Videos

Laughing, howling, bouncing, talking, and gasping.

4 Months

 This last month just flew right by me. Little Eleanor is now 4 months old. 1/3 of a year. She is getting more and more fun. I feel like she hasn't changed that much in the last month. A few notes about her:

She wants to grab everything and put it in her mouth. However, her depth perception is still a little off, so sometimes she will reach both arms out to grab whatever is in front of her, but she'll be off by about a foot. She will still try to grab it (even if it's just air that she catches), and stick it in her mouth. The funniest things she tries to grab are patterns on fabric, and my face. Yes, she tries to grab and eat my face.

The drool is out of control.

She is finally laughing more often! And her laughs are absolutely contagious. Videos to come.

The last photo(s) (which is animated, and I took forever trying to figure out how to do it) is her rolling over from stomach to back..but not quite all the way. She got stuck on her arm. So then she rolled back to her stomach, and as you can see, she was pretty proud of herself. I'm glad I caught it all on camera.

She is getting better in the car (HALLELUJAH!). I think because she can entertain herself by eating her fingers.

When she is ready to be out of her car seat, she lets us know by sitting forward, doing a half sit up.

She finally stepped foot in the ocean. I'll blog about it. We might have scarred her for life on that one though.

I took her for a walk the other day in the bjorn, facing out. We came across a few dogs that were fenced in. They literally looked like they had evil eyes and were barking at us. Eleanor starting laughing hysterically at them. So I don't know what that means.

I did a little photoshoot of her bum. I felt like I never really get to see it since she's laying on her back when she's naked. I don't think it's a great idea to post them on here, but take my word for it...it's a very cute, pinchable bum. With little dimples and everything.

That's about it for this month. On to month 5.

28th Birthday and Valentine's Day

I really love my birthday. I love that after a day of receiving so much love, I can give it right back the next day. 

This year I didn't want much. It's amazing how having a kid makes me feel so satisfied with life. She's all I need. 

We went to lunch on my birthday to a local curry place. Then watched Spencer's basketball game. Spencer must've done something right, because his daughter already loves to watch basketball. Both on tv and in person. 

For Valentine's Day we went to a Japanese place. Delicious. And thanks to the sling, Eleanor slept right through it. 

So here I am at 28, getting closer and closer to 30. Pretty crazy, but I don't think I've ever been happier in life. Really. I live in Hawaii, married to a pretty great guy, am a mother to an amazing little girl, I have a job that is perfect for me and my situation....I could go on and on. So much to be grateful for.

Are you wondering what happened to this beautiful cake? Ok, I'll tell you. A girl at church made this for me (and 11 other young women to catch up on birthdays). Spencer saw it in between classes, and his friend dared him to take a bite out of mine. So he did. And this is how it was presented to me. The poor girl who made it had no idea what happened. And if you are wondering, my husband is 33 years old. 

I told him he ruined my birthday cake, so he went out and got me another. 

She literally couldn't take her eyes off the cake. Spencer wanted to give her a taste so badly.

I am the queen of homemade cards.

Red velvet cake with cream cheese filling and white chocolate ice cream. Yeah. It was heaven.

 

My 5(or 7) Favorite Baby Items

First of all, every baby and every mother is different. And I know most mothers have their own opinion on baby items. But for me, in the first 3 months, these are worked best for Eleanor and me. I also want to add that before I had kids, I had made up my mind that I did not want baby/kid stuff taking over our house. So I always tried to get things that could be stored easily and minimize clutter.

5. Bath Sponge. I really didn't want to buy one of those big, bulky plastic tubs that take up so much space! I found out about these sponges and love them! I also liked the Puj tub, but that was a little pricey. These are cheap, so you can always just replace them on a regular basis. Eleanor seems to like it. And so does my bathroom closet space.

4. The fancy schmancy swing. This was our miracle worker in Eleanor's first weeks of life. She slept so well in it that sometimes I would sleep on the couch at night so she could sleep in the swing all night long. It has the perfect angle to the seat so she was just tilted just enough. Now she'll still sit and watch the birds for 15 minutes or so. One of my favorite parts about it is that it plugs into the wall, meaning you don't have to change the batteries all the time! It is definitely a bulkier item, but this one looks cool enough to display it in our living room full time.

3. The Bumbo. This is one of my more recent purchases, and already it made the list. Eleanor likes to be upright. I try to lay her down on her play mat and she only lasts about 2 minutes before she's crying. Now I just put her in the Bumbo and she'll play a lot longer. Plus, it's smaller than a bouncer, so it's easier to move around the house for when I need to take a shower, cook dinner, etc. Spencer likes to put this on the coffee table and let her watch basketball games with him. She even watched the Superbowl in it.

2. The pacifier. More specifically, the Nuk pacifier. She took the hospital one for the first week or so, then she didn't like it as much. These are her favorites. I thank my lucky stars that Eleanor took to the pacifier. I have women tell me ALL the time that their babies never took it. I can't imagine what life would have been like without it. She loves it and it definitely helps at night when I can just pop it back in her mouth. And not to mention the first few months of all the crying. That only would have been magnified if she didn't have a pacifier to help out a lot of times. 

1. The sling. More specifically, the Jelly Bean sling. I bought this thing off of Craigslist for $10. I actually contacted the seller to buy her Moby Wrap, but she also had this one, so I decided that $30 for a Moby and this sling would be a good deal. The Moby is great as well, but it is SO much fabric. We also have a Baby Bjorn, but this one wins my vote. It is just one small piece of fabric that you simply throw over your shoulder and put her in. The first time I put her in it(I had no idea how since I didn't have an instruction manual), she looked really uncomfortable, and I freaked out because I know there were stories of babies who suffocated in them. But luckily I gave it another shot, and it literally changed my life! She feels right at home in it. At home meaning in the womb. She cozies on up and goes to sleep almost every time. We've taken her to the movie theater 4 times now, all because she just slept in this thing the whole time. Never had to walk out once. We've gone to restaurants with her, but the only problem is she sometimes gets food dropped on her head. Oops. This thing always comes with us on grocery shopping trips. I really don't ever even use the stroller. When I need to get things done around the house, I just throw this on and go to town. I can nurse her in it. Take walks in it. It is so convenient. If she ever has a hard time falling asleep, I'll put it on and rock her in the rocking chair. It's magical I tell you. And I just barely found out that there are 5 different ways to carry them in it, up until they are 35 lbs. Not bad. I don't know if all babies respond as well as Eleanor did to it, but it is BY FAR my favorite baby item I have purchased.

I just thought of another one that probably should have made this list. Definitely a double electric breast pump. Not only to help alleviate pain when I'm engorged, but I love that I can have enough stored up in the freezer to go out and run errands or go to the gym and let Spencer feed her on his own. Luckily she takes a bottle, and he's able to have his cute little bonding time with her. 

Wait, one more thing. This is one that I hadn't really heard of before, and one day saw it on a blog. They are so handy. They are the Boppy Changing Pad liners. They come in a 3 pack, so you can have one on your table, one in the wash, and one ready to go when the other gets dirty. I love them. They are waterproof, so your nice pretty cover won't get stains on them. They wash out great, and just make life easier. I totally recommend them. Especially if your child has as many messy diapers as mine. I'm thinking Spencer would recommend them as well since he saw first hand how helpful they are. He was changing her diaper one day when I heard a "STACY, COME HERE! WHAT DO I DO???". I knew what had happened by the tone of his voice. Sure enough, I walked in, and there was a big puddle of poop hanging out on the liner. No big deal though. Just rinse off and put in the wash. Then replace with a new liner. I'm telling you, they make life so much easier.

And now for the item that I promised myself I would NEVER buy. But here it is, sitting in my house. Staring back at me. I literally told myself I wouldn't get one because they are big and bulky and ugly. They take up so much space. But little Eleanor just loves to stand. And I love my morning time to eat breakfast and check my email while she plays in it. She really loves it, but I told Spencer that we might get rid of it after she starts walking and just buy another one when we have another baby. Oh, and if you're wondering, yes, our house is pretty much overtaken by baby stuff. It was inevitable. (just look at those little legs!)

3 Months

Here we are at 3 months. I can't believe it. Well, sometimes I can. Sometimes I feel like it's been so much longer. I guess she has been in existence for a whole year now. She has been a part of me for 12 months.

This baby business is no joke. It is challenging. And rewarding. And tiring. And frustrating. And completely worth every single second. I must say, I'm totally digging it.

Now, for my random compilation of thoughts....

Eleanor has the biggest, most beautiful eyes. Spencer calls them Disney eyes. We still don't know what color they'll be. My guess is brown. 


When she smiles she has the two cutest dimples you've ever seen. 


Her hairline is maybe not so cute these days. But at least my hair is falling out too. We're together in that. 


She loves her mom and is slowly getting more and more comfortable with her dad. He does everything he can to make her smile. While she loves us both, I think her best friends in the world are the ceiling fan, our closet, and the window curtains. Those things can entertain her and make her smile more than anyone or anything else. 


She is most comfortable in the sling(more on that later. It deserves it's own post) and with her pacifier. She sometimes buckles down and gets the most intense look in her eyes while sucking on that thing. And sometimes she'll make it pop almost all the way out of her mouth, then suck it back in like 5 times in a row, really fast. And when she's sleeping and doesn't have it in her mouth, she will still make movements with her mouth as if she's sucking. Oh the things that entertain us! 


She tries really hard to talk to me. Especially when she's tired. And if I make the "coo" sound, she will always respond back. She'll lift her shoulders, scrunch her face, make a "coo"-ish sound back, and blow spit bubbles. I try to video these things, but once she sees the camera or phone, she'll just stare at it and stop responding to me.


She has a raspy voice. Probably from all the crying. But to be honest, I hope it sticks. It's super cute.


She loves to stand and be on her feet. If propped up against an activity center thingymabob, she can stand on her own for a while. She might be small, but she is strong. 


She doesn't eat for long amounts of time. Usually about 10 minutes tops. Just one side. After that she is just not interested anymore. As long as she is gaining weight, that's all I care about. At her 2 month appointment she was 10lb 10oz, 22.2 in. long.


She sleeps really well at night, but horrible during the day. I have to make her take naps. And if she sleeps in her crib, it'll only last about 30 minutes. Maybe up to 1 hour. If I take a nap with her or she sleeps in the sling, it will last longer. 


She is always happiest when she first wakes up. I have never been a morning person, but now I look forward to them. 


When she is sad, not angry, she has the cutest, most pathetic sad face I've ever seen. I haven't gotten a good picture of it yet, but hopefully I can get one soon. Her bottom lip just sticks out so far.


Her arms are still constantly moving, but it's finally getting to a point where it's on purpose. She is starting to reach for and grab things. And if she can, put them in her mouth.


She loves her room(and that makes me SO happy!). She could sit on her changing table for a long time and look at the curtains or hanging paper lanterns. She loves her crib bumper(first time I heard her laugh was when I walked in after she woke up and she was staring at it and laughing). And she loves her mobile. It just feels good that my efforts in decorating and crafting are paying off. 


She has had to deal with thrush, an umbilical hernia, and a giant knot on her leg from her shots. What a trooper. 


Someone once saw her and said "wow, look at those eye.....brows!". She got those from her dad. 


She is so interested in the world around her. She loves going to the grocery store and looking at all the colorful items. And when we take her for walks, she'll look from side to side and get excited when she hears a car drive by. 


Her eyes are always big and wide-eyed and alert.


She's been to the beach 2 or 3 times and seems to like it.


She enjoys looking at books and watching Baby Einstein videos. 


As a lady at church put it, "her cheeks are having a hard time with the idea of gravity", and I added that her neck does NOT. She has a pretty funny double chin these days.


If you blow in her face, she will gasp every.single.time. It is hilarious. 


When putting her to sleep, she likes to be rocked and either shushed or I will hum "I am a Child of God". 


I could kiss her a thousand times a day(and you better believe I do!).


She has literally made me the happiest I have ever been.

I just love this girl. So so much. 

Beach Baby

We are doing everything we can to make sure this girl is a fan of the beach. So far she seems to like it. Let's hope that lasts, or we'll be in for a long 2+ years.