Eleanor {10 months}

Beautiful baby,

Words cannot express how happy you make me everyday. Even when you destroy the house, poop all over yourself, throw a tiny fit, or waste my pumped milk.. I don't even feel an ounce of anger.  You light up my world. You turn my bad days into happy days.  Your smile melts my heart. I am so in love with every bit of you!

17 lbs 7 oz + ? Unsure!

12 month clothing

Size 3 diapers but about to change to 4s!

Nicknames: Ellie-nori-Rosie-Poe, Sug-ee, Rosie, ElRo, Roy, Mama

Things you Love:

- spaghetti squash, pickles, straws, chicken nuggets, yogurt

- using anything as a walker

- emptying all of the bathroom cabinets

- holding onto a particular part of the bottom stair

- bed at 6pm, waking up at 5:45 - 6am

- flushing the toilet

- pressing any kind of button

- eating if anyone else is eating

- 'beeping' Grandpa's nose

Things you Dislike:

-bland foods, pasta

- car rides

- socks on your feet

Events:

- You've been very healthy this month! PRAISE THE LORD! (minus an allergic reaction to your medication at the beginning!)

- You have 3 teeth (soon 4) on the bottom and the top 4 are slowly making their way in! Teething has been good for you so far. No fevers, barely grouchy.

- Still eating 3 meals a day, with an afternoon snack. Bottle of BM in the AM, before nap, and sometimes after lunch, then before bed. You still hate sippy cups so I have no idea what to do about that ;)

- I have weaned! Hallelujah. No mastitis. No issues. Now we are slowly working through our freezer stash. Dada can't wait to fill the freezers with ice cream when we are done! :)

- You celebrated your first Christmas! Your favorite gifts were your portable high chair, standing toy table thing and Elmo! The holidays were SO much fun with you!

- Dada and I spent two whole weeks home with you and it was glorious. You got onto a schedule (wake up at 6, nap at 10-12/1, play play play, bed at 6) which was extremely nice. We had so much fun playing, bonding, and dancing!

- We've started to go out for breakfast on Saturday mornings because you love breakfast food and staring at people in your pajamas!

- You honestly love your babysitters (Sissy, Grandma and Melissa). You never, ever cry when I leave and you cling to them as soon as they arrive.  Although I secretly wish you cared a *little* bit about me leaving (haha), I absolutely love that you have 3 women who deeply care for you and that you love back! Nothing makes me happier. 

- You and your cousin have grown even closer these days. You play with each other, fight like siblings and love each other so much.  You are so lucky to have your Lou Lou!

- You walk along everything and use everything as a walker. You've taken a few half steps independently here and there but you aren't confident enough to walk yet. You are so close those, baby!

I love you!

My Exclusively Pumping Story

Prior to having Eleanor, I desperately wanted nursing to work out. When it didn't, I was heartbroken. Thankfully I had my sister to coach me through the world of exclusively pumping and I am so happy to say that I've made it 9 months (and counting) with thousands of ounces pumped.

Exclusively pumping has honestly been one of the hardest things I've done in my life.  Dare I say, even harder than actually giving birth to Eleanor. I wanted to write down a view thoughts that I could look back on.

Pumping has meant never leaving the house with a pump, a million bottles, ice pack, and at least 2 bags…

…pumping anywhere and everywhere. Churches, public bathrooms, malls, cars, outside, work..you name a place, I've pumped there.

… spilt milk on every crevice of my car, every inch of my floor, all over the couch.

.. waking up once, sometimes twice, in the middle of the night, even when Eleanor hs slept through.

...two bouts of mastitis, which included feeling the worst I've felt in years.. TWICE!

... desperately wanting to just grab my baby and have her latch.

...constantly thinking about when my next pump is, where I am going to pump, how I'm going to store the milk, etc.

.. saying no to certain plans if they didn't allow me to pump on time.

... feeling judged by breastfeeding moms, whether they are actually judging or not.

... obsessing over every ounce, my freezer stash, my supply.. analyzing every number

... having to take a break, sometimes every 2 hours, from being with my daughter.

... milk soaked sheets in the morning.

... sitting strapped to a pump for 4 hours a day.

... only wearing clothes and bras that are conducive to pumping.

... cracked, bleeding, painful nipples (TMI? don't care)

... waking up with painful bricks on my chest.

... pumping and dumping


But at the same time.. It has also meant a lot of positive things as well..

...time to relax every few hours

... happy hormones raging through my body after every pump

... satisfaction of giving my sweet girl a part of me, giving her life through my milk!

…knowing that even on the hardest mothering days, I knew I was doing something right with pumping.

…. pride!

Exclusively pumping has  proven to myself how strong I am . I feel extremely proud of the sacrifice I've made for my little love and I truly feel like I have accomplished something great. I have been able to provide my daughter with enough breastmilk for  a year with my blood, sweat and tears (literally).  This has been just a glimpse of what I am willing to do for the healthy and happiness of my little girl. As hard as it'll be to wean, I'm excited to have more time with my sweet girl!

Eleanor {9 months}

My sweet girl,

You. are. so. much. fun! We are currently on winter break and all that we do all day is play, play, play! You love exploring. You love opening things, closing things, climbing things, eating things, going going going! I love that about you!

17 lbs 7 oz

12 month clothing

Size 3 diapers (still!)

Nicknames: Ellie-nori-Rosie-Poe, Sug-ee, Rosie, ElRo

Things you Love:

- ham, cheese, cheetos, veggie straws, spaghetti squash
- yelling 'dada' in the middle of the night, and 'mama' when you want comfort
- banging on the baby gate
- crawling up stairs
- the piece of wood we use to lock the back door
- pulling the ornaments off mom's tree
- ripping the pages of Dada's books
- crawling everywhere and anywhere
- walking with assistance
- dancing to music
- pooping in the tub
- straws

Things you Dislike:

- medicine
- greek yogurt
- constipation
- diaper changes
- swimming when sick
- prunes

- You had your first ear infection this month :( I've never seen you so sick.  Days of a high fever. I soaked up all of your cuddles but it was so hard to see you so sick. 

- You eat 3 meals a day with about 20oz of breastmilk. I am finally weaning!

- You had your first ear infection this month :( I've never seen you so sick.  Days of a high fever. I soaked up all of your cuddles but it was so hard to see you so sick. 

- Finally big-girl crawling!! Pulling yourself up and walking along furniture still. No independent steps yet!

- You celebrated your first thanksgiving!

- You say 'mama' and 'dada'. Still not sure if you are meaning us, but i love it either way!

- You've been a Mama's girl lately. And I secretly love every second of it!

Love you so much!

Eleanor {7 & 8 months}

Rosie,

I feel like I say this every month but you have changed SO much in the past two.  You are slowly becoming more and more like a toddler and less like a squishy baby. You're constantly on the move, constantly changing, and growing into your BIG personality. I am more in love with you than ever before, as my love for you multiplies everyday. You light up our world and make your Dada and I experience an exponential amount of joy!

16lbs at 6 month, 16.94lbs at 7month

6-9 clothing

Size 3 diapers

Nicknames: Ellie-nori-Rosie-Poe, Sug-ee, Rosie, ElRo

Things you Love:

- toys, toys, toys.. you love to play

- army crawling, pulling yourself up onto things, crawling into Mama's lap

- saying 'da-da-da-da'

- playing with your cousin Lou, poking his eyes, trying to fight back ;)

- people food, specifically yogurt bites

- doing sit ups whenever anyone lays you down

- bathtime!

- cords of any kind
- talking dog toy
- door stops
- pointing
- mashing banana in your hand
- being tickled by your ears
- crawling under tables
- swingen doors open and close

Things you Dislike:

- baby food

- cuddling, unless its bottle time
- baby gates
- more than one nap

Events:

Unfortunately you've been sick a lot these two months. First from your shots, then you kept spitting up (which resulted in a catheter at the doctor to test for a UTI which broke your Mama's heart), and you currently have a bad cold :(

You love finger foods, but still don't like baby food so we are moving on from it! You love chicken, yogurt bites, potatoes, and really anything Mama is eating. Oh, and a giant peeled apple can entertain you for hours!

Still army crawling, and just this week you pulled yourself up to stand! I am so proud of you!

Getting into everything these days! Pulling books off the shelves, pulling cords, crawling under tables, you get into everywhere and anything!

Celebrated your first halloween!

Started Water Babies class with your Dada and Bronson! You love it so much!

Mama is still pumping.. 

We are so excited to start celebrating the holidays with you! Having you with us makes everything feel 100x more magical! Life as your Mama and Dada is so much fun!