Seven Months of Eloise
My brave girl,
This month, you have hit so many milestones, another reminder at how quickly you’re growing and a small glimpse into the girl that you are becoming. You’ve started sleeping through the night, eating solids, talking, and trying to crawl; we love celebrating each new step with you! We are here to hold your hand, help you grow, and cheer you on! May you always be this full of joy and bravery!
Growth:
You can still fit into 3-6 month Jammie’s but you are in 6 month clothes otherwise. You change clothes 2-3 times a day between blow outs and all of our water play, so a lot of times, you just end up in a diaper.
This is the biggest month for your milestone growth. You can sit up completely unassisted and are getting onto one knee and rocking back and forth. It’s like you figured one part out and just decided to go for crawling right away. You can fit in the swing and actively try to play with your brother. It's the best watching you grow!
You had your first real cold this month. I think you caught it from church nursery and you passed it to Sully. You guys were puny for a few days, but the only advantage is that you were super snuggly. We're also working through some really bad itchy skin with you. You woke up one morning with a swollen eye and bleeding neck where you had gotten into something. We suspect it's Sheldon's fur, but we can't say for sure.
You said your first word! Dada! It’s so sweet to watch you say it to him! You can also say, “hey.”
Sleep:
You sleep through the night now! Woo hoo! We knew you could sleep through the night because every once in a while you would but the main reason is that when you were eating in the middle of the night, it wasn’t for long.
Insert Raising Successful Sleepers. One of my friends from our mom walks has a sleep consultation business, and it was the best and easiest experience for us all! You didn’t have the skills to put yourself back to sleep because we fed and/or rocked you before laying you down at night and nap. I also knew I didn’t want to just let you cry it out because your crying really upsets me. She made us a personalized plan that helped us rearrange your feedings so that you were still full at bedtime but not relying on the bottle or me to go to sleep. If it wasn’t time for a feed, Dad (because you were used to me coming to feed you), would go through a series of comforting techniques for you to let you know you were safe. If it was time to feed you, he would do the ladder but then if those didn’t work, feed you. This only lasted like 2-3 nights and you started stretching the feeding time on your own. And then without us having to teach you, you started sleeping on your own! We are so proud of you!! And we’re all better rested!
It is CRAZY to me that you also sleep in your bed for all of your naps if we are at home. We do the same type of bedtime routine, and you sleep anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. I still like to hold you for a nap if Dad is home and it works out but it’s nice to know that you love your bed so much.
Eating:
As of today, I am weaning myself off the pump and off nursing. I feel thankful and relieved and sad all at the same time. My freezer stash is stout, and I’m ready.
We started baby led weaning this month, and like everything you’ve done so far, you’re rocking it! So far, you’ve tried 18 different foods and your favorites are funny: pickles, asparagus, and strawberries. I love watching you eat and try new things, and having you at the table is a dream! You’ve tolerated 3 out of 9 allergens so far, and pfew! When introducing them, you’re most likely to react at ten to twenty minutes, so I basically stare at you and watch every part of your skin and monitor any sneeze you make. After an hour, we’re pretty much in the clear, but I have been on major edge every single time we give you a potential major allergen. We had a scare with some shrimp: we have a strict “no new food on holidays” rule after Sully’s first trip to the ER was on Father’s Day. But on Mother’s Day, Dad made us a delicious shrimp pasta dish. You only had the plain noodles, but I kissed all over your cheeks on both sides, and after only a few minutes, you broke out in welts up and down your face. You were clawing at your skin and ears, and it was absolutely pitiful. I panicked but we watched you and you settled down. After a call to the allergist, we are going to delay giving you shellfish directly and are going to have some bloodwork (dreading it!) done to confirm or deny an allergy. I hate it so badly for you, but at least we will know.
Favorite moments:
-Mornings: You get up anywhere between 5:30 and 6:30 now that you are sleeping through the night, and because you get up before Sully, we get you out of your bed and put you in ours while I pump and drink coffee. You are so silly and snuggly, and it’s a fun thirty minutes or so to bond before the day gets started. Sometimes on weekends, Sully gets in the bed with us and we all snuggle together (the best that one can with an active three year old and baby).
-Mother’s Day: Your dad and you guys made this Mother’s Day my favorite one yet! The whole weekend we got to do things I wanted to do, so we tried a little bit of everything. We went to Prattville for an estate sale and to an antique market where we found a chair for our room and some books for you guys. We also went to Homegoods and ate a Chili’s (one of Dad’s and my favorites from back in the day). On Saturday, we got ready and went to downtown Opelika where we did some more antique shopping, drank some coffee, and walked around in the beautiful weather. We also stopped at Resting Pulse for some drinks and outside play time. On Sunday, we all went to church and the rest of the day was spent watching movies and playing.
-Water Play: You LOVE the water! You've always loved bath time, but now that it's warmer, we play in the water outside more. We've done a water table thing for you that you splashed in and taken you swimming twice. You love it!
I pray you are always brave and bold, ready to take on anything new! There's nothing you can't do!
Love,
Mom
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