Category: daphne

daphne {week 50}

SONY DSC

{letterboard: Letter Folk (Poet) // onesie: Carter’s // chambray shirt: Carter’s (old; similar) // leggings: Cat and Jack for Target (old; similar) // moccasins: Freshly Picked // lovie: Amazon}

{week 50} Okay, so that little ponytail! The tiny hair ties make me nervous because they are such choking hazards, so we probably won’t do Daphne’s hair like this much, but it’s such a milestone, right?

Daphne, as I mentioned last week, has been a pointing machine. She points at everything. Sometimes it is because she wants that thing (like her milk or water cup) and sometimes it is because that is what she is looking at. But so much pointing. It is super cute!

In the walking department, we are getting much closer! Daphne will still take a few independent steps if is trying to get between two things (like the couch and the table or chair) but took two steps yesterday while FaceTiming with Grammie (and Aaron and Eloise) while I was at Barre. She has also recently discovered that she can get up to her hands and feet (like a bear crawl) from sitting, so she is doing a lot of that. Like tiny yoga. Aaron and I were just reminiscing that Eloise didn’t learn to go from sitting to standing until after she learned to walk, so this may be a game-changer for Daphne!

And again, we are in total denial that it is just TWO weeks until Daphne’s birthday.

And here is Eloise’s 50 week update.

Happy 50 weeks Daphne!

M

This post contains affiliate links.

 

daphne {week 49}

SONY DSC

{letterboard: Letter Folk (Poet) // tee: Old Navy (old) // jeans: babyGap}

{week 49} First of all, can you tell I am slightly obsessed with Daphne’s baby jeans? Seriously. They are the cutest!

About as soon as I hit “publish” on Daphne’s eleven month post saying that she wasn’t signing, she started signing! Just like that she signs “more” which then almost always turns into clapping. It’s just so cute.

This has been a really big week and a bit hard for this mama since Daphne weaned herself this past weekend. I knew it was coming but I was holding out for her hitting 12 months first, so it is a bit of a shock. It’s emotional for me partly because of hormones but partly because Daphne is more than likely our last baby, so this mama is done with nursing. Hard to believe since I have spent just over two years (out of the last 3.5) nursing babies.

But, the most important thing is that Daphne is still doing well and we have replaced that morning nursing session with a cup of milk (formula) with her breakfast. It didn’t make sense to give her a(nother) bottle since we are anticipating weaning her from bottles when she turns one year, so we have been using this ThinkBaby cup that has a soft nipple and was great for transitioning Eloise from a bottle too. At lunchtime I also offer milk in a cup (rather than a bottle) since it is a mealtime, but we keep the bottles after her afternoon nap and at bedtime, and will eventually (in the coming weeks) start moving those servings of milk into a late snack and into dinnertime.

Daphne is really chatty these days and her very favorite thing to say is “good girl.” Any time she sees (or wants to see) Sadie, she says “good girl.” But it is also used when she sees the Roomba (which she LOVES) as well as Eloise! Daphne also says “mama” which is pretty fun, though not as much in context as “good girl.” We have also heard her say “baba” for bottle and “mo mo” for more. Daphne is also pointing a lot with her index finger at things that she likes or sees. And also points to herself!

Cruising along the furniture is happening all day every day, but Daphne doesn’t seem too interested in trying to walk this past week like she was last month. I know it will come and probably sooner than I am ready for, so I am happy that she is taking her time!

There is also clapping. So much clapping. Any time Daphne is happy or excited. Or when she sees something she wants. Like her bottle. She claps and claps and if you don’t give it to her right away (if it’s warming up), she will cry and keep on clapping. It’s the sweetest and saddest thing you have ever seen!

I am in complete disbelief that Daphne will be ONE in just three weeks. But I have commenced party planning and we are looking forward to celebrating this sweet little one! I also scheduled a one year photo shoot since we definitely didn’t do 6 month photos like we did with Eloise…

And here is Eloise’s 49 week update.

Happy 49 weeks Daphne!

This post contains affiliate links.

daphne {month eleven}

SONY DSC

{alligator: Jellycat// sweater: Carter’s (old) // jeans: babyGap // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

{month eleven} Oh boy, eleven months. So bittersweet. I am absolutely loving watching the sweet little person that Daphne is becoming, but I am also really missing Baby Daphne too! Gosh, I just can’t believe she is almost one!

This is the first time in a few months that Daphne hasn’t tried to launch herself off the front of the glider while taking this picture, much to my surprise. One of the reasons I suspect is that she figured out if she leans forwards and backwards, she can make the chair rock! And she was pretty excited about that.

Speaking of excited, any time that Daphne is excited about something, she claps. So there is a lot of applause around here! When she sees her bottle, clapping. When she sees me, Eloise, or Papa first thing in the morning, clapping. When she stands up and sits down, clapping. All day long. But I will never tire of hearing her clapping!

Daphne is constantly on the move. She hardly ever stays in one spot for long and is always chasing after something: the Roomba, Eloise, Sadie, Mama. She is standing really well on her own, but as soon as she realizes she is doing it, she sits! But we are amazed how long she can stand (usually holding something in her hands) and we are so close to the standing and bouncing stage (that comes right before walking). AND Daphne took her first unassisted steps this past weekend! At least that we’ve seen. She was holding onto a walker toy and wanted to get to the side table but her arms weren’t quite long enough to get there without taking a step, so she did! I loved that it was right in front of me and it happened so quickly that I barely realized what was happening. Of course, we tried to re-create it, but that wasn’t happening. I feel like any day now I will look over at her and she will be taking steps.

The drool has returned, though not quite as much as before, and I believe it is because she is getting her fourth tooth on the bottom. You can feel it cutting thru the gum even though there isn’t a tooth bud just yet. And with baby teeth, one moment there isn’t a tooth and the next moment there is! It is crazy how quickly they grow in. She doesn’t seem bothered at all by it either which is so nice.

And just in the last two weeks or so Daphne has officially dropped her late cat nap (did I mention this already?) which means she is awake from the end of her afternoon nap, usually at 3:30 or 4 pm, to bedtime around 7:15 or 7:30. It is a long stretch of time considering she is only up for just over two hours between sleeping periods during the rest of the day. It’s nice that she is up so long during this time because it means she gets more play time and to see Eloise and Aaron more, but it also means that I have two kiddos running around when I am trying to make dinner at 5 pm.

We are still nursing one time in the morning, right before breakfast, but Daphne has become more and more uninterested in that feeding. I think it is partly because at that point, she wants to see Aaron and Eloise and Sadie! I can get her to nurse on one side (generally) for maybe a minute, but that second side is pretty much done. This is also really bittersweet for me. As much as our nursing journey was a struggle in those early days, I will definitely miss this time with Daphne! On the flip-side though, I know some mamas struggle to wean toddlers and there are lots of tears, so I am thankful we aren’t going down that road either.

As with Eloise, we are working on (baby) signs and Daphne is really good about understanding them. We have kept to the same signs we used for Eloise (milk, more, please, water, all done, and eat) but have also added “sit” since Daphne likes to try to stand up in her high chair (good grief). It is pretty early to expect Daphne to be signing anything, though she does wave her hands very enthusiastically in the air when she is all done (moments before she just shoves any extra food off her tray onto the floor…) and bangs on her tray for more food.

And as we approach Daphne’s first birthday, she remains such a good sleeper. She has always been a great self-soother (even as a newborn) which is part of the reason. Her lovie and pacifier are almost a requirement at this point though she will find her thumb if she can’t find one of the three (!) pacis in her crib. We also put both lovies in her crib too since she often panics if she wakes up and can’t find it (even if she’s lying on it and can’t see it). And she will hold both in her hands and rub them on her face. She infrequently wakes up during nap or bed time, and when she does, she very often soothes herself back to sleep. And, sleep related, I know at some point soon Daphne will drop this morning nap and transition to just one long afternoon nap, but for now she is doing really well with two naps that are about 1.5 to 2 hours each (sometimes longer!).

{weight} 22 pounds is my guess.
{hair} blackish brown.
{teeth} three bottom middle teeth, top four teeth, one more on the bottom cutting in.
{eyes} dark grey/brown.
{clothes} 9 months (pants) and 12 months, 12 to 18 months, 18 months (Carter’s).
{diapers} just started into size 4 {from the honest company}.
{feeding} nursing in the morning around 8 am. 4 oz bottles at lunchtime, after nap time, and at dinner. bedtime is around 7:30 with a 4 oz bottle.

{likes} watching and chasing the Roomba, eating, bath time with Eloise, watching big kids or babies, crawling, pulling up to her knees or feet, spinning on her back and belly, teething rings, chewing on anything, sitting in her highchair, banging on her tray, staring at her quilt (from Amanda), rattles, nursing, riding in the car (usually), her big sister Eloise, Sadie, singing, lights, paci, being bounced, being tickled, talking, her Lovie.
{dislikes} having gas, lying down flat, being hungry or tired, not having a bottle immediately after seeing it, having her face or nose wiped off.

{nicknames} Daph, Daph Daph, Daphers, Bug, Snorty, Baby D, Daphne Doo, Daph-a-doo, Love, Lovebug.

And here is Eloise’s eleven month update.

Happy ELEVEN months Daphne!

M

This post contains affiliate links.

daphne {week 48}

SONY DSC

{letterboard: Letter Folk (Poet) // tee: Carter’s (old) // jeans: Gymboree (old) // rattle: Manhattan Toy Company}

{week 48} 5 weeks. Guys, 5 more weeks. How is this baby going to be ONE already?!

Look at that belly Daph! This is one of my favorite shirts of Eloise’s which is an 18 month size, but with Baby D’s belly, I knew we had to try it on earlier (plus I think Carter’s runs a bit small). And sure enough, it fits her perfectly!

I am going to leave this short and sweet because Daphne turns ELEVEN MONTHS on Thursday and I will do a big monthly update!

And here is Eloise’s 48 week update.

Happy 48 weeks Daphne!

M

This post contains affiliate links.

daphne {week 47}

SONY DSC

{letterboard: Letter Folk (Poet) // onesie: Primary // jeans: babyGap // socks: Cat and Jack for Target}

SONY DSC

{And here is the outtake for this week which is a great representation of what almost all but a couple of the photos from our weekly shoots looks like! Always. On. The. Move.}

{week 47} 47?! How is this possible? We are getting so close to 52 weeks and it is so bittersweet. Daphne is such a joyful little soul and as much as I want her to stay little and be my baby, I am so enjoying watching her grow and become a little person.

I mentioned last week that we are still nursing in the morning. This session lasts about a hot minute because there are always SO many things for Daphne to look at or do during this time. So I am not sure how much volume she is actually getting, but for now it seems to work for her. And, these feeding sessions are apparently when Daphne likes to work on her acrobatic and contortion skills! It really is amazing that she can be still attached to me and maneuver herself all around. Again, I am hoping to keep this feeding session until she is one, and then let her self-wean (which Eloise did at 14 months).

Daphne’s newest trick (thanks to Aaron!) is that she will stick out her tongue if she sees you stick out her tongue. Guys, this is the BEST! If you go “Daphne!” and then stick out your tongue, she will stick out hers too. And she is pretty proud of herself. Simple pleasures, right?

Daphne is sort of in-between sizes right now as she is almost too long for 12 months onesies but too small for 18 month onesies, and tee shirts don’t stay down over her belly! We have the plain white Carter’s onesies in about every size, but since I moved Daphne into the 18 size, I dislike the sleeves. They are too long and seem really wide? So unless I roll them way up to her elbow (which defeats the purpose of long-sleeves, right?) they just stretch out into a big old mess. Anyways, this is all to say that the Primary onesie that Daphne is wearing in this week’s photo fits her really well. She is in a 12 to 18 month size (so I would say it runs slightly small) but the sleeves fit well because they are cut to be more slim! I think I will pick up a few more of these long-sleeved onesies (the peter pan collar is adorable) in this size and the next size up!

In the last week I have watched Daphne stand on her own for about 2.5 seconds before she realizes she is standing and sits down. And she has always had something in her hands. Which made me remember that someone told us when Eloise was this age that babies are much more likely to stand if they have something to hold (since they forget they are standing and focus on what they are holding). It makes sense and I remember this being true with Eloise. I am surprised, given the fact that Daphne was rolling and crawling so early, that she isn’t walking at this point, but I know it will happen overnight! So, I am trying to prepare for that…

And I was chatting with Aaron just this week about how crazy it is going to be that in just a few weeks we will have TWO toddlers! {Though Eloise doesn’t seem like much of a toddler these days!}

And here’s Eloise 47 week update.

Happy 47 weeks Daphne!

M

This post contains affiliate links.

daphne {week 45}

Daphne_Week 45.jpg

{letterboard: Letter Folk (Poet) // sweater: made by Aunt Kelly // top: Old Navy (old but similar) // leggings: Target (old) // slippers: Hanna Andersson}

{week 45} This week we have been at Mimi and Paga’s house (my parents) for the week to attend my cousin’s wedding and to have a late Christmas celebration with family.

The drive over was long (10 and a half hours) but Daphne did SO well! She is really such a great little traveler. We woke up the girls early (6 am) to head out of town and Daphne was back to sleep within a few minutes of leaving the house. She also was in a really happy mood when I woke her up which always helps! We kept to the regular routine with mealtimes and naps, stopping for breakfast and lunch, and then Daphne put herself to sleep on the road. Her naps weren’t quite as long as they are when she is in her crib, but she wasn’t fussy so no complaints!

Daphne has done pretty well sleeping. A few nights she has had really good nights where we put her down and she doesn’t make a peep until morning, but we did have one night where she was up and crying for hours (HOURS) before I finally rocked her in the living room and slept with her on my chest on the couch. That entire night was kept thinking “this stinks, please go to sleep” but also “thank you so much for not doing this every night!” We have been using this travel sound machine and it is awesome! {Our old one went thru a crazy amount of batteries but this one is USB. We looked high and low for a good travel sound machine and finally found this one!}

The biggest thing that happened this week was that Daphne learned to clap! And just in time for the wedding. Daphne spent nearly the entire wedding ceremony on Saturday clapping and babbling! It was really sweet and everyone couldn’t stop laughing at her! She is also working on waving too. A big, full arm wave. I love this stage.

And here’s Eloise’s 45 week update (also on my parents’ living room rug)!

Happy 45 weeks Daphne!

M

This post contains affiliate links.

daphne {month ten}

SONY DSC

{alligator: Jellycat // shirt: babyGap (old) // pants: Target (old)}

{month ten} TEN MONTHS?! Ahh, March 1st is way too close. I am not ready for this. Especially when I was putting together our yearly review and seeing all of those tiny baby pictures of Daphne. Where did all that time go?

This picture perfectly captures Daphne’s sweet little belly. Oh my gosh guys, we love this tummy! It is so round and rotund, especially after mealtime, and we have had to start sizing up in shirts in order to cover it! I don’t remember Eloise having quite a belly, but I really hope Daphne’s sticks around for a while.

The biggest change this month has been that I started weaning Daphne which is a pretty big departure from where we were last month! As I have been mentioning in her weekly updates, I started weaning Daphne from the breast to a bottle because she was biting so much. I slowly started dropping nursing sessions and we have been offering a 3 ounce bottle instead and the transition has been super smooth. We had some frozen pumped milk that we alternated with formula in the beginning, and now we are completely on Holle formula (now Stage 3). It seemed like Daphne had a little bit of tummy trouble (crazy diapers!) when we first started with only formula bottles, but she seems to be doing well now. Just yesterday I dropped the lunchtime nursing session so Daph is just nursing first thing in the morning before breakfast. I am still sad about feeling like I needed to wean before I was really ready, but it has been nice at the same time. With Aaron home on leave now, being able to offer bottles gives him more of an opportunity to care for Daphne (and for me to not feel stuck at home). Anyways, we will keep up this current system (hopefully) until Daphne turns one and the formula bottles transition to cups of cow milk.

Despite our guesses, Daphne still isn’t walking or standing on her own yet (we suspected in the fall that she might be walking by New Year’s) but I am thankful. She is already so mobile and for those first few months of walking, there are so many falls and close calls. I am definitely okay on waiting. Daphne doesn’t seem too interested in trying to stand on her own yet and will just drop to her bottom if she wants to move or can’t hold onto something. She is cruising on everything though and has mastered the side-step for sure! We did put up the extra gate in our upstairs hallway to keep Daphne out of the stairwell and entryway. She is learning about stairs still and does well climbing up, but still is pretty far from being able to do stairs well.

In the past few weeks, Daphne has moved into a 4 hour feeding schedule. It has been nice to have more time in the afternoon before she goes down for a nap, especially since Eloise does “quiet time” rather than nap time now. The naps move around a bit depending on what we are doing that day or whether Daphne is more or less tired, but have been averaging 2 hours each!

7:30 am to 8:30 am – wake-up and nursing

8:30 am – breakfast

10 am – morning nap

noon – bottle and lunch

2 pm – afternoon nap

4 pm – bottle and sometimes a snack (if she sees Eloise eating one)

5 pm – occasional 30 minute catnap

6 pm – bottle and dinner

7:30ish pm – bottle and bedtime

And lastly we fully moved Daphne to her convertible car seat since she had outgrown her infant seat (in height, not in weight). Plus, she was getting heavy enough that I couldn’t very easily carry the infant seat! We picked up a new Britax Boulevard with Clicktight for her during Amazon’s Black Friday sale and we have been pretty happy with it. It is basically the updated version of Eloise’s seat so we aren’t learning an entirely new seat (really nice). The Clicktight feature is new for us though (we didn’t opt for the upgrade with Eloise) but it makes installing the seat so much easier! Daphne seems pretty content in her new seat and can see Eloise better now (she is rear-facing while E is forward-facing) and she likes that. She also has more access to her toys (we have this storage console in the middle seat) which is helpful! A rear-facing seat is a little tight in our current SUV since it requires the passenger seat to be pretty far forward, but it works well enough.

{weight} 20ish pounds. we don’t have a scale, so I will weigh her later in the week!
{hair} blackish brown.
{teeth} two bottom middle teeth, top four teeth, one more on the bottom cutting in.
{eyes} dark grey/brown.
{clothes} 9 months and 12 months, 6 to 12 months, starting into 12 to 18 months.
{diapers} size 3 {from the honest company}. At home we are doing cloth (Grovia) and disposables when we go out and overnight.
{feeding} nursing in the morning around 8 am. 3 oz bottles at lunchtime, after naptime, and at dinner. bedtime is around 7:30 with a 3 or 4 oz bottle.

{likes} watching and chasing the Roomba, eating, bath time with Eloise, watching big kids or babies, crawling, pulling up to her knees or feet, spinning on her back and belly, teething rings, chewing on anything, sitting in her highchair, staring at her quilt (from Amanda), rattles, nursing, riding in the car (usually), her big sister Eloise, Sadie, singing, lights, paci, being bounced, sucking on her hands, being tickled, talking (cooing).
{dislikes} having gas, lying down flat right after eating, being hungry or tired, not having a bottle immediately after seeing it, having her face or nose wiped off.

{nicknames} Daph, Daph Daph, Daphers, Bug, Snorty, Baby D, Daphne Doo, Daph-a-doo, Love, Lovebug.

And here is Eloise’s ten month update.

Happy 10 months Daphne!

M

This post contains affiliate links.

daphne {week 43}

SONY DSC

{letterboard: Letter Folk (Poet) // tunic: Target (old) // leggings: Target (old)}

{week 43} This past week has gone so quickly, mostly because we were leading up to Christmas!

Daphne visited the dentist last week for her first check-up. We were already taking Eloise in for an appointment (she goes every 6 months) and since Daphne had teeth this time, the dentist went ahead with the first check-up. Mostly it was just having the hygienist clean her teeth with a gauze pad and then having the dentist check to make sure her teeth are coming in correctly. And while Daphne did NOT like having her teeth looked at, everything looks good!

And on a related note, I noticed this week that she has another tooth (on the bottom) making an appearance and it has already cut, so here’s to SEVEN teeth for little Daph!

We got to get together with some of Eloise’s PEPS friends late last week for a play date and chose the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center play gym since there were so many big kids. But Daphne had a good time climbing around and playing and watching all of the kids (nearly all were bigger than her). The only tricky part was that Daphne was really interested in trying to climb on all of the big bikes and scooters… keeps me on my toes!

Weaning is still going well and I am holding strong on the first morning feeding. We have had some biting during that feeding, but not too bad. I just am not ready to completely give it up yet! But I started weaning her from the lunch feeding, offering just one side, and it has gone well. So this week I will completely wean her from nursing at lunchtime and offer her a bottle instead. And at some point the bottles will become cups of milk. Crazy that we are so close to that!

We also celebrated Christmas this past weekend, and since it was Daphne’s FIRST Christmas it seemed extra special. She has been in love with the Christmas tree (and specifically the lights!) but has mostly left it alone. I was a little worried that she was going to destroy it or try to eat all of the needles, but she has done a really good job still. I can’t blame her for being curious about it since it sits in the “play area” of our living room, and it sparkles with lights, and there are presents underneath. Daphne would help open some of her presents if we started ripping for her, but mostly she just wanted to chew on everything. So Eloise was happy to help her open everything up! We started letting the girls open one present starting a few days before Christmas because there were so. many. gifts. And even then, Christmas morning was overwhelming! It took us all day to open presents and there was so much over-stimulation. Daphne was interested in some things and the ribbons, but there was just way too much going on. I think next year we will take a note from our Jewish friends and spend 8 nights opening Christmas presents!

And here is Eloise’s 43 week update.

Happy 43 weeks Daphne!

M

Pinterest Christmas {2017} : Photos with the Christmas Tree.

Welcome back to the last week of Pinterest Christmas! {See week ONE and TWO here.}

It is a stretch to call this a Pinterest Christmas project because it is just a photoshoot with the girls in front of the Christmas tree and with lights, but since there are a zillion posts about how to take pictures with Christmas trees and with lights, I am just going with it! Mostly it is helpful to reference any of those posts to figure out what manual settings you should set your SLR camera to in order to capture the glow of the Christmas lights in a dark-ish setting without being too blurry.

So without further adieu, we head into the Christmas weekend with a ton of pictures of the girlies!

SONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSC

And see Eloise’s Christmas photo shoot here.

Outfits: {Eloise: jammies: Hanna Andersson // hairbow: Adaline’s Bow Line // Santa hat: made by Aunt Kelly} {Daphne: jammies: Hanna Andersson // Santa hat: made by Aunt Kelly}

Did you take pictures in front of the tree this year?

M

This post contains affiliate links.