You are just keeping me on my toes such that I haven't even gotten around to posting this until now! That could have something to do with the fact that you are on the move. That's right, in your sixth month you began to pull yourself along and now you are hard to keep still. It was so fun to watch you begin to inch along like a little inch worm only using your arms and you were a little slow at first but you loved it. Holly would especially motivate you to crawl to her at first. Then toys, now even me!
It is kind of hard to keep straight what happened last month and what has already happened in the last two weeks. You are still in six month clothes although some of your jammies are getting a little short. You nurse, on average around the clock pretty much every three hours. We were doing really well with sleep for awhile and then you got your first little cold. It was not bad at all but it broke our hearts to see you uncomfortable and we were doing everything we could to keep you comfortable including shooting a saline spray through your nose to flush it out. You hated that but it really helped clear you out. The congestion lasted for about 5 days and then you continued to mend. The sleeping took a couple weeks to get back to but now you are usually doing a 4-5 hour first stretch and a 3-4 hour stretch after that. You nurse in between which I don't think is out of sheer hunger but it is how you go back to sleep the easiest. You then usually go back to sleep for another hour or two.
You also took a couple of road trips in your sixth month and did really well. A couple of months ago you went through a phase where you seemed to hate your carseat but on these road trips {mind you, they were two hours, one way, tops} you did great. Your dad and I timed it out for when we thought you would be napping and it worked out pretty well.
You love all your toys, you are so inquisitive. You loved the pool when you got to try it at the beginning of the month but you haven't gotten to go in it again, yet, because the weather hasn't been that great.
At your six month well visit, you weighed 16.25 lbs and were 25.5 inches long. Lower percentages on both but the doctor seemed fine and you are definitely growing steadily! We asked a lot of questions about food at that appointment and were eager to get started with that. We decided on the Baby Led Weaning method of introducing you to solids and it has been really fun so far. We are learning that you are very social during mealtimes!
Sorry this is so short, my sweet, but I am drawing a blank on all that happened in your sixth month, but I do know one thing: You are an absolute joy. Even when I feel like I may be at my wit's end do to a long day, or feeling overwhelmed you happen to laugh, smile, talk or just stare at me with your beautiful blue eyes and it all just melts away. You truly are my heart and I still can't believe, somedays, that you are mine.
We love you so much.
Xoxo,
Mama
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Oh Eleanor,
Well you turned seven months old about two weeks ago now. Your mama is falling further and further behind on this basically because you are keeping me on my toes constantly! You are growing, changing and learning everyday.
Your little personality is also developing right along as well. Some of your traits seem to be mirroring some of mine that I am not so proud of--such as patience. When you want something, it is becoming apparent that you wanted it 5 minutes ago. I think part of this is that you are learning so much that you get kind of overwhelmed. I totally get it but it tests my patience sometimes as well. That's okay, just like everything in this journey so far, we are learning together.
Your movement this past month is astounding. You are now crawling up on your knees but sometimes will still drop down to an army crawl. Late in your seventh month, you pulled up to stand. I was not expecting it at all, you had been doing nothing to show us that was coming and we had a tent in it's case in the living room and apparently it was just the right height to peak your interest and up you went. I was shocked. Now you are getting more and more steady as you stand and like to pull up on just about anything you can whether it is stable or not. Needless to say, my eyes are constantly on you but I am getting better at letting you test the waters and figure some things out for yourself. Your noggin is a lot harder than I give it credit for and you are getting so good at catching yourself. You can also turn from crawling to sitting up and back down again. Quite the little wiggle, rolling worm you are!.
Our family from Texas came to visit this month and, as expected, they loved you and you loved them. I think you loved the constant attention--as if you don't always get that anyway-- and all the new faces. They are a busy, loud bunch and I think all the activity did you good. During the time they were here, happened to be the time we decided to start you sleeping in your crib. Right around your seven month birthday. Although it tugs at my heart a bit that you aren't in our room anymore, I know it is best for everyone and you showed us you like it by beginning to sleep better right away. There were a couple of glorious nights that we had you down in the late evening and you slept for 11-12 hours, only waking maybe one or two times to eat. However, this past week, you have been reverting a bit and waking every few hours in the night. I think we are coming to the conclusion that it just may be your style. Also, it seems that if even something little is bothering your tummy, it wakes you up. There have been nights where you are so wiggly, and crying out and then in the morning you give a nice, big, full diaper. Such is life, my princess and we are always sorry when you are uncomfortable.
Naps are still pretty hit or miss. Sometimes you do well and others it is cat naps all day long. We have gotten more of a bedtime routine down, though, and I think we are all enjoying that. Your dad isn't always home to participate since we are starting pretty early and trying to catch you before you are so tired that it is a fight. He usually comes in to help me after I have nursed you, which is nice for a break for me and for him to get to rock you to sleep.
You are still nursing about every three hours during the day but we just keep trying more and more food and you seem to be having a great time with it. Some of your favorites appear to be: meat (you have had chicken and steak and you seem to prefer steak), avacado, oatmeal, carrots, plums, canteloupe, blueberries and usually bananas. You love trying all the different textures, examining everything and having fun at mealtime. We are still enjoying the baby led weaning process and I have to admit, are looking a little forward to when it might become a tad bit less messy.
You are drinking water out of a straw. Not a ton but you seem to do alright with it. We are working up to leaving you for a feeding here in the next month and I am ready to leave your Oma armed with breastmilk, a bottle and a cup and see what happens. I feel much better about this than I did when you were little. I have faith that you will drink milk if you need to and otherwise, she may be able to distract you with real food, water and playing.
You are mostly still in six month clothes but some nine month jammies. Most of your summer clothes are nine month size and I am just dying to get you into them. They are a little big but I figure you need to wear them now so we can wash and wear, wash and wear so they fit you the rest of the summer.
We have been going for more walks and jogs in the stroller and you really seem to be enjoying facing out. You even doze off sometimes. We went on your first couple of hikes while the Texas family was here and you did great, sleeping most of the ways and when you were awake you were just enjoying being outside, as usual. You love being outside. You like going in your pool, although you like standing up so it seems kind of pointless for you to be standing in calf-deep water. You are better on car rides. Sometimes a little iffy, but overall much better than it was for awhile. We took you to your first wedding this month and you did great. It was outside at a beach so you, of course, loved it. We ended up having to leave the reception before dinner but it was getting a little late for you, you had been awake for awhile and had done very well.
Overall, Eleanor, again, everyday with you is an adventure. You are such an amazing person and it is just amazing everyday how much you change and learn. On the nights this week where your dad didn't get to see you awake, the next days when he did, he notices little changes--you are bigger, you personality comes out more, just the little things. The little things that we just love to experience being your parents. You are quite a challenge sometimes and there have been nights where we lose our patience, feel you are inconsolable and need to take breaks with you in your crib and us in the living room but we take big deep breaths and go at it again because you are the most precious gift. The next morning we are ready and rearing to go again and the second you give a smile or stare deeply into our eyes with your beautiful baby blues, we melt right then and there.
We love you so, so much.
Xoxo,
Mama
Whew, feels like this was just the most rambling letter ever, but I feel that so much has happened this month and I have already found myself forgetting things. Things I thought I would remember forever, the moments they happened, but that is not the case. I will settle for remembering the general months!
2 comments:
She is so sweet! Time is just flying by this summer!!!
I love the smile of this baby and she looks really cute especially when she laugh!
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