emerald city diaries – Page 58 – family + adventures + the emerald city

project house {pro photos}

so many of you have been asking about seeing updated photos of our newly renovated space. we have been so eager to share, but nothing seems quite finished. I know the rooms will never really be “finished” but I am hoping to get to the point (soon!) that they are blog worthy enough to share.

any-hoo, I did want to share some professional photos that our architects had taken a few weeks ago.

{photo credit: Perspective Image Photography}

I also finally updated the Project House tab so you can see all of the phases of construction (pretty much until we moved in).

I wish my house always looked that good!

my weekend in pictures.

{eloise discovered how fun her bathroom floor is to crawl on.}

{sadie’s favorite thing these days is eloise’s high chair. food magically appears under it!}

{we had such a fun play date with the sadliers on friday morning. eloise & elliott are just a few weeks apart so it is fun to see them together!}

{needed an afternoon pick-me-up after a busy friday afternoon running errands.}

{eloise had some major bedhead on saturday morning!}

{eloise & I headed out to her swim lesson on saturday morning, & were only a few minutes late! she was rocking her watermelon swim diaper & stripey rashguard – so, so cute!}

{this is how you get ready when you have a nine-month-old crawling around at your feet.}

{we celebrated with patsy, the beautiful mama-to-be on saturday afternoon!}

{I have started giving eloise kitchen utensils to play with while I prep her dinner. thanks for the tip about the silicone pastry brush amanda!}

{I got new cloth napkins (& that gorgeous glassybaby} as part of my mother’s day gift this year & picked up some placemats to match the springy theme.}

{eloise has discovered how fun it is to play peek-a-boo with the foldable laundry basket. she was all giggles this weekend.}

{spent my saturday night catching up on blogs & sipping hot chocolate in bed after eloise went down. & then I went to sleep at 9:30. it was glorious!}

{I think sadie got the memo that aaron was coming home this afternoon. she waited all day on her stool looking out the window.}

{that grin!}

{eloise & I were flipping thru her picture book, & she was pointing & smiling at the faces (of her, me, & aaron), & her toys. it was really cool!}

aaron was out of town {celebrating cale’s bachelorhood} in vegas this weekend, so eloise & I were flying solo. we had lots of plans & it felt like we were on the go all weekend. it was great to see so many people & get a surprising amount of things done despite the complete lack of photos. but you just really want to see pictures of eloise, right? we are glad to have papa back in town & gearing up for a new week. how was your weekend?

friday I’m in love.

welcome back friday! be sure to pop over to see what kendra, mary beth, amanda, laura, & aileen to the fun! & also please welcome jessica to the party! we would love for you to join us! leave a comment and we’ll come check out what you’re loving each week!

since we just got back from traveling, I thought I would share some of my favorites from traveling with eloise. {also, I know I owe you an update with pics from our trip. coming soon!}

{one} car sun shade.

{via Amazon}

as we are moving further into spring, I noticed we needed a sun shade in our car to keep eloise out of the sun, despite having tinted windows. we tried a more traditional shade that clips to the top of the window, but as a safety feature our windows automatically go down if there is something in the way of the window… bummer. I did a quick Amazon search & found these great cling shades. I have been happy with them so far & was excited that they are easily packable {they roll into a travel pouch}. it was great to bring these along since it was already summer-y weather in indiana.

{two} placemat.

{via Amazon}

we bring this placemat with us when we go out to eat at restaurants so I knew we would want to bring it when we were traveling the past few weeks. it doesn’t suction very well to most tables, but it does good enough. we used it all week in indiana at aaron’s parents’ house as they had just a booster seat & a glass table. we also used it on the airplane tray flying home during dinnertime & it was perfect!

{three} glass food containers.

{via Amazon}

I talked about these briefly in eloise’s nine month post, but in thinking about the things we used most while traveling, these are high on the list. I used these containers daily to prep eloise’s meals, either to defrost frozen fruit or veggies, to store extra food (to feed at the next mealtime), or to pack food on-the-go. I am a weirdo about plastic & like that these are glass (even though I don’t put them in the microwave), plus they hold the perfect amount of food for eloise!

what are you loving this week?

this post contains affiliate links.

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!

my weekend in pictures.

{eloise & crosby got to hang out for the first time on friday afternoon.}

{eloise & her cousin charlotte playing at their nana & papaw’s.}

{uncle aaron trying his darndest to wear out all of the kiddos!}

{cousin frankie helping with eloise’s bedtime.}

{eloise enjoyed breakfast this morning complete with a greek yogurt beard!}

{we had Mother’s Day brunch with the glbertsons & this is the best we could get of all of the kiddos – crosby, kenley, & eloise.}

{ah! what a fun way to spend Mother’s Day weekend with this wonderful woman kendra! I was thrilled we were both in the same place in the world today. let’s move seattle & orlando closer together…}

{eloise got to meet her great grandma eileen this afternoon. what a treat!}

{eloise & beau playing before dinnertime. beau lets her get closer than sadie does & she loves it!}

{spent the last part of daylight on the golf course with aaron & his dad sam. thanks for the lesson!}

we spent the weekend in indiana visiting with aaron’s family & it has been a whirlwind of family & friends – so fun to introduce eloise to everyone! the weather has been summer-y which we have been enjoying since we probably won’t get this weather in seattle for a few more months… I will be sure to share many more pics from the trip after we get home (probably next week sometime?). how was your weekend?

eloise {month nine}

{lion: jellycat via nordstrom // dress: Old Navy // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

{month nine} this seems like such a big milestone. I think it is because she is so much closer to being one than she is to zero… how did that happen?

this month’s post is pretty much all about eating! {these days I feel like all I do is prep food & clean-up the kitchen, & repeat!}

eloise is still eating (& enjoying) three meals a day (in addition to milk six times a day!). unlike her parents, eloise is a very leisurely eater often spending her entire wake time between naps eating. she is really starting to master feeding herself, but it is still messy enough that I strip her down to her diaper during mealtimes. in the mornings eloise has more fruits on her plate & by her dinner she has almost all veggies. this is mostly a time thing for me since slicing up fruit takes less time than roasting veggies!

I have gotten in a good habit of prepping food ahead of time so most of it is ready to go during the week. so if produce is ripe (apples, pears, avocado, mangoes, kiwi) I will (peel it &) chop it up, & then give about a quarter or half to eloise for that meal & then save the rest for later in the day. for veggies that I roast or cook (zucchini, yams, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, bell pepper) I will slice it (in rounds or sticks) & put it in a container in the fridge until dinnertime; then I put a few pieces on a pan, drizzle with olive oil or coconut oil, & roast them in the toaster oven. I have been using these small OXO plastic storage containers & these Glasslock ones.

I do my best to give eloise a variety of foods, though I often feel like she is eating the same thing over & over. when I am at the store I peruse the entire produce section & pretty much buy one of each organic piece of produce. I have also been finding a lot more frozen organic fruits & veggies at either Whole Foods or PCC (a local natural foods market) which helps with cost & spoiling; blueberries & butternut squash are my new favorite frozen foods to serve. we are still limiting a few foods (strawberries, tomatoes) and wheat, gluten, & sugar, but did give eloise a whole egg (she had only previously had egg yolk) & while she didn’t love it, she didn’t have any allergic reaction either. phew!

though I have been mindful of trying to flavor eloise’s food (mostly purees) one of my mom friends introduced me to this great seasoning called Spike Seasoning (Salt Free) that we have been using on lots of eloise’s food to give it good taste without any added salt. I found it at my local Whole Foods, but you can find it online as well. it is a mixture of 30+ spices & flavors, & tastes really good. aaron & I have been enjoying it on our food as well. I add it to eggs, roasted veggies, meat (sliced no salt turkey from the Whole Foods deli), etc.

eloise is still nursing five times during the day, though her early AM feeding (between 4 & 6 am) is short-lived & I plan on weaning her from it in the coming weeks. in the past eloise has loved to nurse & would do so pretty much any time. these days, however, there are far too many fun things to look at & play with so getting eloise to sit still long enough to nurse seems like an often impossible feat. it is easiest when we are at home alone in her nursery since as soon as anyone (aaron, sadie, etc.) is in the room, she is disinterested. she will look around & grab for anything she can get her hands on; if I can get her attention, she will often resume nursing, but getting her attention is tricky! I have started nursing her immediately after getting her up from a nap when she is the most interested in nursing. then I let her play for a few minutes & change her diaper & then give it another try. I worry a bit that she isn’t getting enough milk even though she can get the same amount of milk now (or more) in much less time. sometimes when she has had a short nursing session she will get fussy later on & will want to nurse again (though this is rare); if not, I trust that she is getting enough.

eloise has been mastering her army crawl these days. she is all over the place & so quickly! the past week or so though she has started getting up on her hands & knees & rocking back & forth (without fussing!). crawling (for real) is imminent!

{weight} 20.5 lbs

{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 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 it is a 6 oz bottle (though she often only drinks 5 oz).

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

{dislikes} getting her face wiped off (after eating), not being able to play with her spoon at mealtime, having food stuck to her hand.

{nicknames} Bug{s}, Love Bug, E, Wheezy, Kiddo, Little Love, Bugaboo, Thumper (this is a recent Grammie one since eloise always taps her foot!).

happy nine months eloise!

this post contains affiliate links.

friday I’m in love.

welcome back friday! be sure to pop over to see what kendra, mary beth, amanda, laura, & aileen to the fun! we would love for you to join us! leave a comment and we’ll come check out what you’re loving each week!

while I do like my diaper bag, I am sort of dying to carry a handbag again! I am hoping I can make or find a small changing pad that I could throw into a handbag since eloise doesn’t need quite as much these days. here are a few cross-body bags I am dreaming about!

{one} chloe cross-body bag.

'Marcie - Medium' Leather Crossbody Bag

{via Nordstrom}

{two} kate spade satchel.

'emerson place - margot' satchel

{via Nordstrom}

{three} marc by marc jacobs hobo.

'Ligero' Hobo

{via Nordstrom}

what are you loving this week?

this post contains affiliate links.

a quilt for charlotte.

as I had mentioned here our niece charlotte was diagnosed with liver cancer back in february. you can check out the latest on her treatment here if you’d like. she just started her last round of chemo this weekend & is scheduled to have surgery at the end of the month. the tumor is shrinking but we would appreciate your thoughts & prayers as she continues her journey to remission.

{charlotte & her new hair-do!}

my very dear friend amanda was so sweet & made charlotte a quilt. it is so beautiful & I can’t wait to see it when we are in indiana this week. be sure to check out her post here (the front of the quilt is below but the back is a fun surprise)!

{a rainbow quilt for charlotte.}

thank you so much amanda for such an enormously special gift!

eloise {week 38}

{tank: Old Navy // shorts: Target}

{week 38} this week I transitioned eloise to all finger food (BLW) solids at mealtime (so no more purees). many of her meals were already this way, but in anticipation of traveling & lots of being away from home, non-purees are just so much easier. eloise is really liking smaller sized foods like blueberries & peas which are developing her pincher grasp. each mealtime I set out a few pieces of each type of food on her tray & she is definitely aware of the differences in the foods, from both color & texture, & will reach for a particular piece that she wants.

eloise still spends a lot of time on her side (mostly the right side) during playtime & when she is resting from crawling. she can still get from sitting to her tummy pretty gracefully & is so close to being able to get from her side to sitting! she isn’t pulling up too much on furniture or things, but likes to stand & bounce if she is with someone else. her army crawling is pretty astounding as she can move really quickly these days & with much more of an agenda than she had in previous weeks. she is almost always moving to get something she isn’t supposed to have… we have been staying with david & jodi this week too so eloise has been experiencing crawling & playing on carpet. she seems to crawl about the same, but we have noticed little rug burns on the tops of her knees! maybe we need to get some kneepads?

eloise has had so much fun with her older cousins this week & likes the attention from everyone (not that she isn’t the center of attention everywhere we go!). it has been great to see her playing with older kids (david & jodi’s kids are 3 & 8) & also interacting well with other adults. like in the past few months eloise only has separation anxiety if it is near mealtime or bedtime (apparently mama = food!).

at the end of last week we flew from seattle to charlotte via minneapolis which is the longest flight eloise has taken (her first flight was to boise last october). I have to admit that I was anxious about the flight, but eloise did so, so well! we tried to keep her on her regular routine & it worked out. she had breakfast & napped about an hour on the first flight, & then had lunch & napped about 45 minutes on the second flight. the rest of the flight she spent playing with toys or flirting with the other passengers.

even though I just mentioned eloise isn’t eating purees anymore, I did take the opportunity to bring purees on the plane for easier mealtimes using these reusable pouches. in the pouches I put sweet potato & applesauce, & then a banana was added after she was finished with the applesauce. in the past I would squeeze the food from the pouch onto a spoon & then feed eloise, but this time I just gave her the pouch & she was able to feed herself. I only use these pouches when we are on-the-go (since I really like eloise to be able to see & touch her food), but really like them since they are so convenient & you can do either purees or softer foods (avocado, banana, etc.). we weren’t sure how TSA would handle homemade baby purees but we didn’t have an issue at all at security (even with the gel ice pack!). I think it helped that aaron & I signed up for TSA Pre-Check – if you are flying at all you should look into it, so convenient!

happy 38 weeks eloise!

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our trip to La Conner.

a few weeks ago, my mom came up to visit & then we all headed north to La Conner in the Skagit Valley. it is only about a 90 minute drive from Seattle (without traffic!) but it feels like a completely different world. this time of year (basically all of april) the Skagit Valley is bustling because it is the annual tulip festivals. rows & rows & hundreds of thousands of tulips fill the valley & it is amazing to see! my mom rented a house right on the Puget Sound in the small town of La Conner for a few nights which was a fun get-away! here are a few pics from our time away.

{eloise & aaron got some quality time when he wasn’t working.}

{grammie likes to side sweep eloise’s hair. I think she looks like a boy…}

{eloise had so much fun with everyone around during mealtimes!}

{there wasn’t a bathtub at the rental house, so each evening we scrubbed out the kitchen sink & in eloise went for her bath. she loved it!}

{the rental house was right on the water & had this great deck out back where could look out on the water & see Whidbey Island, or sit in the hot tub. the tide would go in & out all day, so it was cool to see how the landscape changed.}