriously everyone, people we know, we don’t know, moms, non-moms) have been asking about when I am weaning eloise. my goal from the start was to nurse thru one year & that is still the plan. not only do I feel fortunate that I get to be home & nurse her each feeding, but that I still have maintained my supply up to this point. eloise has slowly been weaning over the past months as she has dropped various feedings – her middle of the night feedings, bedtime, & most recently, her fourth daytime feeding when she dropped the third nap – & I hope to continue down that path. as long as eloise continues to want to nurse & I continue to have milk, I hope to get her to her first birthday & then start weaning her from her daytime feedings (& giving her milk in a cup instead at mealtimes). if possible I think I want to keep up her wake-up feeding for a bit longer. I love this time with eloise & it would make me so sad if we didn’t get that time together for very much longer. (though ask me another time & I may have a completely different story!)

{weight} 20 lbs. down slightly from last month. I am guessing it is from all the activity!

{hair} dark reddish brown.

{teeth} bottom two teeth & four top teeth.

{eyes} dark brown.

{clothes} 9 month, 6 to 12 month, or 12 month.

{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. at bedtime she gets a 6 oz bottle.

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

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

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

happy ten months eloise!

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eloise {week 43}

{top: Carter’s (similar) // shorts: Carter’s // butterfly teether: Honest Company}

{week 43} today is also eloise’s 10 month birthday (if that is even possible!) so check back for her monthly update!

happy 43 weeks eloise!

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project baby {post-partum essentials}

much like my pregnancy essentials post, this was a long time coming…

one thing that I really didn’t think about too much when I was pregnant was not being pregnant. & by that, I mean, I didn’t really think about post-partum recovery. I assumed that since I was a low-risk pregnancy & that a c-section was not likely in the cards for me that I would bounce back to normal pretty quickly. whatever normal means once you have a newborn that is. oh boy was I wrong. just because I wasn’t recovering from major abdominal surgery (which is what a c-section is!) doesn’t mean I didn’t have a recovery period. birthing a child is no small feat!

even though I am the type of person who gets dressed & ready every day (nope, I do not hang out in my yoga pants all day, even if eloise & I don’t leave the house!) I definitely focused on comfort for those first few weeks.

{one} comfy pants & shorts. it was the summer when I had eloise & it was very hot so I mostly wore t-shirts & comfy, loose pants or shorts. I focused on drawstring or elastic-waisted things which were fortunately starting to be on-trend last year (I stocked up on a few pairs that I wore at the end of my pregnancy & then into post-partum). I was particularly fond of these Gilligan & O’Malley Knit Pajama Pants that I picked up at Target for my hospital bag. I wore them home from the hospital & they quickly became a favorite. I didn’t want anything tight or clingy around my mid-section for a while, so elastic was my best friend for those first few weeks!

{two} lalabu nursing tank. this is actually a tank that I didn’t get until eloise was a few months old, but I wish I would have had it as soon as she was born! it is a nursing tank with lots of great features including a long length, thick material, & the ability to be worn with or without a bra. but the best feature is the little pocket in the front that is meant for holding baby. since it isn’t a baby carrier per se, you still have to support baby a lot, but it is nice to tuck that little one right near you without the fuss of a moby wrap or ergo. I wore it long after eloise had outgrown that little pouch pocket, especially when I traveled or at nighttime since it was so easy to nurse in. the only downside I found was that the top of the pouch doesn’t really stay flat under your shirt, so sometimes it looks a little wonky.

{three} nursing tank. I had a few simple nursing tanks from Target but I never really liked them too much. they were ill-fitting & seemed redundant since I was wearing a nursing bra (so many clips!). I figured if I found just a simple stretchy tank top I could just pull the front down when I nursed. plus, wearing a tank under your shirt when you are nursing is nice if you have a shirt that has to be lifted up during a feeding (I still wear a tank under everything these days!). the H&M Basic Tank fits perfectly & is $6 so you can stock up! I like this one because it doesn’t have a built-in shelf bra; maybe this is a personal preference, but having that additional bra inside was really uncomfortable for me. if you don’t mind the built-in bra, Target has some similar tank tops.

{four} nursing pads. if you are nursing, you will more than likely need nursing pads. they are good for absorbing extra milk (& preventing leakage thru your shirt) & will prevent any ointment or cream that you are using from getting onto your bra &/or shirt. there are two different types of nursing pads – disposable & reusable – & I am most definitely in the reusable camp. I found that disposable pads are really scratchy & not very comfortable; on the other hand, you don’t have to do laundry if you run out. my preferred nursing pads were Bamboobies & I still use them if I have extra supply or any leakage. & while Bamboobies makes thicker overnight pads, I used these Satsuma Organic ones which were great for nighttime.

{five} sleepmask. while the old adage “sleep while baby sleeps” is somewhat misleading, I did find that I was sleeping during the day quite a bit those first few weeks (okay months). I had always used a sleepmask when I was traveling, but daytime naps before I was pregnant weren’t really a thing. but, since I did sleep during the day when eloise was very little & we didn’t have a window covering on our bedroom window, I found that a sleepmask was imperative! the one that I have is my favorite & I have had it for years; it is silky on the inside & the elastic isn’t too tight around my head. this is the Sleepmask that is shown above.

{six} reusable water bottle. yep, same bottle as in my pregnancy essentials post. I think it sort of goes without saying that you need to stay hydrated during recovery from childbirth (natural or c-section) & for nursing. if you are anything like me, you will be so thirsty post-partum that you can’t get enough to drink (I was the same way with food those first months – so hungry!). I kept my Camelback Eddy Insulated Water Bottle on the sidetable in the nursery, upstairs near the couch, & at my bedside – one each place. I wanted to be sure that I never was without water & the last thing I needed to do was haul around a water bottle (since I was already trying to keep track of my phone for pictures & tracking feedings, & eloise!). you could also leave glasses of water in various parts of your house too, but I am way too clumsy for that!

the other thing that should have made this list was nursing bras! I waited until after my milk came in to go & get fitted, just because I wanted to make sure I was getting the right size (& bras are not cheap!). my advice is to get a few really comfy nursing bras from Target that fit you in the last few weeks of your pregnancy, & then wait until you are ready to venture out with the babe to your local Nordstrom* & get fitted. Nordstrom will convert any bra into a nursing bra, so don’t feel limited by what small selection of nursing bras are in the store. it is going to be a bit of a splurge, but if you plan on breast-feeding for any length of time, stock up on bras! also consider buying a bra (or two, or even a supportive nursing tank top) for nighttime. (& if you don’t have a Nordstrom where you live, ask around to see where other mamas got nursing bras locally. the best thing you can do is go get fitted so you are wearing the right size.)

fellow mamas – what were your post-partum must-haves?

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*this isn’t a plug for Nordstrom & I was in no way compensated for or asked to talk about Nordstrom, it is just the only place I know that converts bras to nursing bras. if you are crafty though, you could probably DIY it!

project baby {pregnancy essentials}

this post has been a long time coming & I was hoping to get it out sooner, but better late than never, right?

I am almost certain (because I have taken polls!) that I am the only mama who misses being pregnant… don’t get me wrong, I love being eloise’s mama! but I adored being pregnant & look back on that time fondly. I feel very fortunate to have had a very healthy, fun, & low-risk pregnancy, & I wanted to share some of my must-haves. {I am putting together my essentials lists for post-partum, newborn, & possibly feeding (solid foods), so stay tuned if you are interested!}

{one} jersey dresses. I didn’t end up buying very many maternity clothes & really tried to either wear or buy things that were non-maternity. one of the great pieces that I wore over & over in my last trimester (& since it was warm by then) was a jersey dress. I owned a few pre-pregnancy that I was able to make work, including my favorite target purple maxi dress that I wore to the hospital! but, the best dresses I found for pregnancy were Sonnet James dresses. I discovered SJ in the fall of 2013 & quickly ordered the Stella dress for our trip to Hawaii. hands down one of my favorite dresses ever! I picked up a few more once I found out I was pregnant because I knew I could wear them during my pregnancy & after. I worried a bit that I might stretch them out, but I haven’t had any issues post-partum. I have found that my Quincy & Doutzen dresses (mine are past season colors) are a bit long when I don’t have a bump, so I will probably be visiting the Nordstrom alternations department in the very near future {my Stella & Kate dresses are midi length & are perfect!}.

{two} reusable water bottle. water, water, water. my midwife couldn’t stress enough how important it was that I stay hydrated during my pregnancy. I knew I needed to find a good water bottle that could travel with me between home, work, & everywhere in-between. thanks to amanda for her recommendation on the Camelback bottles! having already been thru this with her first child, she knew exactly what I would need, plus because of the straw end it could be used hands-free which was perfect for labor & delivery! I ended up with the Camelback Eddy Insulated Water Bottle (& also the non-insulated version) & they were perfect!

{three} body oil. for me pregnancy brought on some mild acne & very dry skin. {for the acne I used Belli Anti-Blemish Facial Wash that is free of salicylic acid & benzoyl peroxide.} I had read that body oil could help prevent stretch marks (though the truth is that stretch marks are genetic. you can do some things to help, but you cannot actually prevent them…) so I started my search for a body oil. it didn’t take me long wandering down the aisles of target to find Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Body Oil. I fell in love instantly! it soaked into my skin & left it feeling silky & hydrated, & had the most amazing lemon scent. I used it all over my body after showering, including my bump, & the smell of lemon will always remind me of my pregnancy with eloise!

{four} low-impact workout. the best advice about working out during pregnancy is to have an already-established workout program that you can continue thru-out your pregnancy. luckily for me, my workout of choice is Pure Barre & it is a great workout that can be pretty easily modified for mamas-to-be (there is a Baby on Board package – 3 months unlimited class pass). whatever workout regime you choose (yoga, running, Zumba, etc.), just stick with it! there were a few weeks during the first trimester that I had to forego my beloved PB classes because I was just so sick, but for the majority of my pregnancy I was attending class twice a week, & even went to class two days before eloise was born! I had a healthy pregnancy & I was able to keep active; I know this is in part because of staying in shape.

{five} ginger chews. oh the nausea of the first trimester. I felt nausea many, many times before I was pregnant (thanks in part to being very motion sick as a kid) but nothing can prepare you for nausea during pregnancy! I don’t like spicy, but these Gin Gin chews saved my life! I kept a stash everywhere just in case – desk drawer, purse, nightstand, car. you can pick them up at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.

{six} prenatal vitamins. this is not meant to be medical advice (since I am not a medical doctor) so follow whatever recommendation your own doctor gives you! for me, my OB-GYN had me taking pre-natal vitamins years before I was pregnant. her recommendation was that any woman that was pre-menopausal should be taking pre-natals; there is no harm, the first few weeks of pregnancy are the most important for these vitamins (& most women don’t even know they are pregnant yet!), plus it is great for your hair & nails! anyways, I was taking some generic woman’s multivitamin from target, but had to find a new one as soon as I got pregnant since they were making me sick. I found the Rainbow Light Prenatal One Mulitvitamin and Spectrum Essentials Prenatal DHA at Whole Foods & no longer had any problems with my tummy. I always took them in the middle of dinner (usually my biggest meal) so that I knew I had enough food in my belly, though I take them now before breakfast (usually) & I haven’t had any issues. the multivitamin is a pretty big tablet (it pretty much has to be or else you have to take lots of pills) & if you have trouble swallowing big pills I am almost certain there is a capsule form. the DHA is great because it isn’t fish oil (it is vegan except for gelatin in the capsule) so there is absolutely no aftertaste!

mamas & mamas-to-be, what were or are your essentials?

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eloise {week 42}

{shirt: Carter’s // onesie: Gerber // leggings: Target // moccasins: Freshly Picked // Sophie the Giraffe}

{week 42} eloise is back in PT for torticollis {which I first talked about here in her five month update} since her pediatrician is still slightly concerned about eloise’s head tilt after her nine month appointment. we were going to PT for about two months & she was released from care, but now we are back at it. some of it is just going to be maturity (I think) but a lot of it is breaking bad habits & allowing her neck to stretch & strengthen evenly. we are hoping to see the PT every two weeks & do daily stretching exercises at home. I think I talked about eloise laying on her (right) side a lot, & this is actually one of the things that is hurting her progress towards a straight head! I am trying to get her to lay on her left side… yep, it is a challenge! there isn’t really too much to be worried about at this point, & honestly I don’t even notice it most of the time because I am with her pretty much every minute of the day. her pediatrician’s biggest concern is the effect it could have on her vision, though there is no indication that it has so far & it is pretty uncommon.

eloise also saw the dentist yesterday. yep, a baby dentist. the new recommendation from the american academy of pediatrics is that infants/children start to see the dentist as soon as they get teeth (the old recommendation was at one year old). so, we were on the waiting list for a pediatric dentist office that is pretty close to our house, but after waiting almost three months, I decided to do some more research & find another dentist! as much as I like the idea of eloise seeing one dentist (& not a specific pediatric one) I like the idea of having her see a dentist who has extra training with kids & children (& honestly I am not too crazy about our current dentist & his office, so no point in taking her there). eloise was a great little patient & let the dentist look (& clean – just a wipe with gauze) her six teeth! the dentist & assistant (& entire staff) were very kind & wanted to make sure we were starting good dental hygiene early. we have already been having eloise “brush her teeth” with this toothbrush after solids & after her bedtime bottle, & she is obsessed!

crawling is still going well & we are thinking that any day now she is going to be up off of her belly (I think I say this every week though!). she is really starting to use her knees when she is army crawling & rocks on her hands & knees all the time. these days if she is upset or crying in her crib, she will get on her hands & knees… tricky when she is wearing a sleep sack!

speaking of crib, we finally lowered her crib mattress down. she hasn’t yet pulled up to standing (or even sitting) in her crib, but we didn’t want to take any chances. eloise hasn’t consistently been able to get from her belly to sitting, but I know that she could if she wanted too, or by accident. she already loves the railing & sides of her crib (& always props her feet up while she is sleeping) so I know that if she finds herself sitting in her crib for any length of time, she will try to pull herself up.

happy 42 weeks eloise!

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eloise {week 41}

{chambray shirt: Carter’s // onesie: Carter’s // leggings: Carter’s // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

{& the outtake for this week! weekly photos are much more difficult to manage these days. definitely a two-person job.}

{week 41} eloise had her first fever this week which was so sad. I guess since a “low-grade fever” isn’t actually a thing, she was in the fever range. scary when the thermometer turns red which is what ours does once you get into the “fever range.” I could tell just by feeling her that she was much warmer than normal & her temp was reading around 99.5 degrees at the highest. it lasted about 24 hours & she seemed pretty normal for most of the day, other than a bit of fussiness & one episode of throwing up (maybe from chugging her bottle?). my guess is that it was just a virus or something that passed pretty quickly. I know it could also have been from teething, though she has six teeth so far & never any fever with them. glad to be past that.

crawling is THE thing around here. eloise is so quick these days though she pretty much goes for the same things so we don’t lose track of her (the coffee table, shoes in the entryway, & sadie’s toy basket). she has learned to use both of her forearms to pull herself across the floor, & also her big toe on each foot to give herself an extra boost. she is often, though, up rocking on her hands & knees, & just these past few days has taken a few crawling movements (hands & knees) up from her belly. I expect that any day now I will look over to find her crawling on her knees!

{eloise’s new funny face. also, she always has both of her hands up like that when she is in her highchair. I think it is because she doesn’t like her hands to be dirty when she eats.}

starting on sunday, eloise discovered that she could control her eyebrows. she is making this hilarious face where she furls her eyebrows & frowns. it looks like she is so mad! {aaron calls it her mean muggin’ face} the funny (or sad) thing is that if you mirror the face back to her, she gets sad. obviously she doesn’t realize that this is a mad face, she is just practicing moving her facial features! it is so, so cute & funny – we can’t stop laughing!

happy 41 weeks eloise!

eloise {week 40}

{onesie: Carter’s // shorts: Carter’s // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

{week 40} it definitely feels like we are in the “homestretch” over her when it comes to weekly updates. I want to do some type of update (maybe monthly?) for eloise (I mean, this is her baby book after all!) but haven’t yet decided. 12 more weeks until one… I still cannot believe it!

this week eloise has been much more verbal & physically active. though having already discovered her tongue some time ago, eloise has started playing with her tongue & her bottom lip. the combination of this & her constant babbling is that she sounds like a tiny auctioneer. it is hilarious! I am trying to get a good video or recording of it to share. she has also been testing the volume (loudness) & shrillness of her voice lately. this results in her shrieking multiple times a day, usually around mealtime.

on the activity level, eloise cannot sit still for the most part. in the morning time when she plays while I make her breakfast, she can usually sit on her playmat & pull all of the toys out of her toy basket, licking each one & examining it! by the afternoon though, I have to either be in the living room with her or have her “contained” in the exersaucer. she just gets too far too quickly these days & we haven’t yet put a gate up at the top of our stairs*. eloise has mastered the army crawl & now uses both of her forearms on the ground & her toes & knees (a bit) to maneuver around (she used to use one forearm & one hand). she is up on her hands & knees more & more, rocking back & forth, & seems much more in control of that movement. I expect her army crawl to turn into a crawl any day now…

many of our friends with kiddos of similar ages “walk” with their kids. by that I mean hold them by the hands or arms & help them walk while the kids move their own feet. while I am not really crazy about holding eloise just by her arms (I had one pop out of its socket quite a bit as a kid so it makes me extra nervous) I do hold her up under her arms or around her waist while she is standing. she doesn’t really walk though (as in move her feet). usually she looks down at her feet, realizes she is standing, & then starts jumping up & down. so eloise may jump before she walks! (& I am in no hurry for her to start walking – developmental delays aside)

a lot of people asked about eloise changing time zones & what I did or didn’t do to help with the time change. honestly, I kept her on her normal routine during our travel day & then set my watch to the local time zone when we landed (either jumping forward or backwards in her day). on both ends of our trip, eloise was able to be on local time as soon as we settled in for the most part. going east eloise was tired from missing her third nap of the day, so we kept her up slightly longer in order to do dinner & bathtime before putting her down to bed (three hours before she normally would go down). then going west, we did dinner & bedtime on our final flight, but eloise only slept for a few hours before we landed & then never went back to sleep in the hustle & bustle of being at the airport, getting our bags, & catching a ride home. by the time we got home she was super tired & we put her right to bed. I can’t say it will always work out that well, but I am happy we weren’t dealing with major time issues during & after our trip!

happy 40 weeks eloise!

*I know it sounds crazy to most people, but I was sort of hoping not to have to put a gate at the top of our stairs & to just teach eloise, when she is physically capable, of going up & down the stairs safely. I feel like when you gate something off, you make it forbidden & therefore way more fun for kids. if the stairs are just a normal thing, then maybe she won’t want to spend so much time on them? I also realize that she is going to be more mobile at some point & that our stairs are really scary since they are wood. this is still a work in progress, obviously! any tips?

eloise {week 39}

{sunglasses: Honest Company // onesie: Carter’s // bloomers: babyGap // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

{week 39} this past week we were visiting aaron’s family in indiana so eloise had the opportunity to meet lots of her (great) aunts, uncles, cousins, & great grandparents. she had the best time seeing everyone & it was wonderful to see her with all of aaron’s family.

even though we kept a busy schedule, we were mindful of eloise’s napping schedule & limited ourselves (mostly) to going out in the afternoons so that she could get at least two good naps in. it was hard for us not to just pack her up in the car & try to see everyone & do everything the entire time we were gone, but we knew that she would quickly become fussy & none of us would have had very much fun after a couple of days of that. eloise sometimes naps in the car, but usually falls asleep 5 minutes before we reach our destination…

speaking of naps, eloise took the best naps while we were gone! she was in a Pack N Play in her nana & papaw’s guest bedroom & it was perfect. one of us would put her down for a nap & turn on the sound machine, & she would nap for at least 90 minutes (& often times two hours!). I thought at first it would just be one nap that would be good, but she was taking two solid naps (90 minutes to two hours) & then a third nap for at least an hour. yup, it was awesome!

now sleeping at night, on the other hand, was a bit rough. there were one or maybe two nights that she slept thru the night waking only for an early AM feeding, but mostly she was really sad at night. she would sleep a few hours to begin with, but then around midnight or 1 AM she would start her wake-ups. she would cry & fuss a few times (three to five) until I fed her between 4 & 6 AM. it was no fun. sometimes she would fall asleep again as soon as she was picked up, other times she would cry & cry. we are blaming it on teething, but I don’t see any new teeth coming in (plus, eloise won’t let me see inside her mouth these days!). I am hoping she will work out whatever was going on & we can get back to more restful night sleep.

eloise is talking & chattering so much these days. she is really loving her “B” & “M” sounds. I don’t mind one bit since I hear a lot of “mama” lately! I know she doesn’t know I am Mama, but it still melts my heart.

waving is also a new fun thing as eloise is starting to catch on. she mostly waves with her hand at herself (it is adorable!), but waved at me on the plane yesterday. she is still doing the low, full arm wave too, but working on moving just her fingers.

happy 39 weeks eloise!