family + adventures + the emerald city
{letterboard: Letter Folk (Poet) // henley romper: June and January // play mat: Skip Hop}
{week 31} I just shared Daphne’s seven month post on Sunday so go check it out for all of her most recent updates!
Happy 31 weeks Daphne!
M
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{letterboard: Letter Folk (Poet) // shirt and cords: babyGap (old) // teether toothbrush: Amazon}
{week 30} Gah, 30 weeks?! It feels like such a milestone number. And in my brain I keep thinking “Gosh, only 22 weeks until she’s one!” and then I realize that’s nearly as long as she’s been alive!
Just in the past few days Daphne has started sitting really well on her own. I try to put her down on her bum with some toys around, but before she would almost immediately tip over and get to her belly (so she could crawl around). She’s much more interested in sitting up now and can spend quite a bit of time sitting, playing, and staying upright. I don’t think she’s sturdy enough to leave on the hardwood floor without someone within arm’s reach yet, but we are definitely getting there! I remember loving this stage with Eloise because I could sit her down and she would play and stay in the same spot; not so much with Daphne because it is just a matter of time before she gets to her belly and starts rolling and crawling all over!
And much more in the past week Daphne is up on her hands and knees and really rocking back and forth. I know this is a pre-cursor for full-on crawling, which we have been expecting is just around the corner. Daphne also spends a lot of time planking (forearms on the ground but up on her toes) which is impressive and will also help her build strength and coordination for crawling.
Daphne is LOVING solids still and has gobbled up everything we have given her: salmon, beef, broccoli, sweet potato, egg, apple, peach, and the list goes on. We are using the same mentality for food that we did with Eloise which is to expose Daphne to as many flavors and types of food as we can, even though Eloise is much pickier now, she is still a really great eater! I have noticed that Daphne will often make a face (like a yuck face) when she first tries something, even if it’s something she has had before, but it only lasts thru the first bite, and then she happily eats it! This past weekend we introduced scrambled egg which she seemed to enjoy, but more importantly did not seem to have any allergic reaction to. I didn’t suspect that she would have an egg allergy, but we have a lot of baby/toddler friends with egg allergies, so I was on a bit of an alert. I think we need to continue the egg exposure, but for now I am not too worried about it.
Since introducing solids, I have noticed that Daphne is much more left-hand dominant than I expected her to be. When playing, she uses both hands, but when she’s feeding herself, it is almost always with her left hand! (This is sort of making my Mama heart so happy because I always wanted to be left-handed! Don’t even ask me why.) But, she is a right thumb sucker for sure, so maybe she’ll be ambidextrous? Eloise was basically born right-hand dominant (like without question) and I know some kids are as old as grade school before a dominant side or preference is shown, but I have a feeling Daphne may surprise us all and be a little lefty!
And finally this week we have retired her bibs (for a bit) because she just isn’t drooling as much. I suspect that her two first teeth are pretty much in at this point and that the next one(s) aren’t imminent. At least that is what I am hoping because even though she never showed signs that teething was painful, it’s got to be, right? And as much as I love her little bandana bibs, I am thankful for the (slightly) less amount of laundry I have to do, and that I don’t have to remember to put a bib on her when we are running out the door (which is basically always, especially during the week)!
And see an almost identical picture of Eloise here!
Happy 30 weeks Daphne!
M
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{letterboard: Letter Folk (Poet) // hoodie: Childhoods (old; similar) // jeggings: Levi’s (old) // moccasins: Freshly Picked // bib: DIY with Rifle Paper Co. fabric}
{week 29} This week solids have continued to go well and I am still trying to offer them twice per day, at lunch and dinner time after Daphne nurses. We are still doing a mix of purees and BLW foods. So far Daphne has tried: roasted sweet potatoes, watermelon, steamed broccoli, red grapes (quartered), black beans, and apple slices. We also introduced peanuts and didn’t get an allergic reaction which is a relief; it was highly unlikely that either of our girls would have a (pea)nut allergy but you never know. Our pediatrician suggested that we introduce a snack food called Bambas which is made almost entirely of peanuts (think a similar texture to a Cheeto but tastes like peanut butter) rather than trying to introduce straight peanut butter (which was super tricky last time around)!
And also (since I know you have been waiting with baited breath) we finally got poop! After almost 13 days… guys, it was stressful. But Daphne wasn’t showing any signs that she was in pain or that there were any issues, so her doctor really wasn’t worried. That said, I am very sad to have left the (solely) breast milk poop days and move into the real poop days. It’s so stinky. And always makes me re-think our decision to cloth diaper! (Okay, not really, but sort of.)
Since big sister Eloise is in school now and Mama wants/needs to get out of the house to get things done, a few more morning naps are on-the-go. It is hit or miss, but mostly what happens is that Daphne will nap either in the car seat or in the Ergo (or Solly wrap) but it’s for a much shorter time than a nap in her crib would be. And then if she has had an on-the-go morning nap, I really make sure she is home for her afternoon nap (which is pretty easy since Eloise naps at the same time).
Happy 29 weeks Daphne!
M
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{romper: Gymboree // lettuce rattle from this farmer’s market set // quilt: gift from neighbor}
{week 52} & the final monthly photo. phew! no big update for the week since I just posted eloise’s month twelve/one year update here.
also, I have been asked about whether I will be continuing with weekly updates, & the answer is no. it has been such a challenge to get eloise to stay still these past few weeks months as it is! I will be continuing with monthly updates, however, & will be sure to share big updates. thanks for following along in this first year!
happy 52 weeks eloise!
M
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{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!
M
{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!
M
*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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{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!
M
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{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.
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!
M
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{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!
M
this post contains affiliate links.
{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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