emerald city diaries – Page 63 – family + adventures + the emerald city

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?

this post contains affiliate links.

eloise {week 27}

{onesie: Carter’s // cords: babyGap // Jellycat penguin}

{week 27} this week eloise has really been showing us her personality – so sweet, happy, & funny. she constantly has us laughing with her giggles & chattering. she is such a tiny human now, like a real little person {& not just a baby}. I think we are getting thru the “blob” stage of babyhood & into the more interactive stages!

eloise is all about sitting, rolling, chewing, & babbling these days. in constant motion & doesn’t miss a thing! she watches everything & you can see her little brain working a mile-a-minute – it’s amazing! we are still working on sitting since eloise is still pretty wobbly, but she can sit by herself if someone spots her or if she is against the Boppy pillow. rolling, on the other hand, she can do all by herself & can even get around her arms {that was a tricky one to figure out!}. on occasion at night I have noticed that eloise sometimes get stuck on her side with her arm at a weird angle behind her & wants some help, but mostly she has got rolling down. this also means tummy time is pretty much non-existent since as soon as she is on her belly, she flips over!

this past week or so eloise has also started showing a bit of separation anxiety. we have an exersaucer plaything in the living room right next tot he kitchen doorway where eloise hangs out a lot while i make dinner (since she is within earshot of me & can’t get into too much trouble). a few times this past week she has been really fussy if i am in the kitchen & she is in her exersaucer. as soon as i moved right in front of her, she was fine. this was at the end of last week, following two sets of immunizations (we spread her 6 month shots over two days since it included the first flu vaccine dose) so i am not sure if that had anything to do with it or not. as much as i know separation anxiety is really normal for babies, especially starting at this age, it is so out of character for eloise that it is throwing me off!

happy 27 weeks eloise!

this post contains affiliate links.

my {birthday} weekend in pictures.

{eloise & I joined the sadliers at the aquarium on friday morning – so fun to see all of the fishes!}

{we got to see delilah the octopus. she was gorgeous!}

{selfies. also, apparently we wear coordinating stripes.}

{we had the most gorgeous weather this weekend & I drove around with the sunroof open!}

{coming thru downtown on friday we got to see the space needle. & I have to take a picture of the needle whenever I see it.}

{I decided it would be fun to make a birthday cake. I normally don’t like chocolate cake, but something about my post-partem tastebuds can’t get enough chocolate! I used this recipe & it was delicious! see my first cake here.}

{last minute manicure on friday night!}

{I made a little fringe garland swag for my birthday party. I don’t know if I will ever take it down!}

{blowing out the candles. thanks for the picture jess!}

{family picture. thanks for the picture sami!}

{we decided to go out last minute for valentine’s day/birthday dinner &, surprise!, every place was full. we ended up at veggie grill.}

{this little bug can finally sit in a highchair! it makes dining out much more enjoyable since both aaron & I can actually eat our meals. we are using this highchair/shopping cart cover & love it!}

{oh this little love.}

{out of all of the things to play with in her nursery, eloise always finds the tag on the boppy pillow.}

{being 30 is about making good choices right? at least there was an egg with that donut.}

{my regular sunday afternoon pure barre class. bliss!}

{eloise loves sitting in her highchair while we are at the table.}

{eloise just started doing this where she puts her thumb on her face & then wiggles her fingers around. it is so cute!}

we had a really fun weekend celebrating valentine’s day & my thirtieth! there were lots of friends to catch up with & sunny, warm weather. it was perfect! how was your weekend?

this post contains affiliate links.

friday I’m in love.

wait, today is Friday? Holy cow this week flew by! It’s been a busy one with Eloise’s half birthday and my birthday (tomorrow). I always feel like birthdays make things extra busy!

be sure to check out what everyone else is loving this week: Kendra, Mary Beth, Amanda, & Laura!

I don’t have any favorites to share, but I will include a new favorite of my two Valentines this year!

What are you loving this week? And Happy Valentines Day weekend!
M

diy baby bandanas.

as many of you, with & without babies, know – babies drool & spit up. a lot. from a pretty early age kiddos are drooling for a variety of reasons, but what mamas notice is that onesies & shirts get really wet & it isn’t practical to change baby’s clothes multiple times a day for drool. some bibs do the trick, but at least for eloise, they are so large that its looks obnoxious & is just way too much fabric. luckily, I wasn’t the only one who thought a bandana would be the perfect solution & I was able to find lots of patterns & tutorials on pinterest.

{via White & Bright blog}

I ended up liking the look of the bandanas from the tutorial linked above, but the first set based on the original pattern were pretty big. for the next round I shrunk the entire pattern by an inch & think it’s a better size for eloise right now. {the finished sizes: original – 10” L & 7” W; shrunken – 9” L & 5.5” W}

{the original pattern on top & the shrunken pattern below}

supplies:

fabric – I used flannel, cotton, & terry cloth {you don’t need much more than a Fat Quarter!}
thread
fabric scissors {I have one set of scissors I only use for fabric & it makes a huge difference!}
pattern {see my smaller version here}
pins
fasteners {I used sew-on snaps}

first wash & dry {& iron if needed} your fabric, especially if you are using two different types of fabric for one bandana {like I used terry cloth on the back with cotton or flannel on the front}.

then cut out your front & back pieces based on the pattern.

next pin your front & back pieces together. if there is a “right” side to the fabric, make sure it is facing in. I found the pinning to be the trickiest part since the two pieces aren’t identical. I started down at the bottom tip of the bib & moved up the sides.

then I pinned the middle of the top of the bandana, and then pleated {two or three} the fabric. my advice is to just use lots of pins!

sew around the edges of the bandana leaving a couple of inches to turn it right-side-out. once it is right-side-out you can press the seams {this is optional but it helps with the next step}. then top stich around the entire bandana.

last add the snaps {or fasteners of your choice}. if you do use the sew-on kind, make sure you have the snaps facing in the right direction before you sew them on: the bottom snap piece will be on the top of the bandana end & the top snap piece will be on the bottom of the bandana end {see picture}. optional: you could also add another snap piece to make the bandana adjustable.

& you are done! fasten it on that little babe of yours & admire your handy work!

{it was fun to make all different bandanas. the bottom picture shows the fabric on the bottom side of the bib – a fun pop of pattern!}

these last pictures show the difference in the two bibs – the original versus the shrunken. the first picture of eloise is the shrunken version & the second is of her in the original.

what have you been sewing lately?

eloise {week 26}

{tee: babyGap (old) // leggings: babyGap (old) // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

to celebrate valentine’s day {& mama’s birthday!}, eloise is pretty much wearing hearts all week! I did eloise’s big 6 month update on the blog this week. see it here.

happy 26 weeks eloise!

eloise {month six}

{lion: jellycat via nordstrom // shirt: Carter’s // jeans: babyGap // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

{month six} half of a year? this little one is half of a year. unbelievable!

this past month has been an absolute blast! not that life with eloise hasn’t always been really fun, but developmentally she is gaining so many new skills that are much more interactive. plus, aaron was home with us all of january on paternity leave & all of us enjoyed it very much.

sleep. oh the illusive sleep! we started sleep training at the beginning of january & I have to say {& am almost afraid to say} that sleeping is going really well. it took a few weeks for things to shake out, but a month into it & I have to say that sleep training is the best thing we’ve done. not only is everyone in the house actually sleeping, but eloise learned how to put herself to sleep, stay asleep, & sleep longer! we know that she will consistently sleep at night {12 hours with one early AM feeding} & pretty consistently nap during the day {3 30 to 60 minute naps, sometimes 90!}. it is amazing & life-changing! we are still using a version of the “ferber method” & let her fuss for timed increments before soothing her {3, 6, & 9 minutes}. she usually only fusses for a few minutes, & on the rare occasion she won’t calm down, we blame it on teething & give her lots of cuddles.

eloise is a definite side sleeper these days now that she is able to really roll around & get comfortable. she also likes her lovie to be right up in her face which sometimes is terrifying when you see it on the video monitor. she is still using a pacifier on occasion, but has learned to self-soothe with her fingers or thumb or her lovie, particularly the tag. this kid loves tags & finds the tag on every toy & plays with it. I should probably make her a tag blanket. also, we have discovered that eloise likes to lie sideways in her crib & she will end up that way to sleep whether you put her down that way or not {she is like a little turtle & turns around on her back}. I think it’s because she likes her feet to be on the bars of her crib? just a theory.

eloise is sitting on her own, for moments at least. she is still a bit wobbly & either falls to the side or back, but she definitely likes to sit! we have been sitting her in her highchair, the Bumbo seat, & recently sitting/standing in an exersaucer {we got this one}.

in the past week or so, eloise has started babbling & cooing to herself & her toys. it is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. she also has found her tongue & can blow bubbles with her mouth. all day long she is either talking or blowing bubbles. so. much. fun!

other big milestones are that eloise can roll continuously & she has found her feet. rolling means that we need to start babyproofing & watching her when we set her down since she is never in the same spot that you left her. I keep a blanket on the floor near her playmat in the living room, but most of the time she ends up off of it & onto the hard floor. she doesn’t seem to mind though. feet are her newest & greatest plaything, & diaper changes have become interesting. eloise just wants to eat her feet & roll around on her back all day long.

we are going to start solids this week {likely this evening} so wish us luck! I have been making her purees from recipes I found on this great blog: Baby Foode. we aren’t going to start her on the traditional rice cereal, but whole food purees & then eventually will add cereal & grains. I plan on doing a mix of purees & baby-led weaning, but more on that in a different post.

eloise also had her 6 month immunizations today at her doctor’s appointment & she was a champ! I held her & she turned her face into me during the pricks, but not even a peep from this tough kid. the check-up went really well & eloise got a clean bill of health. her weight trajectory isn’t quite as steep anymore & is leveling off which is completely normal for breast-fed babies. her length is 26.25 inches (66 percentile), but her head is 44.9 cm (95 percentile)! also, eloise was discharged from PT at the end of last week {discussed last month here} & is well on her way to a tilt-free head! most people wouldn’t even notice that she has the slightest bit of a tilt, but we are working on some stretching & she’s good to go (even if we did nothing, it would basically correct itself).

{weight} 17 lbs 7 oz (77th percentile)

{hair} dark reddish brown.

{teeth} bottom two teeth are still making an entrance, slowly but surely.

{eyes} dark brown.

{clothes} almost out of 3 to 6 months (onesies). 6 to 9 (or 6 to 12) month are fitting better but still long in the arms & legs. {also, what is with the size 6 to 12 months? that is a huge age range! do kiddos really just stay a consistent size during this period?}

{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 {see our schedule below}. when e gets a bottle, she will take 5 oz except at bedtime when she takes a full 6 oz bottle of pumped milk {though she’s been pretty unhappy the past two nights at the end of the bottle, so I may increase her bedtime bottle to 7 oz}.

{likes} books, sitting, standing (with help), music, bathtime, licking everything, talking, stripes & polka dots (on clothing), (other people’s) faces, feeling/scratching (raking is the technical term I believe) things with her fingers (fabric, toys, the wall. etc.).

{dislikes} teething, getting her face wet, diaper changes if she’s hungry.

{nicknames} Bug{s}, Love Bug, E, Wheezy, Kiddo, Little Love, Bugaboo, Cheeks (this is a recent Papa one!).

for those of you who are curious {I know I am always interested in other mama’s schedules!} & for posterity, here is eloise’s & my daily schedule:

4:30ish AM – feed {& right back to sleep}

8AM – wake-up & feed

{pump around 8:45}

9:30AM – nap

11 AM – feed

12:30 PM – nap

2 PM – feed

3:30 PM – nap

5 PM – feed

{6:30ish PM – dinner}

7:15 to 7:30 PM – bedtime {with bottle of pumped milk}

{pump around 8:45 PM}

{Mama to bed by 10:30ish PM}

if you look at the times, eloise goes down for a nap about an hour and a half after each feeding. going out anywhere & doing anything during the day is tricky since it means we are either feeding or napping on-the-go. feeding is never really an issue {though sometimes uncomfortable depending on where we are!} but naps in the car seat or stroller aren’t the best & if they happen, are super short. this is the most challenging part about being a mama for me since it often feels easier just to stay at home {even though I need or want to get out!}! soon we’ll be transitioning to a two-nap-a-day schedule… wish me luck! {any advice from other mamas on when to do that?}

happy six months eloise!

my weekend in pictures.

{wahoo – 500 blog posts! thanks for following along.}

{our little monster.}

{eloise loves bathtime! do any of you mamas have recommendations on good bath toys for this age?}

{eloise made some valentines this weekend.}

{upholstery project. so many stitches to rip out!}

{where’s eloise? oh yes, off the blanket & onto the hard floor. terrific! guess this is what happens when you live in an old house with hard floors.}

{eloise is loving this abacus that auntie jess & uncle cale gave us last spring!}

{aaron was under the weather this weekend & it was rainy, so perfect movie weather! (puns intended!) we picked nonstop. I missed a lot of it since eloise doesn’t sit thru movies these days, but I don’t think it mattered too much.}

{started making eloise her first foods! apple & cinnamon puree – yum!}

{eloise & me reading before bedtime.}

{selfies with eloise!}

{after brunch, eloise fell asleep in the car (it was her naptime) so I waited for her to snooze for a few minutes since the opening & closing of car doors definitely wakes her up!}

{practicing the happy baby pose.}

{also made sweet potato puree for eloise!}

this weekend we laid low & hung around the house since aaron was feeling under the weather. it was sort of awesome & very much needed. gearing up for a busy, busy week that ends with me turning 30! {what?!}

how was your weekend?

also, this weekend our 15 month old niece Charlotte was diagnosed with stage 3 liver cancer. we would ask for any thoughts, prayers, and good vibes as she starts treatment this week & has a very long road of recovery ahead of her. stay strong Charlotte!

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!

on the brink of my thirtieth birthday I have been finding a lot of words of wisdom {& pinning them here}. I thought I would share some of my favorites!

Plan

{via}

life motto. print from chloeveaux on Etsy.

{via}

pursue it

{via}

{via unknown

truth. }

{via}

what are you loving this week? {or what is inspiring you?}

eloise {valentine’s day}

during her trip a few weeks ago, my mom brought eloise a teddy bear that was mine when I was little. this was a special valentine’s day bear that an old neighbor/friend made me, so it meant a lot to see him again! eloise happened to be wearing a valentine’s day –esque outfit so I thought a quick photoshoot would be fun! {these were taken with my iPhone so not the best quality… but still adorable!}

{sweater: babyGap // leggings: babyGap}

happy valentine’s day from eloise!