Eleanor's First Haircut

Eleanor had her first haircut today! It wasn't exactly planned. I had a routine cut scheduled and while Michelle was cutting my hair we discussed when to cut Eleanor's. As you might have noticed, her hair was really beginning to get in her face and was all different lengths. Michelle and I decided to have Andy bring her up while she was still cutting my hair. Because the whole event was so impromptu not only was Eleanor still in her PJ's but poor Andy didn't remember the camera and so my daughter's first haircut is documented on nothing more than an IPhone :( I was pretty disappointed in that but it was better than nothing.

Eleanor took her first cut like a champ. She has a little of her mommy's vanity in her and loves looking at herself in the mirror. That was pretty much what she did the entire time Michelle was cutting. She didn't utter one cry the only negative thing I could say was that she was squirmy and curious as usual looking around which made it a little difficult to hold her down but she didn't react negatively to the almost headlock I had to hold her in. We love her hair begin out of her face now, it really brightens it up! Thanks Michelle!

The best "before" picture we could muster...you can kind of see her little hairs hanging on the side like a member of the tree stooges...

Her hair is all wet and ready to be cut!

Such a good girl sitting so still...well in this pic at least!

All finished and checking our "new do" out in the mirror

The sweet lady, Michelle, who gave her her first haircut. Michelle has cut my hair for a long time and also did my up-dos for prom and my wedding!

Merry Christmas to All!

We took this in front of our tree before my school Christmas party. We are so excited for our 2 weeks off and to spend time with family and friends. Here are few things we have to look forward to:

- Visits from Andy's brothers for his birthday
- Visit to College Station for Christmas
- Eleanor's first Christmas
- Playdates with friends
- Special time with my family as well after Christmas

Here is our Christmas card this year:

We hope you enjoy a wonderful Christmas and New Year and remember the true reason of the Season, our Savior's humility that he would make himself present to us in the form of a baby in a dirty manger and our God's love for us that he would send us His Son to show us His true love in the form of a person. I just LOVE Christmas!

Eleanor is 7 Months Old!

Eleanor was 7 months old on the 18th of December, also her Daddy's 27th birthday! She is simply amazing! Her personality continues to come out as she is getting more and more able to tell us what she wants! She can now shake her head no which she often does when I am trying to suck things out of her nose, when she is finished eating and wants no more, and when we are putting her in the car seat. Since she knows "no" with a head shake, we are going to try and implement that when we are telling her no as well - like when she grabs mommy's necklace or glasses ha!

A few things Eleanor has started doing since her 6th month include...

- Pulling herself from the laying on her stomach position to sitting up. She now does this in bed, I guess it is time now to lower her crib down :(

- She LOVES to clap at anything. We don't even have to prompt her by saying, "Yay" or "Patty Cake" she does it on her own.

- She has added foods to her repertoire of delicacies of Mommy's homemade food. She still hasn't had anything processed except the little organic puffs she SO loves to eat and an occasional bottle of formula! She eats sweet potato, brown rice porridge, oatmeal porridge, avocado, carrots, spinach (though I held off on the carrots and spinach once I heard you were supposed to wait until they are at least 7 months due to possible nitrates found in those foods...oops), pears, green peas, and banana. Still yet to try over the break are apples, winter squash, green beans, and maybe some millet (another grain to introduce). We are trying new combinations too. Last night she had oatmeal, banana, and peas. She loved it when usually she turns her nose up at peas!

- We think Eleanor might be a lefty. She has pretty much mastered picking up the puffs with her thumb and pointer finger on her left hand and still grabs with her whole fist on her right. It is quite funny to see her stuff her whole fist in her mouth and then still come out with a soggy cereal piece in her hand. When she uses her left hand though, she simply places it in her mouth and pulls her fingers out.

- Still only the two bottom teeth though with all the drooling, spitting, blowing bubbles, and putting her hand in her mouth, we think a top tooth is on the horizon.

- E is getting SO CLOSE to crawling. I am sure her 8th month post will have a bit about that new feat triumphed. She scoots around and pivots and she can definitely clear the whole room crawling backwards but she still has yet to move forward in pursuit of a toy. She will get up on all 4s and just rock back and forth and usually throw a fit because she wants to go so badly!

- She has added more sounds to her vocabulary. At first it was just mmmmah and bbbah but now she has added the nnnah sound as well. We are on the edge of our seats to know her first word! I am sure it will still be a little while...

- Eleanor loves to play with her activity table we took the legs off of still, she also has learned, from her Aunt MEA to knock over a pile of blocks! She loves playing with her blocks as well!

- Eleanor also made it through her first night away from Mommy and Daddy without a family member in attendance. Marci Perez and her friend watched her along with one of Eleanor's many suitors, Canon Blackwell. We think the two of them kept each other busy enough to realize their parents weren't gone. They were great and Eleanor went to bed without a fight. I will post their "date" on another post. Marci videoed it!

We continue to fall in love with you sweet Eleanor every day! We are SO looking forward to the next two weeks away from school and spending time with you 24/7!

Upcoming this month is Eleanor's first Christmas and New Year!

I LOVE Coupons but don't love hard drives...

SO God is good and because of coupon codes I just saved $60 on my Christmas card order!! HOORAY!

I had 4 different websites up as I was choosing Christmas cards and uploading photos and much to my supposition was proved wrong and Tiny Prints is in fact no more expensive than any other website when comparing the same paper and card size! I was so excited because I am familiar with their website and like it better anyway. Not to mention, I had a million coupons, some expired and some not, that I could apply to the order which made it even better!

So I was about to check out. I had already spent at least 3 hours working on the card and choosing the perfect one, emailing options to mom and Andy soliciting opinions and finally decided. I typed in the code I had for 20% off my order and was so excited about my over $40 in savings. It even gave me free shipping but wouldn't guarantee the cards to me until Christmas Eve which just wouldn't work so I paid only $9 to get them by Monday. Pretty good for rush shipping if you ask me...

I then stumbled upon a coupon that expired in October. The code was TP1010 (tiny prints, Oct. 2010). My resourceful self thought, why not try and see if I can use this code and apply it to December. I typed in TP1210 and hit apply and waited thinking something would pop up saying "not a valid code" but was SHOCKED when it took another $20 off my order! AMAZING!

This utter gittiness over saving $60 definitely overshadowed my dismay about possibly having lost EVERYTHING on my external hard drive. Here is my predicament. As some of you know, my laptop has been down for quite some time. It isn't completely crashed but could go any day and is really non-functioning. Because of that, I decided to back up my laptop on my old faithful external hard drive. I brought it to school with pictures to upload and play with as I designed my invitation and it opened up right away! I was able to take what I needed and then suddenly it disappeared from my, "My Computer" drive.

I unplugged and plugged it back in and it said it needed to format the external drive and did I want it to. I said no and am glad I did because after consulting with my computer whiz mother, found that it was going to wipe out everything on the hard drive. I am so distraught! If I take this thing home and it doesn't open up on my computer that is all my pictures and documents from college forward! AHH! What is the point of an external hard drive if it is going to fail you too!!!??? Do I have to back up three different ways or something!?

I don't know what God is trying to teach me in this but am trying to be patient and trust and pray to St. Anthony that he will pray to help me recover my lost files. Silly that I am being so obsessive about something on my computer - it is a thing and at times like Christmas you realize how important family and friends and the people you love are compared to things so maybe God is trying to teach me that lesson. I don't know...I am still super sad if I have lost everything on that hard drive! I will keep you posted. Until then, I am focusing on the positive - $60 saved WAHOO!

If you are a later orderer like me and still are looking for Christmas cards, feel free to use these codes to save some money on http://www.tinyprints.com/

CATCA2B78FBZ

TP1210

And another code for $10 off orders of $49+... FANS Too bad it gave me that after I put my order in! Make sure you use it before 2011, it expires Dec. 31st.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Having a new member of the family to introduce all the fun customs and traditions to has been SO FUN this year! I love the year of firsts, in fact that is all Andy and I have known since we married - the first year was "Our Firsts" as Reinbergs and now, we have Eleanor's firsts to enjoy!

This past weekend we visited Santa at the Galleria in Dallas. I was very particular and borderline offensive and snobby (sorry if I was that to you if I in any way scoffed at your Santa) about which Santa we would go to. I even thought about scouting out each of the malls/places Santa appears and picking which one I thought would be best for Eleanor but ran out of time. I finally narrowed down my decisions to Northpark and Galleria. Galleria actually had a picture of their Santa on the website unlike anyone else and I just love Northpark so was a little partial in thinking theirs would be good. After looking at the calendar and time schedule, decided that Galleria was the choice. It worked better with Eleanor's nap schedule as they opened at 11 whereas Northpark opened right when the whole city of Dallas would be done with church at 12:30.

Galleria ended up being a wonderful choice! My hopes for Eleanor's first Santa encounter were that of sweet little Susan Walker in Cole's department store in "Miracle on 34th Street." Galleria Santa's little wonderland wasn't more than a bunch of tasteful Christmas lights on lots of greenery and his big velvet chair but it was perfect! I was quite surprised when we arrived at 11:07 and there was already a line wrapped halfway around the wonderland. When the little elf told us it would be 10 min I was relieved. We finally got to see Santa after waiting for not 10 min. but an hour and Eleanor was a champ throughout the entire wait! She was so giggly and as I worried that her giggles would turn to fussiness at any second, she pulled through until she got to Santa!

When we sat her on him she just stared at him in wonder. Not necessarily in shock or "who the heck are you?" but just in the perfect awe and wonder that every child has when they get to see and touch and be in the presence of that mystical figure, Santa Claus! When she heard all the bells and tambourines she finally looked at us and my desperate attempts to stray her gaze from the jolly old man in the red suit finally proved successful and we got a decent picture!

After pictures we took a stroll down to the skating rink and COrner Bakery and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast while Eleanor was enthralled in the little objects moving on the sea of white and the GIGANTIC Christmas tree in the center of it all. Any commented that he would like to see a tree like that in real life - "Only if you are Clark Griswold," I told him!

We then went shopping for Andy's class' Angel gift and he decided HE wanted to pick out a toy for Eleanor which led him to make her hand touch and push every button on every toy in the kid's section of Target. He decided that "she" liked a little farm animal piano thing. I guess we now are giving her a toy for Christmas ha!

After shopping we picked up "Aunt MEA" and headed to the Gaylord to take some more pictures. BIG MISTAKE! It was a MAD HOUSE! The line to get into the parking garage was forever long so I thought, let's spkurge and do valet. BAD decision...it was $20. So I got back into line and resorted to paying $12 for parking. Keep that in mind if you are wanting to go get a few pictures taken. Probably not worth it unless you go on a not so busy weekday and can actually get some pictures without people in them. Regardless, we got a few shots though I haven't been able to view them on the comp. When I can, I will post the best.

We are STILL waiting to get our Christmas card together. I haven't been able to get the "perfect shot" where one of us doesn't have snot dripping out our nose (we have all had colds) and we are all in good moods (mainly Eleanor) and smiling and in coordinating clothes. Andy growled at me when he came out in a red shirt (very sweet of him to try and dress himself in the holiday spirit but not what I had in mind) and I politely informed him that I had already picked out his shirt and his red shirt clashed with the red shirt I was wearing :) He is such a sweet and agreeable husband for letting me have my way with family matchy but not too matchiness...coordinate is really my word of choice. We will see how these pictures turn out and hopefully have cards in the mail before Santa hits the roof. I might just need to accept that not every picture we "publish" in a Christmas card will be perfect and resort back to my blog title and remind myself that our family is a beautiful "mess" not a model of perfection. Though it is very hard for me to accept that everything can't be perfect, I am working on loving my imperfections and living with them rather than stressing my life away to fix them. That is a whole different blog post though.

Until next time, Merry Christmas and remember, not presents, stressful mall (or in our case Gaylord) traffic, Christmas card mailout deadlines, baking, report card deadlines, perfect coordinating outfits BUT JESUS are/is the reason for the season! :) I am more or less saying that for my own reminder...God Bless!

Growing Growing Growing

Eleanor went to the Dr. last week for a weight check. She had only gained an oz. from 4 - 6 months and our doc was worried so we scheduled a check to follow up a few weeks after her 6 month check up. She weight 14lb6oz. at the 6 month checkup and after we have since put her on solids AND her spitting up has gotten SO much better/almost nonexistent, I am happy to report she now weighs in at 15lb12oz. Much improved and our doc is pleased. That still only puts her in the 40th percentile...she is a petite little bug but growing beautifully we are told!

I think her weight gain was definitely attributed to us starting solids but also to the fact that she can sit up on her own now! It is adorable, she is such a big girl! She still needs us to burp her some but occasionally since she sits up so much, she burps on her own - so ladylike :)

My favorite new trick she has up her sleeve is the clapping. Mom and Andy taught her to clap on command. She will either clap when you start singing the "Patty Cake" song or when you start clapping and say YAY!!!! Here is a little sample of her trick :)

We just love how much she is growing and changing - more updates to come on her 7 month post...less than a week away!

FALLing in Love with Autumn

This fall has been so fun and very busy around the Reinberg household. We have throughly enjoyed Eleanor's first Halloween and Thanksgiving and have loved spending time with our families.

We spent Halloween with our dear friends, the Vaniceks at my parents' house and earlier that day with the Blackwells at their "Boo Brunch" Eleanor was a pumpkin, the same thing her Daddy was his first Halloween (you know how we love tradition in the Reinberg fam) and Andy was Linus (with his big pumpkin). We enjoyed chili with the Vaniceks and the Gentrys (Simon and Nadia and little Nyah) and the babies rotated throwing fits (thank goodness never all three crying at once). Needless to say with the doorbell ringing and screaming babies it was not a quiet night to say the least but it was still fun!

Eleanor is 6 MONTHS OLD!

I can't believe it has already been half a year since our sweet Eleanor joined us! I look at the pictures from her birth and she was just this tiny little infant. NOW she is a PERSON with such a fun and well kind of distinct personality. Eleanor, you are cracking me up every day as you continue to remind me of myself. You got Daddy's looks but you are me to a T! Let me just give a few examples...

Did you know your mommy has been, on many occasions, called "Sally" from "When Harry Met Sally"? Well I have and what that means is I know what I want and I will let everyone know as well. You have begun to show that quality as I have introduced you to solids. So far, you have had sweet potato, rice porridge (food processed brown rice), and avocado. You aren't a super big fan of avocado but you LOVE sweet potato. I have tried to incoprorate rice into every meal and you tolerate it. Because you take 2tbs. of porridge for every tbs. of food, it takes a little longer to feed you the rice and therefore is why I try to give you as many bites of solely rice before also giving you sweet potatoes. For the first couple you are glad to get something in your mouth but by the second or third bites the "Sally" comes out in you. You have been known to act like you are gagging, coughing, anything you can do to be a dramatic diva and let me know that you want sweet potatoes, you even through a fit sometimes. BUT once you see me dip the spoon also into the sweet potato bowl, you are fine! Oh boy, your daddy and I might have a challenge ahead of us! He says "she eats what she gets and doesn't get a say"...BUT I know how DREADFUL it is when you ordered a cheeseburger with no cheese and it comes out making you want to gag and even wiping it off still leaves traces of cheese. I have been there and wanted to gag as well. I know how it is so I think I will be more sympathetic but hopefully some of your dad's resistance to inconvenience anyone and therefore take what is put before you will rub off on you!

More breakthroughs for you this month have included sitting up all on your own! You love it! Daddy took the legs off your play table and you love to sit up and bang on it. You can push and pull and pick up everything on the table! It keeps you super busy! We usually put the boppy around you so that you will have a cush if you fall but rarely do you ever fall anymore unless it is on purpose to roll onto your stomach to play.

You also love the picture book (squisy "Sassy" black and white book you can put pictures of people in). You love to chew on it and look at the pictures of your family. You also have been teething so much more. You will sit and chew on a toy for more than 5 min. at a time. My favorite thing you have learned to do this month is become SO MUCH more vocal! You have two "words" you say daily. We can't decide if you say them at random or with purpose yet but they are bahh bahh bahh and mmmah! So mommy is hoping you will soon say Momma for your first word! There is a good chance!

I think we might have had your reflux under control. A few days after you turned 5 months old, you had a flare up. We aren't sure what casued it and mommy even took out eggs, peanuts, corn, soy, and dairy from her diet to see what happened. She has slowly been introducing back but hasn't done soy yet. We think that might be the proble, though we really aren't sure. Bottom line, we seem to have it under control with the prevacid you so enjoy slurping up each night and by getting some solids in your tummy to maybe soak up the lactose and stomach acid and keep it from coming up. You rarely spit up as much as you used to (entire feedings at a time). Hopefully when we go in a few weeks to have your weight checked, you will have gained. When you went in for your 6 month checkup you had only gained an oz. in a month which landed you in the 28th precentile and scared mommy, daddy, and your Dr., Beline. We think you have gained some weight now though since you have been keeping your foods down!

You have endured another road trip south in your 6th month. You went to College Station for Mommy's KTB reuinion and to visit Grammy and Grandpa and your uncles. You did great on the way down. We left at 6am when it was still dark and you slept until about 8:30/9. At that point we stopped in in Centerville to feed you and then you did NOT want to get back in your car seat. You cried the whole hour to College Station. On the way home you slept for a little while (from Houston...we went to visit Baby Reese Wentrcek on the way home from CS) until about Buffalo. We got you out to play on your first playground at the Dairy Queen so you could stretch your legs and eat. You cried the whole hour home from Buffalo as well! Today, you and mommy are going to see Aunt MEA in San Marcos and do some Christmas shopping. Hopefully you will cooperate in the car and the traffic won't be too bad!

Lastly, you have definitely become preferential in who you let hold you. Even sometimes when Daddy is holding you and Mommy is in the room, you have been known to throw a fit until Mommy holds you. You did however possibly mistake Aunt MEA for mommy as when she was visiting and put you down while you both were playing with Marmi, and left the room you cried until she came back. Usually you don't cry when you are alone with Marmi at all! Visiting your grandparents in College Station, thought rushed, was a treat but kind of a different scene and took some time for you to warm up to. You hadn't seen them in almost 3 months so you definitely didn't recognize them nor did they recognize you. You weren't as smiley as usual around them but I think that was becasue you were trying to figure them out. Hopefully, now that Daddy's football is over, you will be able to see your College Station grandparents more often and hopefully they will then get to know your super fun and happy personality better.

Recap on your 6 month breakthroughs:

- reflux hopefully under control

- Started solids (sweet potato/rice porridge/avocado)

- getting clingy and picky on who holds you - you KNOW your surroundings now

- sleeping from 8pm - 6:30/7am

- taking two 2 hours naps a day (from 8ish - 11ish and from 4ish - 6ish) and then a couple smaller naps in between

- Bbbahh and MMahh are your "words" that you repetitively say

We love you sweet angel love and can't believe how you amaze us with your sweet smiles, cud

Babytique - HUGE SALE! If you have a baby READ THIS!

So I was invited to attend a test market for this new online baby registry that was just starting up when I was pregnant with Eleanor. They have quite a few unique products PLUS many of the popular brands you see at Buy Buy Baby/Babies R Us. They are moving offices and for that reason are having a HUGE sale coming up. Everything in their store is 40% off!!! On December4th it is al 50% off!

Here is the actual add verbiage below. ALSO if you would like to register with them, put me as a reference. They are great to register with becasue it is all online. Your gift givers don't have to go to a store and like I said, they have a lot of what the popular baby stores have plus more unique and fun merchandise. GREAT for gift giving! Check it out!

mybabytique.com, home of the “not finding out” registry experience is having an end of the year holiday moving sale!
Beginning November 22 through the end of the year, shop 40% off all in-showroom merchandise.
Lots of your favorite boutique brands including BeBe Au Lait, Hooter Hiders, Baby Soy, Caden Lane, Aden & Anais and MORE!
Store located at 3100 Monticello Avenue Suite 120 (open 9 to 5pm)
December 4th—enjoy 50% off
Sneak Preview at www.mybabytique.com
Keep the Change donations benefiting Generation Heroes. www.heroesforchildren.org

UGGHHHH

So I still don't have a perfectly functioning computer which means I can't get my pictures properly uploaded to a computer (that isn't my work one) and onto blogger so until then, my posts will be boring and pictureless. I have been waiting since beginning of Oct. to fix my laptop and it just hasn't happened so I have saved my posts waiting to add pictures to them before publishing. SO now my OCD is taking over and I can't have written posts that aren't published sitting for that long. SO, they are published below...I will write more/add pictures when the sweet little pink dell gets its act together! :)

Eleanor's first day of solids!

Eleanor ate her first solid food, sweet potatoes, today! It was so exciting! She has been so fussy lately and it made me wonder if she maybe just really was starving! I know baby food isn't meant to replace but just be an addition to her normal feedings but thought maybe it was time to try. Not to mention that she was constantly grabbing for our food and wanting to drink out of our cups/Andy's beer bottles. Well, she was ready as she didn't even flinch at the taste of it and had no problem with swallowing her food!



I made sure to do my research and had everything set up like the book and my dear friend Stefani Blackwell (she is my guinea pig since her son, Canon, was born a few weeks before Eleanor) said to. E had already tried out her high chair before so we knew she would like it. She was def. hungry but of course not starved (I started feeding her a little before her actual feeding time), I made sure to smile and touch the spoon to her lower lip/tounge before sticking it in and had some water on hand for her to sip if she got parched :) Probably not an issue with sweet potatoes but I had it anyway. I baked a sweet potato and then scooped the insides into my mini cuisinart food processor. I blended it until it was basically really silky smooth mashed potatoes and then took a teaspoon full and stirred it with some breast milk to a liquidy consistency. She LOVED it and was grabbing for the bowl whenever I would get up to check the camera! You can see the rest in the video below...whenever I set it up...

Eleanor is 5 Months

Eleanor was 5 MONTHS OLD yesterday! Where has the time gone!? I can't believe it has already been that long since the exciting and specal time that Eleanor joined our family! She is growing so much and is doing so many new things, here are just a few:

- She cut her first tooth already! I think she is working on another...

- She no longer sleeps on the wedge with her sleep positioner and does not get to be cuddled in her newborn napper anymore. When her feet were hanging off I decided she had pretty much outgrown it and needed to learn to sleep flat on her back like a big girl.

- When she sleeps, we lay her on her back (in the best swaddle we can before she kicks her legs out) and she usually ends up on her stomach or side. For a while, ANYTIME she would roll to her stomach no matter the hour of night and would scream for us to roll her over. She has just recently learned that all she has to do is turn her head to the side and it is quite comfy to sleep on your tummy. She still prefers her back or side though.

- Ellie's two favorite things she does to put herself to sleep are turning her head from side to side with her bun bun or other lovie rubbed against her face AND SLAMMING her heels down into the bed. She lifts her legs up almost 90 degrees and SLAMS them down on the bed. At first we thought it was in protest or because she was mad but then we realized that no, it is just a part of her sleep routine. It reminds me of when I would do a flip turn in the pool and slam my heels down on the gutter accidentally. It hurt but she doesn't seem to be bothered by it. I guess she has tougher heels than her mom!

- Eleanor is really starting to try to scoot! She will sit up on her arms on her tummy and will sway back and forth trying to move! It is hilarious but also scary that she will be mobile before we know it! It is also crazy that she can push her chest so far up off the ground. It seems like just yesterday that she could barely hold her head up enough to turn it! Life and growing from a little cell to an adult really is a miracle! I don't know how anyone could explain a person's origin from anyone but God, Our Creator!

- E still loves her bun bun, her pacis, and to read at night before bed. She also loves her big bun bun and is starting to play with it more.

- Another thing Eleanor loves is her bath. She has graduated from the sling and now reclines on the slanted part with her butt up against the plastic hump her legs drape over. When I first saw this I didnt understand how it would work or be comfortable but she really loves it! She has started kicking and splashing and sucking on her washcloth...I remember doing the same thing and liking the feel of the bath water on my teeth...sounds weird I know but I remember doing it!

- She is really starting to know people and notice what is going on more often. SO many times now I will be reading to her and she will tip her head back and her big sweet eyes will smile at me. If you are holding her she is all over the place wanting to look. She has also started grabbing! She holds onto hair, necklaces, and has grabbed my glasses completely off my face on more than one occasion!

- E loves to help cook! She sits in her bumbo and bangs wooden spoons, easuring cup/spoons and throws them having a blast!

- Eleanor's head control is awesome! Last night I was bathing her and held her over the sink to rinse her head and wouldn't you know she held her head up so the water wouldn't go in her face. It was crazy! She is also starting to sit up on her one for a min. or so and then when she reaches for something usually topples over.

- E still has cradle cap and some definite dry skin behind her ears but I started using the Eucerin Aquaphor ointment and shampoo and it has really been working I think!

- Eleanor is eating 7 oz. of milk at each feeding and eats every 4 - 5 hours. When I feed her I doubt she is getting the 7 oz. so we usually go to every 4 hours. She naps great - usually two hour blocks in the morning and afternoon.



Baby girl, your big smile and many "words" you utter out warm my heart! I love to see you focusing so hard on what you have to say and can't wait until they are words we both understand someday but don't grow up too fast! I can't believe you will be half a year old in a month! Daddy and I love you SOOOOO MUCH!

Does the Tooth Fairy ONLY Come When You LOSE a Tooth?

Eleanor had her first tooth come in on Saturday, Oct. 9th. She was 4 months and 3 weeks old. We knew she had been working on it for a while but it finally broke the surface and showed its hard white enamel on Saturday! She was in quite a bit of pain and had the following symptoms:
- low grade fever
- needy (moreso than usual...) only wanted me, wanted to be held 24/7 and put her head on my shoulder/snuggled a lot more than usual (which was super sweet)
- wasn't sleeping well - woke up ever hour at night at one point in the process
- playing with her tounge on her gums a LOT
- very fussy
- drooling a lot

We just held her a lot and gave her baby tylenol, .6 ml every 4 hours. We tried the orajel a couple of times but it is really difficult to get on her actual gums becasue her toungue kept interfering so I decided to quit. I was also worried she would swallow it and it would mess up her swalloing reflux by numbing her throat. I didn't see it doing much to help anyway...

SO E has already bitten me once...we will see how much longer the breastfeeding goes if that continues but I definitely want to keep it going as long as possible! It is now the 13th and she seems to be doing much better so at least now we know the bad symptoms don't last too long! :) Our little girl is growing WAY too quickly!

26 Candles...Or a 2 candle and 6 matches...Whatever Works!

What a wonderful day it was! Yesterday I turned 26 and my dear sweet family did everything they could to make it such a special day. On the Sunday BEFORE my bday we went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner with Mom, Dad, Kelsey, and her roommate Erica, now dubbed "Aunt E" to Eleanor. She has become a part of the family as her family lives in Scotland and well, that is a long way from Lubbock so she comes to visit the Aldons when she needs a little taste of home :)We had a nice dinner though I must say - what the heck CF, why would you change the recipe on your already WONDERFUL fish tacos!??!?! I was totally caught off guard when they brought out fish tacos in a completely different presentation and now with sour cream on top. NO thank you...I promptly ordered something different :) We did get the perfect table setup in a corner where I could feed E behind the "hooter hider" and she could sprawl out on the booth bench and kick and roll to her heart's content. We came home and while E and I were playing in her jungle, Andy (and Eleanor) gave me a little girl shoe charm for my bracelet from Eleanor. So sweet :) I guess they couldn't wait until my actual birthday :) Anyway, Andy and I indulged in our Adam's PB cup and Reeses/chocolate cake Cheesecake at home on the couch once we put Eleanor down. It was so nice to celebrate with everyone minus Katie and MEA. We missed you! :)



Monday was such a treat! I got to be a STAY AT HOME MOM for the day! It was such a delight getting to sleep in to 7:30...haha most of you would say that is early but it is 3 hours more sleep than waking up at 4 so I can't complain! After Eleanor ate, we went on a run in the beautiful weather and I guess the constant of my feet hitting the ground and the cool wind blowing through her stroller, she fell asleep! After the nap, she woke up and played in her exersaucer while I showered. After getting ready, she helped me bake Banana Bread for Aunt Keekda - Ellie's first real live baking experience. She LOVES to use the measuring spoons and she sat in her bumbo and just watched and banged all the utensils! After cooking though she decided she had had enough and either her tylenol ran out or her tooth just REALLY started hurting and she threw a fit. She was unconsolable until finally I fed her a bottle and as soon as I put her in the car seat to go have lunch with Mom and Keeks, she dozed off. So maybe tired/hungry as well.





After lunch, mom took Eleanor back home to put her down for a longer nap and Kortni and I GOT PEDICURES! Oh my poor feet have been starving for a pedicure. It has been probably 4 months since I have gotten one. It was WAY overdue! After the pedi, E was still sleeping so my wonderfully generous mother told me to go home and relax (I of course don't know the meaning of that word so time without E meant clean/laundry/organize to me) so I took the car to the car wash and got a few things done around the house before I was picked up to go to Andy's game. This was Eleanor's 2nd game to attend for her Daddy and once again she was his lucky penny - they played great AND won! What a wonderful day it was getting to experience just a little what it was like to be a stay-at-home mom and not worry about 4th graders ha!





TUESDAY I woke up to balloons on the floor and streamers all over the living room. Andy sure knows how to make me feel special! I got to leave for work a little late because it was a staff development day - no children! :) After my morning training I met mom and E at Houston's (one of my faves) for lunch. Eleanor's smile and spunk made my day even brighter as did the conversation and company of my dear sweet mom. She brought me Sprinkles cupcakes for later that evening and a cute outfit from my sisters. I arrived at school for the rest of my training and to a BEAUTIFUL bouquet of flowers from my favorite florist, Cebolla that Andy had sent. WOW what a surprise and he even rq'd that all of the flowers from my wedding bouquet be in the arrangement. A few of those flowers were out of season but what they came up with was awesome!





I worked until about 5 and then met Andy at the Galleria to look for some boots (his present to me as if everything else wasn't enough...). I decided to wait as not all of the winter boots are in at Nordy's but it was still such a treat to get to shop with him...that never happens! We walked around the mall and ended up leaving with some eye liner and babv spoons from William Sonoma. It was such a testament to how quickly our lives have moved in the last two years (we got engaged 2 years ago in Nov.) when it felt like just yesterday we were registering for our wedding at WS and now we are buying baby food spoons! We walked around the mall a bit then headed to Addison for sushi.





We loved living in Addison bc it was so close to so many good restaurants. We frequented Fish City for their cheap and amazing margaritas and so went there for a couple drinks and calamari. We should have known when we went next door to Blue Fish for sushi that we could have done two rolls instead of three since we had already eaten the calamari but we didn't think and left dinner completely stuffed!





We came home and met mom with Eleanor who was already asleep, thanks Mom for giving us a break! What a treat! The night was capped off with Andy serenading to me solo the Happy Birthday song as I blew out a random 2 candle we had and 6 matches (he improvised) on my yummy red velvet "Sprinkles" cupcake. WHAT a birthday! Now it is back to normalcy and grading papers, parent teacher conferences, and grocery shopping with only a few bucks left to last until the 21st ha! It was fun while it lasted :)

Formula and Other Things

My baby girl is getting her first exposure to formula today :( I am really sad about it bc I have worked so hard to pump and make sure she had enough but something happened with the traveling and everything last weekend and we came up short a few ounces for this week. I am trying not to stress about it bc she will still be getting predominantly breast milk but I just loved that with the exception of her shots and reflux meds that she was still pure and didnt have anything manufactured with names I can't pronounce put in her. I am not saying that I think formula is bad because I know some babies have to go on it but she is doing so well nursing and I just hate to do this bc no matter what breast milk is best for her and cheapest for us ha! The fact is though, that we are out of milk so I have no choice :( So I am sitting here pumping hoping that I will make enough and this formula supplementation will just be a temporary thing...I am not pumping as much as she eats though and she is starting to act like we starve her again which makes me think we need to up her to a 7 oz. bottle now...

So that is the latest in the Reinberg household...that and football, exhaustion and pining for a few days off (Thanksgiving) to breathe/ not think about disciplining children who aren't my own and teaching them the life lessons their parents should be/spend time with Eleanor, and making it :) I have Monday off (poor Andy has to work) and am going with the Vaniceks to take some pics at the Arboretum and let the girls (Katie and Eleanor) have their first encounter with pumpkins! SO FUN! :)

This post is probably gramatically incorrect due to my laziness and prob. sounds a little negative...sorry! I just wanted to make sure and remember the date on which my wonderful job kept me from being able to feed my daughter...LOVE IT!

On a more positive note...Kelsey AND MEA are coming into town this weekend for both the Baylor/TTU game and the A&M/Ark. game. I am so excited to get to see them both and for our family to hopefully spend some time together Sunday before they have to go home. I am also excited to meet Keekda's roommate - Erica, from Scotland! :) Eleanor is excited to see her aunts but misses Katie as we do as well. We love you Aunt Kitter!

Eleanor LOVES her Godparents!

We were so lucky to have the Wentrceks join us for Labor Day Weekend at the lake. Jenna and Mom and I (and Eleanor for some of the time) went to Canton and found the dresser for Baby W's nursery while the guys golfed and we spend a little time of the water as well. It was so great to see our dear friends and for Eleanor to get to spend some time with them! We are so thankful they came to visit!

Jenna is due Nov. 4th with their first, we can't wait to meet him/her AND know if it is a him/her and what his or her name will be! Eleanor especially can't wait to meet her new friend. She was already talking him/her as she say on Jenna's belly a few times while at the lake! She had such a special time talking to Jenna while we all say on the dock.

Eleanor's new "seat"



Eleanor LOVES her godfather and can't WAIT until he greets her first boyfriend at the door with a gun with her daddy like he promised! :)




Notice what his shirt says..."THE GODFATHER"


Thank you Wentrceks for making the trip up to visit! We love y'all!

Are You Ready for Some FOOTBALL!??!?

Supporting the Ags their first game weekend of the season, thank goodness they BTHO SFA!


Being married to a football coach brings lots of fun and excitng discussions/lessons in plays such as what options Andy's offense is running, how "deep" his recievers/running backs/safetys go on a certain play and well a lot more he has told me but I can't remember and will spare my readers and say no more since I have probably already butchered what little of football jargon I know/understand.

Football season also brings Friday nights of girl time with the Reinberg girls, and well all day Saturday as well while Daddy/Coach works as late as 3am Friday night and then works from about 8am - 4pm on Saturday. It also brings Monday and Tuesday nights of Middle School football games which Eleanor and I haven't ventured to yet seeing as the temp. hasn't dropped below 90 STILL yet. As if we couldn't get enough football, we then have college games all day Saturday on TV AND even listening to Dave South dictate how terribly the Aggies are playing on Andy's computer WHILE watching another game on the TV and seeing the Aggie score scroll across the bottom of the screen bc don't worry, we will never be good enough to be televised unless we are playing t.u. AS IF 4 days a week of football weren't enough, we have Sunday to watch the Cowboys (so far) lose as well.

Sunday waiting to go to 4:30 mass after the game was over (we couldn't go to our usual noon mass because the Cowboys were playing...Eleanor is her "Daddy's Litttle Cowboy" shirt and her "First Levis"

I grew up around lots of football. I learned to be resilient to the incessant screaming shot at our television set by my dad in the fall while watching the cowboys (or whatever team is playing that he has fantasy players playing on). At first, it was an adjustment. I was told my Dad made me cry as a child because his "c'mon ref" or "where's the flag!?" came as a shock at first to me but then I eventually got used to it. After a while, I became "interested" in football so that my Dad would include me in his weekend rituals of watch parties. I would ask him to explain certain things to me but basically just understood that the qb throws the ball and a touchdown is when they run to the end of the field and score. I also learned the hand signal given by the ref for that from "Touchdown Jesus" at ND.

It wasn't until college that I learned quite a bit more at Aggie football games. College games, unlike hs where girls socialize while the guys watch the game, seemed to have much more fan involvement and so I learned a little more! It wasn't until my soph. or jr. year that I finally learned that the "1st down" yellow line you see on the TV ISN'T in fact painted on the field and moves as the team advances...WOW I know pretty sad to admit. Luckily I now have a football coach for a husband to explain this exciting game even more in depth to his poor and uneducated wife.

They say girls pick men like their fathers to marry. While I would say that Andy and Dad can be different in some ways, I definitely didn't get away from a football worshiping man. Last year, we had so much fun going to mom and dad's to watch the Cowboys play each weekend and so far have enjoyed watching with them AND Eleanor. Dad is already getting Eleanor used to the yelling...

Eleanor's first In Season Cowboy's Game

TOUCHDOWN Cowboys!

SO this being Eleanor's first football season, we have fully immersed her. Marmi bought her some Cowboys outfits to wear on gameday and like last year and she loves her many Aggie outfits as well. She has her own "1st football" that the Easter bunny brought her last year and she loves to hold it during games. She also like to yell at the TV and tell the players what they are doing wrong - she already knows more than her mommy!

Eleanor's first football

Daddy and Eleanor watching the Ags BTHO LALafayette...YES her eyes are on the TV...yikes!


Football is definitely ingrained in our lives, we just can't get enough!

Eleanor is 4 Months Old!

I can't believe how the time is flying. Eleanor had her four month old shots and checkup today on her actual four month bday. These are some pictures from her 4 month old day mark, just before she got her shots :(. She is in the 50th percentile across the board (head/lenght/weight). She weight in at 13 lb. 5 oz. and is 25 in. long. Our nurse this time was nice and speedy so her shots were definitely not as traumatic as her 2 mo. shots. She has been pretty sleepy and really wanting mommy to hold her ALL day but how could I complain about my little angel wanting to snuggle all day? We have had so much fun just sitting and rocking and reading books.

Eleanor, I miss you so much when I am away at school. This month I have especially noticed Monday mornings, leaving Marmi's house with just an indescribable hurt in my heart. I know you are in the best hands you could be in with your sweet Marmi but still hate that I miss out on your smiles, giggles, and sweet kisses all day long. You grow so much every day and I am so afraid that the business of life will make me miss out on something! Here are a few things you have been up to lately that make me smile:

- I think it is just adorable that you love your feet so much. You take your toes to your mouth and literally suck on them! I can't believe how limber you are! You definitely didn't get that from your mommy!

- You JUST started...like literally a couple of days ago, to blow bubbles almost trying to say the "b" sound...Daddy thinks you are trying to say "ball" (his first word)

- I love how vocal you are! You love to sing and talk in your crib before I come to get you, in the car, and laying on the floor when we play with you.

- You are rolling over like crazy. You hardly ever stay on your back and you go straight to your tummy once we lay you down.

- You don't like your tummy too much though your head control is great and you hold your head up nice and high! You will play with toys while you are on your tummy but after a while you like to tell Mommy and Daddy to flip you back over.

- I love your bedtime routine. It is such a special time for us together. Lately, we have been reading 3 books, "I Love You, Goodnight" (a book you were given that Mommy especially likes because it is full of similes - getting you ready to be a good writer from the beginning and you like because it rhymes and is very "sing song"), "Buenas Noches a Todos" (a book Mommy bought trying to immerse you in the Spanish language though Mommy doesn't completely understand what she is reading you because it is in "Espanol Solomente," and "Como Me Siento/How do I feel?" You like to have your paci in and to have one of your "lovies - soft little blanket/animal" by your face and you are always hugging it. Mommy reads and you like to help turn the pages while holding onto your lovie which currently is you "bun bun" that the Glynns all got you. After we read your books, we pray the same prayers Daddy prayed when he was little (Mommy used to just pray the "Our Father" and liked to sing it when she was little) - "Now I Lay Me...," The Lord's Prayer, Hail Mary, Glory Be, and thankful prayers. Then, Mommy lays you in bed and usually, you fall right asleep. You are so good to your Mommy and Daddy

- I love going to mass with you. You usually eat right before and fall asleep in the car on the way there. When you wake up, you are so happy to sing and pray out loud during mass.

- Mommy and Daddy are so lucky that you are sleeping through the night. You go to bed between 8 and 9 and then get up around 6 when we wake you to bring you to Marmis but you always fall back asleep in the car and wake up between 7:30 and 9 for the day. You have been known to take a 2-4hr. long nap in the morning and then nap in the afternoon as well.

- You just recently have been grabbing for Mommy and Daddy's food/water glass/wine glass a lot! Usually you sit in one of our laps or in the bumbo during dinner and now it has been three occasions that you have shined your sweet face at me as if wanting a sip of my water and I have given in, put the glass close to your mouth, you have opened, waited for the water to hit your lips, and started slirping as if you were a 2 year old drinking from a big girl cup but no, you are a 4 month old!

We love you so much baby girl, looking forward to what month 5 has to bring!