emerald city diaries – Page 62 – family + adventures + the emerald city

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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my weekend in pictures.

{eloise & I met the sadliers at the zoo on friday morning. just as we were leaving, the littlest ones fell asleep!)

{took some time in the sun while eloise napped.}

{eloise tried roasted red pepper strips on friday evening & enjoyed them!}

{aaron brought home cupcakes from work. my throat hurt, so we blended them into milkshakes. delicious!}

{we went to a crazy appliance sale on saturday afternoon. we were mostly there to price out new future kitchen appliances. saving our pennies!}

{eloise & aaron after lunch on saturday, I love these two!}

{we ended up with a new microwave which is beyond exciting. (you know you are a grown-up when this makes you excited, right?) if you ever had to use our old microwave you will know how exciting this actually is!}

{the absolutely beautiful weather got us out of the house this afternoon for some sun & fresh air. we ventured over to one of the near-by playgrounds & eloise had her maiden voyage in a swing. she loved it!}

{a friend from law school & I always joked that if you had a chest freezer you had made it in life. well, we got a chest freezer & we are so excited. not just because we’ve made it in life, but because we desperately need the extra freezer space!}

eloise & I both caught a cold, so we spent a lot of the weekend trying to feel better (& there wasn’t a lot to take pictures of…). actually, eloise didn’t act like she felt bad at all, but does have a cough & drippy nose. we tried to lay low but also enjoy the most beautiful weekend – sunny & 60s! the transition for daylight saving time was a little brutal since eloise decided to spring forward not one but two hours! hoping to get a bit more sleep this 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 are loving this week. we would love for you to join us! leave a comment and we’ll come check out what you’re loving each week!

{one} honest company kid’s sunglasses.

{via Honest Co}

we have had the most spring-like winter I can remember here in the PNW which only bums me out because I never got to bundle Eloise up like a little Eskimo… But it has made me think that I should probably get this kid some sunglasses, a sun hat, & other sun protection sooner rather than later since I feel a very hot summer coming on. even though it is sort of ridiculous, I ordered Eloise a pair of these sunglasses from Honest Company! babies in sunglasses? yes please!

{two} halogen kayla pointy toe flats.

'Kayla' Pointy Toe Flat

{via Nordstrom}

I would love to prance around in heels all day, every day, but in my new job as a mom it just doesn’t make any sense. I LOVE pointy toed flats because they make my feet look slightly longer (I have the smallest feet!) which I think is important even though I don’t wear anything but skinny jeans. my mom & I found these awesome flats last weekend & I cannot wait to style them for spring.

{three} #worldstoughestjob video.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB3xM93rXbY&w=448&h=252&hd=1]

so this video has been out for a while, but I just discovered it. grab a kleenex before you push play! kudos to ALL of you mamas out there (& dads)!

what are you loving this week?

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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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my weekend in pictures.

{oh that little cowlick! eloise has the best hair these days.}

{sipping water with Grammie.}

{I made lactation cookies since I have been consuming large amounts of cookies lately & figured I should make it productive. these were really effective so if you make them, expect the results about 5 hours after consumption… & make sure that doesn’t fall in the middle of the night like I did!}

{taking a stroll around the neighborhood. this was Eloise’s first time turned facing out & she seemed pretty excited about the view.}

{this little one is sitting & looks so big!}

{Eloise loves the bath these days. she rocks a shampoo mohawk!}

{Eloise loves zucchini!}

{my mom watched Eloise this evening so Aaron & I could have a date night. we did dinner (burgers) & a movie (Kingsmen – not recommended!). thanks mom!}

what a fun weekend – the sun was out & Grammie is in town! with not a lot of plans, it was nice to just hang out & enjoy each other’s company. a nice mellow weekend was exactly what we needed. how was your weekend?

friday I’m in love.

one of my favorite things about dressing eloise is putting together separates – pants, sweaters, shirts/onesies. I am not big on “outfits” & dress her much like I dress myself. a mini {me} indeed! this special collection by banana republic was just released just for littles – BR Mini – & I am loving the neutral separates! here are a few of my favorites.

{one} ribbed pull-on pants.

{BR Mini Collection Ribbed Pull-On Pants}

{two} sweatshirt.

{BR Mini Collection Layered Sweatshirt}

{three} hat.

{BR Collection Cashmere Hat}

what are you loving this week?

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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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my weekend in pictures.

{eloise is always so excited to see her papa when he gets home from work. fridays are fun because then we get to see him for the entire weekend!}

{eloise tried gnawing on apple slice & loved it! we love that it looks like she is wearing suspenders when she is in her highchair – makes me want to find her a pair!}

{ahh! SO excited about how this project is coming along. I cannot wait to share once it’s done!}

{eloise has been fussy about an hour into her afternoon naps. guess who is right at her door?}

{making funny faces with papa while waiting for some grub.}

{eloise also tried banana. did you know bananas segment into three pieces? perfect for little hands!}

{no matter how many beds or crates we have, sadie ends up on the couch at night. sunday morning I woke up to find her like this. I think she was enjoying herself!}

{since starting solids, eloise seems to have a little constipation. we are attempting to remedy with some pear & prune puree!}

{feedings are getting a little less messy. while a sponge bath is still required after eating, I am hopeful we will someday soon get to the point where eloise can eat in more than just a bib & diaper.}

{eloise is more & more interested in sadie these days, & loved the chance to have some cuddles.}

{despite looking really nervous in this picture, eloise had a great time at dinner on sunday evening. we were out celebrating a friend’s birthday & there were lots of friends to catch up with, including her BFF Lily who is just a month older!}

what a beautiful & sunny weekend we had here in the PNW! we have been so spoiled with teasers about what spring is going to be like that I am dreading when the grey & rain will return… we had a pretty low-key weekend just hanging out at home for the most part which is always pleasant & much-needed. how was your weekend?

friday I’m in love.

{one} hurraw! balm.

this weekend my friend Karly gifted me a few new lip balms & I am already obsessed! Hurraw uses organic, raw, & vegan ingredients, & the flavors are delightful. the Earl Grey – oh, my downfall is bergamot! thanks Karly!

{two} chuck taylor slip-ons.

Chuck Taylor® 'Shoreline' Sneaker (Women)

{via nordstrom}

I love sneakers for every day wear & have been eyeing a white pair of chuck taylors for a while now. then I discovered these slip-on ones & I knew I had to have them. the magical birthday fairy brought them to my house {thanks husband!} & I love them! plus, when you have kids, tying your shoes is a luxury.

{three} girl scout cookie season.

the other night we were sitting down to dinner & the doorbell rang. unusual for that time of night since we have been eating around 8 these days {after eloise goes to bed}. & much to our surprise it was a girl scout! we thought she was taking orders, but she actually had a wagon full of cookies! two of each please & thank you!

what are you loving this week?

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