baby – Page 8 – emerald city diaries

diy easter baskets.

just wanted to share a pretty quick & easy DIY easter basket made from a paper grocery bag before Easter weekend. I made two last week – one for eloise & one for our niece charlotte. the finished basket is pretty small (like the size of a CD case) but perfect for just a little stuffed rabbit & some eggs.

{original pin: The Elli Blog}

supplies:

paper bag
hot glue gun & glue sticks
scissors
ruler
pencil
ribbon (optional)
green construction paper (optional)

I followed the tutorial linked above (it’s a pretty good one). I always forget how hard hot glue can be to use & gave myself a blister, so be careful! I also found the handles to be tricky to attach.

I added a bit of grass to two of the sides of the basket without handles. I cut a piece of paper the same width as the basket & then randomly cut the edge of it (a few inches) to make blades of grass. then I trimmed the bottom of the paper & glued it inside the basket so the blades stuck out. repeat for the other side.

{a little white bunny for eloise}

{a little ballerina bunny for charlotte}

note: both bunnies are JellyCat.

how are you celebrating easter with your little ones?

PEPS annual luncheon.

I am certain I have PEPS before {see here} because it has been a HUGE part of our life since eloise arrived on the scene. eloise & I ended up in two different PEPS groups since last fall – a mamas’ group & a parents’ group. I still continue to meet with my fellow mamas & their babes every monday morning (despite the formal group being over), & all three of us (aaron, eloise, & me) meet with our fellow parents & their babes every month. it is such an amazing community & I know that so much of the joy that I have found in parenting & being home with eloise has come from these groups. I only wish that every parent had access to a group like this! & if you are lucky enough to live in the seattle-eastside area, definitely look into PEPS if you are expecting or have very small children.

each year PEPS hosts an annual luncheon which brings together it’s board members, volunteers, participants, & others to join together & raise a large part of its annual budget. I was thrilled that eloise & I were able to attend, along with another mama friend. the food was amazing as was the company. PEPS is doing amazing, amazing things both in our local community & far beyond the state borders (like partnering with programs in Germany!) & it was exciting to be a part of it.

there were event photographers floating around the event & happened to take a few snaps of eloise & me. that first one of us even made the PEPS website (scroll to the bottom) & the thank you letter emailed out to attendees!

{photos via The Happy Film Company}

I am so thankful for our ability to be part of PEPS & can’t wait for next year’s luncheon!

are (or were) you part of any parenting groups or communities?

eloise {week 32}

{top: Carter’s // jeans: babyGap (similar) // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

{week 32} this week has been all about teeth. eloise has been cutting her bottom two teeth for some time. the right one is very visible, & the left is well beyond just a little white spot. I just assumed that her two front teeth would be next (since that has been the typical growth pattern for all of eloise’s friends) & although those front teeth look imminent, it is actually the one to the right of the middle that has made it’s entrance. aaron discovered it this weekend & we didn’t even realize eloise was cutting that tooth since she didn’t seem fussy/drooly/stuffy/etc.

beyond growing teeth, eloise is busy. she is constantly moving (even in her sleep – she is all over her crib!) & never staying still. I think this is good practice for, well, the rest of her life. if eloise is being held, she either wants to be facing you & poking or pulling at your hair or nose; if she is nursing, she is constantly looking around & grabbing what she can & waving her arms; if she is on the ground, she is rolling & scooting around; & if she is sitting, she is tapping her (right) foot – tap, tap, tap!

eloise can also sit completely by herself now, & since she can pretty safely get down to her side or tummy from sitting, it feels much more real. you can set her down now on her playmat on her bum & she will play independently. she loves to pull everything out of her toy baskets, examining each toy & tasting any tags she can find along the way. I find that I am often putting toys back in the baskets for her after playtime since it makes me feel better (organized!) & eloise prefers a cleaned up playspace – win-win! I know it will get old very soon for me to continue cleaning up toys, but for now I don’t mind & I find that it also increases eloise’s exposure to some toys that may otherwise be forgotten. that said, when (if at all) did you mamas out there start rotating toys? we have toys in the living room, toys in the diaper bag, & toys in eloise’s nursery, but I haven’t started rotating things out yet (but would like to at some point).

happy 32 weeks eloise!

P.S. only 20 weeks left until she is one – where did the time go?

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eloise {week 31}

{chambray shirt: babyGap // leggings: Gymboree // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

{week 31} so this is fun: see eloise 31 weeks in my belly!

this week seems like it is just setting our new normal. not a lot of exciting things to report or any big changes.

eloise has been consistently taking three hour plus naps a day – hooray! sometimes she will wake up 45 minutes or so into her nap & start to talk to herself (or her lovie I suppose) & then soon enough she is back to sleep. it has been nice to know she is sleeping well during the day & that it is so consistent since that makes it easier for me to plan my days! sleeping at night is going well, but eloise has been waking up fussing around 3 am for the past few days. that isn’t too fun since she is still waking between 4 and 6 am for a feeding. just as I am getting back to sleep it seems she is waking me up again! I have definitely been taking advantage of eloise’s morning naps lately to get a little more shut-eye of my own. plus, who wants to be dressed before 11 am anyways?

eloise is still a roly-poly & will pretty much flip over immediately whether you put her down on her back or on her tummy. she doesn’t seem to mind the hardwood floors at all, despite having blankets down in her playspace in the living room. she is engaging so much with toys these days & often lights up when she sees a specific toy. sitting is also still going well & she is getting better at it each day.

food & eating is eloise’s new fascination. any food that she sees she thinks she is meant to eat! we have been continuing with the purees & BLW which is going so well. I am still liking the combination of foods. eloise has eaten everything we have offered her, & even though she always makes a face on her first bite of food, she happily eats. yesterday I roasted sweet potato spears & cauliflower, & she was delighted. I have been trying not to share any of my own food bias & introducing her to a wide spectrum of food (broccoil & cauliflower are not my favorites). I also introduced quinoa which is a nice change I am sure from just the fruits & veggies. she doesn’t quite get eating it by herself, but seems to enjoy it mixed up with pureed food. we are still working on teaching eloise how to drink from a sippy cup & straw, but she mostly just wants to play with the cup. oh well. we have lots of time before she will really need water for hydration.

happy 31 weeks eloise!

eloise {week 30}

{dress: Crewcuts // leggings: babyGap}

{week 30} I am not sure what about 30 weeks feels so old, but it does! eloise – you are growing up way too fast! all of the updates for this week are in eloise’s seven month post from yesterday {HERE}.

happy 30 weeks eloise!

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eloise {month seven}

{lion: jellycat via nordstrom // dress: Tea Collection via nordstrom // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

{I also wanted to share to share this outtake – haha! this kid loves her feet, especially when she is wearing moccasins. these photoshoots have become much more entertaining as eloise is more mobile.}

{month seven} this month has been such a fun month! eloise is at a fun age where she is super interactive, but not too mobile to be stressful. she loves to laugh & talk & basically have a good time all day. it is pretty delightful to be her mama.

eloise is learning to wave these days. we often wave to her by moving our entire arm back & forth & saying “hello eloise!” (which she loves). she is doing the entire arm wave, mostly practicing while nursing. & she is also learning to wave with just her hand & I often see her starting at her own hand & moving her wrist around. apparently it is very entertaining. we are very much looking forward to eloise waving to say hello & good-bye!

it really isn’t a surprise given her parents that eloise is a chatty little one. she is constantly babbling & talking & singing, whether someone is with her or not. she is starting to make pretty distinctive sounds – vowels mostly but some consonants. just this afternoon when we were reading Moo, Baa, La La La before naptime (it’s one of our favorites!) I got to the very end of the book & the last line is “It’s quiet now what do you say?” & eloise squealed. it was so perfect!

eloise has always been a good eater & has continued that trend as we have introduced more & more solid food. we are still doing a mix of purees (from this amazing site!) & baby-led weaning. with the purees, I am taking the opportunity to introduce & mix different fruits & veggies along with different spices. with the hand-held solids, I am either steaming & drizzling with olive oil or roasting with olive oil or coconut oil. we are still just doing solids in the evenings for dinner, but this week I hope to start with solids at lunch as well. the past few days eloise has been interested in what I have been eating for lunch & since I put her in her highchair so she can join me at the table for lunch, I have been offering sliced apples to her. apples are great for her to chew on, though not much actually gets chewed & swallowed. plus sadie isn’t a fan of apples so she isn’t very helpful in cleaning up what eloise throws on the floor…

just in the past week eloise has become such a good sitter. she is much more stable & doesn’t need much spotting at all anymore. I still do worry since she doesn’t know how to get out of sitting & onto her back or tummy yet & we have hardwood floors. eloise is also rolling, rolling all the time – on her playmat, in her crib, everywhere! it seems like she is more motivated to move around now that she knows she can get what she wants more easily. we haven’t started with any crawling-type motions, but since eloise can spin on her tummy around & around, I am sure army crawling is just around the corner.

sleeping is going well & I don’t want to jinx it other than to say we are still very much on a three nap schedule during the day & I don’t see that changing any time soon!

this past month brought eloise’s first diaper rash & first cold, neither of which hindered her joyful spirit. even through the coughing & stuffy nose this little one has been her same happy self, giggling & smiling all day long. she definitely has her moments of melt-down & fussiness, but so far it is few & far between. nearly everyone comments on how happy eloise is – strangers & friends alike – & it really is true!

{weight} I would say 18ish lbs.

{hair} dark reddish brown.

{teeth} bottom left tooth is in & bottom right tooth is on its way.

{eyes} dark brown/grey.

{clothes} a few 3 to 6 months (onesies). 6 to 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 6 oz bottle of pumped milk.

{likes} books, staring at the books on her bookshelves, singing & being sung to, standing (with help), bathtime, licking everything, stripes & polka dots, Sadie, tags, eating, drinking water out of a cup, rolling.

{dislikes} being hungry, teething, getting her face wet, the Nose Frida, having her face wiped off (you have to make funny sounds when you do it).

{nicknames} Bug{s}, Love Bug, E, Wheezy, Kiddo, Little Love, Bugaboo.

happy SEVEN months eloise!

*a lot of people are surprised when I tell them that we cloth diaper & are skeptical that we will continue (I get a lot of “oh, but disposables are so convenient! you’ll switch soon.” seriously.) but 7 months in, we are still sold! I have been using a lot more disposables lately to help with eloise’s bout of diaper rash since the diaper cream that I like isn’t compatible with cloth, & I am now even more sure that I love cloth! it really isn’t that much work, even using cloth wipes too, & feels so much less wasteful! I realize that there is a water usage issue (vs. solid waste in a landfill) but I feel like our impact on the earth is way less with cloth. I know it isn’t the decision that every parent will make & isn’t the best choice for everyone, but we are really happy with it. {off my soapbox}

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eloise {6 month photos}

well, eloise is closing on 7 months (next week!) so I thought it would be a time to share our favorite photos from her 6 month photoshoot.

these were taken by Melissa Shaw who also shot our maternity photos & newborn photos. we love her & are really sad that she is closing up her studio! {on a side note, any local mamas have a family photographer that they love? we need a new one for one year photos & probably annual family photos.)

{sunsuit romper: Misha & Puff // onesie: Old Navy // cords: babyGap // dress: Crewcuts // hat: Heavensentjs // bow: Lululuvs // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

love you eloise & happy 6 months!

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eloise {week 29}

{shirt: Carter’s // jeggings: Carter’s // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

{week 29} this week just flew right by! eloise has been such a happy kiddo, despite her first tooth that is moving into her mouth. at this point you can see the top of it & feel it (razor sharp!). it doesn’t seem to be bothering her too much at this point which is great since it was doing a great job at disrupting naps last week.

sitting is going well & each day it seems like eloise is getting sturdier. she will still bail or just fall over pretty often, so she needs spotting, but I know that pretty soon she will be sitting on her own. she is still excellent at rolling & now rolls towards whatever catches her eye – baby-proofing commence!

earlier this week I took eloise to a local swimming pool with another mom friend & her daughter. it was the first time eloise had been in the water other than the bath, but since we are hoping to start swimming lessons next month, I figured I should introduce her sooner rather than later. she definitely wasn’t sure at first. I sat down with her in the very shallow end (it was just a few inches) and let her sit & splash. the pool had a lot of fountains & water features which I know she will love when she is older, but I think they were a little scary. we pretty quickly moved into the “hot tub” which eloise seemed to enjoy. the water was warmer, it was a smaller pool, & only a few other people. eloise enjoyed floating on her back & holding her feet (happy baby pose!). I also put her on her tummy & she actually kicked around a bit. she’s not a huge fan of water on her face, but there were some splashes & she did really well! this made me really excited for swimming lessons & also for this summer!

eloise is so vocal these days & is constantly blabbering or cooing. she loves to talk when we are driving & also when we are walking around which catches the attention of lots of strangers everywhere we go! we still think she is saying “yeah” as well as “da” & “ga.” she has put together “da” a couple of times, but hasn’t really gotten to “dada” yet. I am working on “ma” as her next sound! eloise also does this thing where she opens & closes her mouth like she is talking, but she doesn’t make any sounds. it is like she is practicing, but doesn’t want to be too loud. usually after she does that a few times she will start softly making sounds & then get louder & louder. our bets are that eloise is a very vocal child!

eloise is still loving her exersaucer & has really learned to stand up & bounce in it! I try not to put her in it for too long each day, but it is so nice if I am in the kitchen trying to cook or clean up. she is such an active roller that I have to have eyes on her all the time if she is on her play mat. plus, it is great for eloise to have the opportunity to be up off the back of her head, which is one big thing her PT had suggested for gaining neck strength & movement.

solids are still going really well (other than the on-going diaper rash… boo. I may need to take her into her pediatrician if it doesn’t clear up in the next few days?). eloise is really enjoying eating still & seems to like everything we have offered. we recently tried zucchini & carrots (cut up in big, long sticks & roasted with olive oil) & she loved both! I have been doing one serving of puree & one serving of hand-held solids. that seems to work pretty well & give eloise a good variety of taste & texture. she is pretty much feeding herself with a spoon & also drinking water out of a sippy cup with help. I think next week I will start adding solids around lunchtime too (right now we only do dinner).

happy 29 weeks eloise!

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eloise {week 28}

{sweater: babyGap // leggings: babyGap}

{week 28} busy, busy is how I would describe this week! eloise is constantly in motion & always wanting to go, go, go! rolling, sitting, & standing with support – where did my teeny, tiny baby go?

even though I have claimed eloise has been “teething” since the new year, I am only now sure that she is getting teeth. it is tricky to see since she sticks out her tongue every time you pull down her bottom lip (it’s cute, really!), but there are in fact two little teeth trying to make an appearance. I have been able to get eloise to open wide by opening my own mouth & she mimics me – also so cute!

another thing this week has brought is eloise’s first diaper rash. maybe it’s the teeth or solids? not sure. it isn’t too bad & doesn’t seem to bother her too much, so that’s good. I have had her in disposables only so I can lather on diaper cream {I have been using this one from the Honest Company & really like it so far!} but am super open to suggestions!

eating is going really well still & we have introduced a few new foods: avocado & prunes. broccoli is also on the menu for this week – whole, not pureed – just as an introduction. eloise will feed herself purees with a spoon (we load the puree on first) & is really loving BLW solids (so far just apple slices & banana segments).

eloise’s dexterity & coordination continues to amaze us as we watch her develop at lightning speed! she can transfer things from one hand to the other, & rakes her fingers over different fabrics & objects. she also does this insanely cute thing where she will look at something & study it in her hands, & then raise her eyebrows – it’s adorable & I wish I could get it on video!

crawling doesn’t seem imminent based on eloise’s lack of knee use while on her tummy (watch me eat my words!) but she is a roly-poly little bug. if she is down on her playmat or a blanket, or in her crib, she is all over the place! she sometimes still gets stuck on her tummy at night & fusses, but will go right back to sleep once she is rolled (or more recently she will just sleep on her tummy too). we definitely need to baby-proof at least our living room since eloise is definitely mobile!

eloise is also still such a chatty little one! she is most vocal in the evening times (when papa gets home!) & during diaper changes. she often talks to herself while playing with toys & it is endlessly cute! there aren’t any definite consonants, but so many types of sounds. aaron & i do both think she says “yeah” though.

happy 28 weeks eloise!

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eloise {starting solids}.

on eloise’s six month birthday we introduced her to solids. honestly, I was a bit hesitant & we didn’t see a need to rush solid foods, but we got the go-ahead from eloise’s pediatrician & decided it was time.

I made two different purees to start with & plan on making more as we continue to introduce food. we also plan to integrate baby-led weaning in along with purees which is just when you introduce small chunks of food to babies that they feed themselves (rather than just sticking with purees). there are lots of different schools of thought on feeding babies, but using both purees and baby-led weaning is what makes the most sense for us.

instead of starting eloise on the “traditional track” of baby rice cereal, we gave her sweet potatoes as her first solid. there are a lot of reasons why doctors and parents choose rice cereal first (including iron), but we really want eloise to have a good base of whole foods in her diet & decided to start with that. I plan to introduce rice cereal in the coming week or weeks.

last week I made apple sauce & sweet potato puree using recipes from the Baby Foode website. I have done quite a bit of reading on making purees & I really like the recipes on this site.

{apple + cinnamon puree}

{sweet potato + cinnamon puree – I subbed cinnamon for curry}

both recipes call for water/stock/breastmilk for thinning out the purees when blending. with both of these purees I used breastmilk to thin at that stage, but won’t do that again in the future. it isn’t that there is anything wrong with it, but I feel like {in hindsight} it wasn’t necessary since I add breastmilk to the purees after warming it up to thin in out a bit before feeding eloise.

we started with the sweet potato for a couple of days & then added apples. eloise LOVES the sweet potato! she seems to like the apples too, they are just a bit tart {& she makes the cutest face!}.

as you can see below, eloise is all about holding the spoon. if we put puree on the spoon & give it to her, she can put it in her mouth – pretty amazing! she is still learning about swallowing & so much of the puree is everywhere but her mouth, but she is learning & enjoying!

we are using the bumbo seat & tray for now at feeding time, & sit it right in the middle of our dining room table. at some point soon we are going to move her to her highchair {with a tray} so that she can really be part of the dinner table. we will probably still feed her before we eat since her bedtime is so early, but I like the idea of having her sit at the table with aaron & me. we also learned from another mama friend to strip babies down to just a diaper before eating time – best advice ever! eloise is pretty much covered from head to toe after she eats.

eloise’s bib is from a company I found on instagram called Snap Bibs. after knowing what spit-up & drool can do to fabric, I knew we needed {& wanted} a heavier duty bib. Snap Bibs are vinyl {with a snap!} & not only hold food, but clean up so easily! eloise has the Clementine one in small which just so happened to match her sweet potatoes! I am planning on ordering a few more in both the small & large sizes. I may also try some other types of bibs for eating, but so far I really like these ones & I love the idea of supporting small, women-owned businesses.

a lot of people think that I am crazy for thinking that I can make all of eloise’s food, but honestly it is a lot less work than I thought it would be. if I was working full-time outside of the house it would be a different story, but for now I plan on making all of her purees. I like being able to pick out the {organic} produce & then add spices & flavor. at some point I will probably start feeding eloise a version of what we are eating for lunch or dinner, but for now I am happy to make different fruit & veggie purees for her to sample!

next up:

-avocado (mashed)

-bananas (mashed)

–apricot + pear + coconut oil puree (minus the apricots since they aren’t in season, so probably subbing bananas?)

-baby rice cereal

have you made purees for your little one?

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