Snacks

So Eleanor has been venturing into the world of grown up snacks and pretty much loves anything we give to her. We try to feed her as healthy of food as possible and don't think she hasn't had goldfish or even a tortilla chip once or twice but here are a few of her favorites she has tried and

DEVOURED:
- green bean chips (baked/freeze dried green beans)
- pumpkin seeds (no I would have never given them to her but I was eating them and she insisted so I let her try and her brand new molars got the job done!)
- dried cranberries
- freeze fried peas

Her school has started giving her lots of animal crackers and vanilla wafers so I really need to start sending better options as I don't want her to become hooked on all that sugar! :)

Eleanor 12 Months - One Year

Eleanor's 12 month checkup was a little late which is why this post isn't too close to her birthday! The above pic is Happy E and her Daddy awaiting the appointment and dreaded shots :( Here are the latest stats:

21 lb (65th%)

30in long (75th%)...crazy since she was 17 3/4in at birth and 7 lb 5oz...crazy how much she grew!

Head: 75th%

New Words: Mary, Amen, Yes, Fox, Nay (sp?...what a horse says)

Some of my favorite things you do include mommy asking you to give me a kiss and you turning your face towards me and opening your mouth so I can give you a big kiss! Sometimes you blow me a kiss or lean in towards me so I can kiss you on the forehead when I say "gimme a kiss." I love how much you are walking, well running! When I come to pick you up at Marmi's or Daddy brings you home to me, I open my arms and you run and bury your head in my chest. You are the sweetest little girl ever! I can't get over how beautiful and wonderfully full of joy you are! You are always smiling and just so happy!

You did have a little bit of a bad break right before your first birthday with your health. Apparently following in your mommy and daddy's footsteps with their first birthdays, mommy got pneumonia and daddy got. You got a sinus infection a week before your birthday which then developed into an ear infection while you at the same time somehow contracted a staph infection in your big left toe :( Poor baby, $120 in copays and three antibiotics later, your toe is still a little red and you still tug on your ears so it is back to the doc tomorrow. Beline didn't see anything wrong at your one year appt. on May 26th but who knows, something could have come back. You are definitely in better spirits though and were such a happy girl for your bday festivities all things considered!

You are eating just about everything. Your favorites still including black beans, cheese, any kind of "nack" (animal crackers, regular crackers, goldfish...) strawberries, oranges, edamame, and green peas. You still drink about 5 - 7oz. three times a day of whole milk (we started you on whole milk basically when we ran out of formula which was a few weeks before your 1st bday!) and still drink in a bottle though we plan to switch you to a cup any day now (once school is over). You drink water throughout the day and love it, especially with ice and a lemon in it (you only get a lemon if it is in Mommy and Daddy's water at a restaurant etc.) and you still have never tried juice - Mommy will keep it that way as long as possible!

Eating your new favorite food - guacamole and avocado

You LOVE to play! You got a kitchen for your bday and lots of fun accessories including lots of velcro cut and stack type foods. Your favorite is your "slice and bake" cookie decorating set from your godfamily (Wyatt, Jenna, and Reese) and you sit and try to cut/pull the cookies apart and stick the icing on for 20 min. at a time! You love to cook in your kitchen. You also love your Noah's Ark and little barn - you love to carry the animals around the house. You STILL love to read and Mommy will occasionally find you sitting quietly reading by yourself. You love reading so much that I will be feeding you in the rocking chair and you will refuse to eat because you are so focused on seeing your books and reading them! You even have your favorites that you point to and say pah pah (please). You also LOVE balls! Any size and shape, you SCREAM, "BAHHH" when you see one in the house, when you wonder where yours is, when you see one in a book or in the store. You LOVE balls!

Playing in the ball pit at your first bday party - BALLS everywhere!

You love all water including your bath and swimming in the pool and the lake. You like to kick your feet, splash and swim with your hands. You even say "kick kick kick" when you are kicking!

We are SOOO excited to get to spend the summer with you. Daddy and Mommy will both be home with you when we are in town, other time will be spent the three of us traveling together! We have so much fun with you sweet girl and can't wait to see what all we do and learn together this summer! We love you more than you will ever know! Praise you Father in Heaven for the gift of your daughter, Eleanor, to us!

Eleanor's Latest Love

So we went from bananas to strawberries. This child SCARFS them when put in front of her and she can spot them from across the room and points at them and says PAH and usually with some spitting involved because she is that intensively saying her word for, PLEASE :)

I turned my back for a couple min. and she had grabbed the tub of whole strawberries from the counter, pulled them on her high chair tray and proceeded to stuff an entire berry in her mouth drooling its sweet, red, salivating goodness all over herself! Crazy girl!

In other feeding news, she is starting whole milk today in her bottle (half organic milk/half formula). Once we know she is ok with that, we will then transfer to a cup with her milk. She is still taking anwhere from 4 - 7oz. in a bottle. Mom said she took her bottle down great but did spit up a little after. I REALLY don't think she is lactose intolerant though because she eats cheese like it is going out of style so we will see how the next feeding goes - my little girl is all grown up!

Eleanor is 11 Months Old!

Our sweet baby is 11 Months Old today! I CAN'T BELIEVE in ONE MONTH I will have a ONE YEAR OLD! Oh WOW! As I reflect on this past year I kind of miss all the excitment that came this time last year. I was so ready to meet my sweet little one and also ready to get my body back. I remember thinking that a lot - too bad it still isn't completely and probably never will be back the same way ha!

To the most important part though, our growing girl, Eleanor!

Because of Lent and my decision to not Blog, I didn't end up even handwriting a post for her 10th month so this will be a combination of both 10th and 11th months. Sorry E, I did manage to take a pic which is posted on the "Catching Up" post. SOOO much has happened since the 9 month post! February was forever ago! The biggest growth to brag about - WALKING! Let's start there. Eleanor, you started walking a few weeks ago - took your first "step" probably end of March/beginning of April but only did that when you wanted something - like if Mommy was holding her keys. It wasn't until this past weekend that you TOOK OFF! You take 5 and 6 steps at a time and if you fall over, usually get back up and try again. You are such a smart girl, falling on your bottom where it is cushy and not forward on your hands! You love to pick things up and walk with them!

More exciting new feats for you - you have so many words you are saying! You love to point at what you want and sometimes just point, don't make a protesting noise. You usually always purse your lips and make the "pah" sound when we ask you to say please! Your words now include:

- mama

- dada

- ba ba (bottle)

- bu bu (bun bun - your favorite lovie)

- na na (night night)

- Ab pah (Abby- Marmi and Pop Pop's dog - and what you call every dog you see in person or in a book)

- Uh Oh - you have the OH down too...it use to be uh uh. You LOVE dropping things just so you can say it!

- Chees (Cheese and Jesus) you kind of say the same thing for both ha!

- Up

- Buh buh (Bye Bye) you wave your hand and say it in the sweetest tone! I could just eat you up!

- Pah for please (we try to always make you say it)

As I said, you have gotten so good at pointing at things. You LOVE to point at Jesus on the cross at church and at Mary when she is holding baby Jesus, it is a statue very near where we sit and we always pass it on our way to the back during the consecration. We figure the congregation doesn't mind hearing your joyful noises during the readings and songs but when the priest is performing the miracle of changing the bread and wine into Jesus' blood and body, we feel you might be better witnessing it behind the glass with the other babies your age. Your Daddy and I always hope you can participate in the mass even at an early age but want to also respect the people who are praying around us. That will probably be another post - when and if we put you in the nursery. Anyway, back to pointing. You love the stained glass and the big light fixtures, it is so neat to see you watch them. You also point at people you love, cock your head to your shoulder and smile. It is SO SWEET the way you like to say, "I love you!"

You also are still so good at waving hello and bye bye. You ALSO have begun BLOWING KISSES! You hold your hand (sometimes both hands if we are really lucky) to your mouth for a while and make the mmmmmm sound until you finally pull it away and finish up with a mmmmmmmmmmmmmAH! It is SOO sweet!

You LOVE your bath still and sometimes you will even say ba ba for bath too. On the bathing subject, we thought you might like the pool as well and YOU DID! You were a little fish, swimming around, kicking your legs and moving your arms. You were also trying to drink the water - we will work on that! Your first swim (where you actually participated unlike last year the few times we put you in the pool) was on a Sunday afternoon after church, April 8th. Yes it was over 80 degrees out that day and the water had a chill but you didn't mind! You wore the cutest little one piece with a diaper inside and a matching sun hat which you surprisingly left on!

I have a bad feeling about the pool being in eye shot for you this summer - I am worried you will see it and will want to swim ALL THE TIME! Probably shouldn't be a worry - I am so thankful you love the water my sweet little fishy!

In the food department, you pretty much eat anything we give you! We still have strayed from shellfish, honey, peanut butter (though you did find a peanut on the floor, put it in your mouth and promptly spit it out), and egg whites but everything else has been fair game. You have loved us introdusing you to a few new things - any type of bean, you love black beans like they were candy, new cheeses, strawberries, blueberries, peaches (these are whole fruits not pureed), wheat pancakes, blueberry waffles, whole peas, pan seared tilapia, whole wheat pasta and all of your other favorites.

You did take it upon yourself to introduce yourself to an apple a month ago. We were in sprouts and you wanted something to hold so I gave you a big apple. You decided to be a big girl and took a bite out of it as if you had done it a million times before. You LOVED it and kept biting off chunks as I peeled the skin away. It was kind of a grainy apple os it almost dissolved in your mouth as you chewed. I thought you seemed ok until I was checkign out and missed pulling off a piece of skin and you started choking as I was paying! You scared Mommy so much and you eventually got it out with some throw up. Poor thing, but you were alright and wouldn't you know that as soon as you got a breath you were reaching for the apple again!

You sometimes let us spoon feed you but it is a major fight so we usually let you feed yourself though still with your favorite fork and spoon - your hands! Below are a couple variations of a typical menu in the day of Eleanor Ann at 11 months.

Variation 1:

Breakfast

whole wheat pancake, cut up strawberries and bananas, blueberry or peach yogurt

Lunch

half of a whole wheat, turkey or ham and cheese sandwich cut up in pieces and some fruit (whole frozen blueberries, cut up peaches/strawberries/banana/apple)

Dinner

grilled chicken, sauteed spinach cut up small, sauteed in garlic and evoo, cheese and some fruit

Variation 2:

Breakfast

oatmeal with some processed apples or peaches, turkey sausage cut up and fruit

Lunch

Black beans, green peas, and fruit

Dinner

ground turkey (you like when it has taco meat flavoring), cheese, fruit, cut up green beans sauteed in garlic, evoo, salt, and pepper

Special Treats you have been introduced to are graham crackers and animal crackers. Both you love and like I said, only get them as a special treat - the graham crackers were introduced at your friend Garrett's bday party. You also tried goldfish for the first time at Katie's house and why would we even question whether or not you would enjoy them - they have CHEESE in them! We try to make fruit your dessert after meals but every once in a while you get sometime fun like those other treats. You have also eaten tortilla before and got treated to your very own cheese quesadilla off the kids menu at Cheesecake Factory. We wouldn't normally order you the kids meny but our appetizer wasn't something you would want (lettuce wraps) so we ordered you a quesadilla. I will say that we did that before they brought us a special baby plate - cut up bread and bananas - how sweet of them! Points for Cheesecake Factory!

You officially ended breastfeeding right at 10 months. Mommy was so sad to give it up but you kind of just did it yourself. I am so thankful we were able to last that long and will forever cherish that special time with you! I love you so much! You now take a 6 - 7oz bottle in the morning after breakfast, around 2 before your afternoon nap, and then at night before bed. You like to sit up and lean against our chest facing out - I do miss you liying in my arms and eating as you looked up at me but we do it this way as you like to sit up and play with your feet! You are drinking out of 9 oz. glass bottles which are pretty heavy with liquid in them and we have also kind of just let you play with your feet or hold bun bun while we have always fed you so you still haven't mastered holding your own bottle though you do hold your water cup just fine. We are working on graduating you to taking your bottle on your own. Until then, Daddy and I LOVE the time we get to slow down, sit, and rock with you holding you close as we feed you your bottle.

Sweet baby, we love you more than anything and are blessed even more every day by having you in our lives! Thank you for being such a sweet love, for bringing joy to our hearts with your hugs, kisses (you like to blow them rather than give with your lips, we take anything!), and your smiles. We love you!

Independence Day

Last night was the first meal Eleanor fed entirely to herself. We are still planning on feeding her most of her meals run through the food processor still but last night, decided to do otherwise. I make her "Turkey Apple Loaf/Sticks" from an awesome baby food making website: http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/babyfingerfood.htm

The recipe is in the link but you know me, I of course altered it...I also meant to add some sort of greens and will in the future (processed spinach/peas/green beans/broccoli...whatever I have on hand)

The recipe came out pretty wet and they say to add more breadcrumbs but I really just put enough to make it stick together...she doesn't need any extra carbs...she gets plenty from eating bread and her fave, pancakes.

Here is what I used:

- 1 lb. ground turkey breast

- 1/4 cup applesauce (pureed cooked apples or you can use natural organic applesauce)

- 1/2 cup (or in my case two beaba baby food sorage "pods") of cooked pureed butternut squash

- 2 egg YOLKS beaten (no egg whites until they are one)

- 2 pieces of whole wheat bread food processed to bread crumbs (use the heels, perfect way to not waste them since I HATE eating them on a sandwich..

- 1/2 handful of rolled oats

- 1/4 c. processed rolled oats

- pinch of dried basil

- pinch of garlic salt (I didn't have any powder though powder would have been better)

Use your hands and get dirty mixing all this together in a bowl. Then, pour the mixture onto a cookie sheet (with sides just in case there is any grease dripping but it will be very little since it is turkey) and make it about as thick as half your thumb (doesn't have to fill the cookie sheet). Bake at 350 degrees until cooked thoroughly (about 20 - 30 min depending on the thickness).

When cooled, slice into strips and either serve that way for older toddlers or cut into small pieces for finger food babies :)

It isn't exactly appealing to the eyes but Eleanor liked it and it is a good way to get foods in they can't eat without you serving it to them - especially when they like feeding themselves :)

Another good finger food Eleanor has enjoyed is rice. It is a good size and is soft enough that she can smoosh it with her gums! A dear friend shared the recipe with me and if you love Chipotle's rice, you will LOVE this one! PS, when I did my shopping, I was in a rush and grabbed fresh parsley instead of cilantro. Super bummed, I used the parsley in place of the cilantro and it brough a very fresh flavor to the rice. I served it with tilapia and everyone enjoyed! Here is the recipe if you want it: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/03/chipotle-cilantro-lime-rice-4-pts.html

So Eleanor's meal consisted of Turkey loaf cut into little pieces, whole cooked peas, and parsley lime rice. I will add that after I made such a big deal out of independent eating, I did remember that Andy fed her some yogurt afterwards for dessert...oops...and we still have to feed that little stinker her bottle...she never has had the desire to hold it...would rather scratch her head or the person's face who is feeding her.

Finger Foods - 9 Months

Eleanor has not been a fan of letting us feed her lately - everyone says she is becoming independent while I am freaking out that she isn't getting the nutrients she needs becasue she can't feed herself all the vegetables I can puree quite yet to therefore get her optimal nutrients needed to keep her healthy! I then realized this is the beginning of many more moments she will crave independence and I, her worrisome mother will fight tooth and nail to keep her, my sweet baby, close and under my control ha! I guess this is where I need to learn to practice trusting God that He will lead her when I can't...maybe a little dramatic when using that statement to talk about her food independence but still...this is the beginning nonetheless.

Anyway, I have been trying various finger foods with her, here are a few she has had. She loves most. The vegetables take some getting used to but we just keep offering them hoping she will eventually like and not spit them out. Luckily, she, especially with peas, will pick one up, spit it out, and then reach for another thinking maybe it will taste different I guess and then the process starts over again ha!

Eleanor has tried:

- bananas (sliced then the slices halved and cut three times)

- whole cooked peas

- the top (floret) part of cooked broccoli

- steamed and sliced up butternut squash

- cooked zuccini sliced into tiny pieces

- cooked carrots and then sliced super thin

- shredded cheddar and mozzerella cheese (DEVOURS...we are cutting down on this snack)

- rice (tried to make cilantro lime rice and accidentally bought parsley instead of cilantro...she liked it anyway :))

- avocado

- black beans

- shredded baked or boiled chicken (loves it)

- pieces of whole wheat bread

- whole wheat pancakes (LOVES them)

- pan seared tilapia (had seasoning on it but we gave her pieces under the seasoning)

- turkey breakfast sausage cooked and cut up into tiny pieces

- turkey meatballs (I made sure the garlic chunks weren't in what I gave her)

- fresh parsley (she has had it in the meatball and in the rice)

- blueberries (quartered, fresh)

- egg yolks (she didn't like at all - prob. bc they are pretty strong...we will wait until she can eat the whites too and give her scrambled eggs before probably offering eggs again.)

She mostly likes bread (pancakes or wheat bread), cheese, and any kind of meat/fish we have put in front of her. Bananas are something she delights in as well but the problem is all of those are still white/yellow. She needs some greens, reds, and oranges on her plate so here I am, a mother on a quest to get her to have a more colorful plate...is this too OCD for a 9 month old? Am I stressing over something silly right now? My quest to have a healthy, non-picky eater continues.

Hope this helps if anyone is wondering what finger foods their 9mo. old+ can have :)

Our feeding routine now includes us trying to feed her the usual portion (whatever food I have cooked and food processed into a puree) and then also letting her finger food it in between bites as after two or three bites she pushed the spoon away and doesn't want us feeding her. Below are some pictures of her trying her new spoon out. We let her hold HER spoon, sometimes put food on it for her to feed herself, and let her feed herself with her hands (finger foods) while trying to sneak her pureed meal in at the same time. It is a major mess these days but she is learning, so whatever it takes! Might I re-state, Eleanor is a BEAUTIFUL MESS when she eats :) Love her!

XOXO

Andy and I have never been the types to celebrate Valentines in a BIG way - we can't let ourselves spend triple the amount on flowers/gifts, dinner out, etc. on one day when we could get them for a much lower price a day later. Not that we think badly of the rest of the world who does, we just dont. We ALSO always celebrated our anniversary (that of when we first started dating in February 2005) on February 10th so it seemed silly to do the same kind of celebration 4 days later...

Since our initial opinions of Vday - we always kept it small. I have always made him sugar cookies with hard pink powdered sugar frosting (the only time I could ever give him something pink) and he usually got me a card or got me chocolate.

This year was PERFECT. I didn't have any expectations because he had a basketball game and I knew wouldn't be getting home until almost 9pm. Not to go all country movie on you but, Momma always says when you have no expectations, you can't get let down and can only be surprised and was I ever. I had a card ready from me and one from Eleanor that she personally signed...well I tried to get her to even though she was more interested in eating the pen.

Eleanor side note - she was in such a great mood when we got home from Marmi's tonight. She ate her first meaty delicacy, chicken, tonight, and then bathed and even let me do a little photo shoot in her red Valentine's dress her godmother, Jenna, sent her. We opened her card from Marmi and enjoyed our own little Valentine's night. She then let me put her down so easily and fell asleep after she sang herself there while sticking her arm through her crib slat and banging her paci on the crib....I sent Andy in to make sure her arm wasn't stuck!

I then made and ate the yummy salad I had been looking forward to all day...don't think I was being too healthy because it was loaded with balsalmic dressing, black beans, onions, tomatoes, and AVOCADO along with of course a staple, grilled chicken. It is funny to see what everyone posted for their fancy vday dinner...I made myself a salad ha! While eating, I was enjoying a wonderfully scandalous and put you on the edge of your seat episode of nothing other than "The Batchelor." How could this night get any better?

Andy walked in with a smile on his face and a card and Kroger bag in hand. My sweet husband brought our favorite ice cream - Ben and Jerry's HALF BAKED! I haven't seen that in our freezer in almost a year! What a treat :)

My simple Valentine's Day was exactly that as Andy and I exchanged cards, drank a glass of wine and spooned some "half baked" - I of course fishing to find the brownie and cookie dough chunks :)

Pumping and Breastfeeding - Update

Hopefully the title either sparked your interest (as in you are doing the same and are wondering what my experience has been) or discouraged you from reading the post so that either you are ok with reading the probably tmi post I am about to write or you have choosen not to read because it is tmi.

Either way, I apologize if this is tmi but this blog has become my journal from which I can reference back and this post in particular will be helpful on my next children so, SORRY if it is too much. You can stop now if you are worried of that...

Pumping and breastfeeding for the most part has been successful. I wanted to keep track of my progress so I could resort back in the future for reference. The reason I thought to do this is becasue I just recently made the decision to cut out two pumps.


I didn't pump until I went back to work (except to stock up the necessary amount for E while I was at school) and when I came back to work on the first day of school in August, pumped at 4am before going to the gym. That pump was enough for E to eat when she got to mom's around 6/6:30. I then pumped on my way to school around 7 and then at 9:45 (planning), 1 (because that was when E was eating next) and then at 3 when school was over. If I could make it home by 6 I would feed her and then again at 9 before bed. If I had to work late, I would pump on my way home and then just feed Eleanor at 9.


After a couple of weeks, my principal asked me to cut out the 1pm feeding and instead pump at lunch which forced me to drop a pump. I know the comments will come that that was not allowed but I chose to not fight it and complied. Because of that, I did have to start supplementing with formula. I was upset about it at first but it has been fine since and definitely took off the stress of "would I pump that extra ounce to get enough or would I have to pump at midnight just to make enough?"


We supplemented with a bottle of formula a day until she started solids. I feel like at that point, my supply started dwindling. I still made enough to keep her happy on solely nursing on the weekends but my pumps were nowhere near the 8oz. I used to would get in one pump. Lately, I am lucky to get 3 or 4oz.


Over Christmas break my intentions to get up at 4 and still pump were shot when I wanted to sleep in and so I think that might have messed me up a little as well. Eleanor is now getting ONE BREASTMILK bottle and the rest formula during the day. I feed her at night and somehow make enough milk during the day on the weekends to make her happy. She sometimes will get frustrated at night though and we will give her a 4oz. bottle (1/2 of a full feeding).

Other new developments are her top teeth. When her bottom teeth came in at about 4 months, she bit me a few times, more when she was finished and would get bored and just KNAW down. She quit that though but since her top teeth in have bit me a couple of times. One time so hard that when she nursed the next few times it felt like the first few times I ever breastfed - QUITE painful.

Eleanor is also probably getting frustrated with the extra work she has to do when she nurses as opposed to the bottle as she will often suck for a bit and then sit up, then lay back down and the cycle continues. I don't feel like she gets as much as when she eats anymore so anyway, I am thinking we are nearing the end.

My goal at first was to make it to 6 months which we did easily. After that, it kind of just became a month to month thing - you know my competitive nature...wanting to make it to the next month each time. SO we have made it 8 months and are close to 9 months, so that is the current goal!

Eleanor is 8 Months Old!

My sweet baby girl turned 8 months old yesterday! I can't believe how the time has flown! SO MUCH has happened in this 8th month!

It has been incredible to see her growth especially now that she is crawling, which she began in her 8th month...NYE 2010 to be exact! She also has started to bud her top teeth. They are adorable coming in, much bigger than her bottom teeth which of course makes sense but it will be so weird to see her smile look so different. You can see them if you lift up her lip but they of course will take a while longer to come down all the way.

Eleanor has known who we are for quite a while and when we say "Where's _______?" concerning me, Andy, Marmi, or Pop Pop, sometimes the Aunts too, she knows. It wasn't until recently that we would say, "Where's Pop Pop?" and she would look at him and start making the Pop Pop Pop Pop movement with her lips. A slight whisper sometimes come out like she is breathing and saying it but it is definitely her word for Pop Pop. SUPER cool! So we haven't decided if it is her first "word" persay, because she doesn't really voice it.

In reference to her noises - she also still does the bah and mah sounds and has recently discovered her HIGHEST pitch. It is hilarious, she talks in a little chirping high pitched noise and all the time. She loves to talk to herself now, especially in the car or when she is trying to make herself fall asleep at night. The funniest instance of this was when we were driving to Andy's dentist appt., I was driving, and in a rush. I was speeding of course and flying around cars - nothing less than you would expect from a typical Dallas driver on a mission to get somewhere, and Eleanor is doing her high pitched scream and Andy is narrating behind each shriek, "Oh no, Mommy is going to KILLLL USSS!!" You had to be there I guess and of course E wasn't shrieking in response to my driving...let's hope :)

On the crawling note, she is going EVERYWHERE! Not just to get a toy a few feet away. She now crawls circles around and through her room/bathroom/hallway when we are getting her bath ready. She crawls into our bathroom and all around the apt. The funniest is when we are getting ready and she crawls into our bathroom which has mirrors over the closet doors and laughs at herself in the mirror. She has always loved looking at the mirror but when she is as clsoe as she can get on the floor, she will run into the mirror like a little bird in glass - luckily she doesn't splat like the bird! I was also told today that, at Marmi's house, she followed Pop Pop from the living room all the way to his bathroom to watch him shave. I used to do that when I was little too and he would pat aftershave on my cheeks like him and then I would shine his shoes with a towel. Oh memories :) Maybe Eleanor will get to help him do that too!

We have always thought our little one to be strong, she was lifting her legs to her face at a young age and has always been able to pull herself up. She now has accomplished the feat of lifting what I would think heavy toys and moving them. She has a little toy train that she literally lifted with the handle and moved from one side of her body to the other while sitting. She didn't drag it, she lifted it. I know this is silly for me to be raving about but I couldn't believe it. She is getting SO BIG!

Also in reference to her movement, she is starting to try to pull up on things. She pulls up on the couch on me and other toys. I most noticed this when she and her friend Katie were playing with her piano. They were kind of not sharing well so I took the piano away and put it on the couch. Eleanor crawled over to the couch and tried to pull up on it to get to her piano! Crazy girl! On that note, she is very assertive already and knows exactly what she wants - I am in trouble!

In the food department, Eleanor has tried more foods and has even accomplished the feat of drinking through a straw! She still snacks on her little puffs but because she is expending so much more energy with her crawling has switched to three meals a day and a couple of snacks in between. We are still trying to work out what she should have aside from the puffs which she, as a friend put it, "is addicted to them like crack" but she has had little pieces of cut up banana (super slimey though) and then just sometimes gets smaller versions of her meals fed to her. She is taking 8oz bottle feedings when she gets a bottle and when I feed her (I always feed her when she is with me, she is still getting bottles at mom's during the day.) and eats about 4-5 times a day from the breast or bottle. My milk supply is really down though...not sure why...so she only gets about a bottle a day of breast milk plus I feed her at night so is getting 2 - 3 formula bottles but somehow is satisfied on the weekends when I alone feed her. She has added the following this month to her diet:

- green beans

- apples

- pears

- mangoes

- butternut squash

- egg yolks scrambled (didn't really like but they have a pretty strong flavor anyway, I need to try again)

Eleanor also still LOVES to read books, especially before she goes to bed. Her favorite books are, "I Love You, Goodnight", "Goodnight Moon", and her two bilingual books, "Animals/Animales" and Colors/Colores." She absolutely loves "I Love You Goodnight" as she laughs and smiles everytime we read it and even now when I am feeding her her night feeding in the rocking chair she pulls off, reaches up, and grabs for it! This makes my heart melt not only because it is so cute that she recognizes something she likes but also that she likes a book that is nothing but a bunch of SIMILES! The R/LA teacher loves this! :)

In the napping department, we think she is trying to give/gave up a nap. She takes a pretty good one in the morning and in the afternoon but sometimes doesn't nap in between. She is starting to love to play more and can stay up longer! It is crazy watching her grow! Speaking of growing, you upped to size 3 diapers and are wearing 9 months clothes in Carters and Ralph Lauren and 6-12months in Old Navy/Gap/Gymboree clothes. I don't remember the Target sizes but somewhere around that...in shoes you are wearing 2's but are probably ready for 3s and the little 0-6 month baby UGGs and MEA bought you are JUST now fitting you!

Sweet baby girl, you make your Daddy and I SO HAPPY! We love getting to see your smile when we come home from work each day. No matter how tired we are, you energize us and make our day so perfect! We couldn't imagine life without you and have loved seeing you grow and accomplish so much in this 8th month of your life! We love you and pray in Thanksgiving for you every day!

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!

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

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!

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 is 3 Months Old!

Eleanor is 3 months old! WOW how it is going by so fast. My sweet little lady, how you bring me SO MUCH JOY! On your three month old mark, I had already been back to school and was about to welcome my second set of students. I would come home so tired only to see your smiling face and be energized again. Some of my favorite things you do lately are:

- You love to grab your feet - you have even gone as far as sticking them in your mouth! You LOVE it! Any chance you get to lay on your back you use those strong abs and bring your feet right up to your face! The picture above shows you loving your feet AND the ballerina socks we put on them...you couldn't get enough of the tulle balls at the ends of your socks!

- You LOVE to sing and talk. I love when you wrinkle your forehead and really concentrate like you are trying to say something that is super important!

- I LOVE it when you smile with your mouth wide open! Oh it makes me melt!

- I love that you can sit up now and like to. You love your bumbo seat and are prefectly stable in it. I think it is almost time for you to try out an exer saucer!

- You are sleeping through the night which is such a gift to your parents. You go down between 9 and 10 and get up anywhere from 6 to 9, one time you slept from 10 - 10!

- You are taking a good long (1-2 hours) nap in the morning and afternoon and usually are on a pattern of eat, play/be awake/sleep.

- You drink 5 oz. of breast milk (Mommy is trying to keep up with the pumping) every 3 hours and lately Marmi has been able to stretch you to 4 hours at times during the day.

- You haven't completely rolled over on your own yet but you get so close, you love laying on your side and with a little push usually make it over all the way. You don't LOVE being on your stomach though you are beginning to tolerate it more. You are getting much better at lifting your head up and I imagine you will be crawling before we know it!

- We are about to switch you to size 2 diapers though are trying to use all the 1's we have first.

- You still take reflux meds but are mostly happy throughout the day unless you are hungry/wet

Sweet Angel baby, we are so thankful God gave you to us! We love you and are so thankful to share this first year of life with you!

Paci's and Bottles - Eleanor's rating

Lots to say about this topic. Today we had two new breakthroughs in the Reinberg home. Eleanor never was much of a paci-lover which we kind of were ok with as we have heard horror stories from friends who have had to take pacis away from their kids when they are too old. So, we never really pushed the issue despite the fact that we have an enourmous bin of every brand, shape, size, and color of pacis purchased before Eleanor's birth. The only pacifier she seemed to be ok with was the ugly one that came from the hospital, exhibit A, the "soothie":They are ugly (though at least they make them in pink) and are huge and hard for her to hold in on her own but it was the only one that would "soothe" her without her making a face at us. We have tried the many different brands and opened way too many packages with no avail. So today, I said decided to do some investigating as to why she was so particular on her pacifiers and I realized how different the nipple shapes were.

The Aggie pacifier I so wanted her to like so she could wear in the fall at/watching football games (I know I am a dork) she once again spit out. I decided to put it in my mouth to see how it felt and realized her disliking it was perfectly valid. The shape was completely different and right where your tounge hits the tip of the nipple is where the molds I guess met becuase there is a sharp piece of silicone that scratches your tounge. I don't know about you but why wouldn't you want a smooth surface for your tongue to hit? Ellie knows her stuff and she is clearly a woman who knows what she wants and what she wants might just be the finer things. SO, I examined some of the other pacifiers and found that (without opening the package to waste another $5) many of them were shaped like the Aggie paci. Hopefully they weren't as poorly made though.

I then found that we had purchased the "Avent" pacifiers, the same brand as the bottles she likes. We also got one for free in one of our registry bags, SO I gave it a shot. We tried it right before Eleanor was going to go down for a nap and oh but did she love it more than her soothie! She hasn't let it leave her mouth which could be a bad thing but it might also be just the ticket to getting her to spread out her feedings from every 2 hours to every 3. So, for anyone who's baby is still stuck on the not so attractive soothie (that also can't be stuck on one of those cute ribbon paci holders that attaches to their shirt so it doesn't accidentally fall in the bottom of their car seat where they might also leave you a little treat that couldn't fit in their diaper), try the Avent pacifiers. They can be stuck on the ribbon, are easier for their little mouths to hold, and their nipples are shaped very similarly to the soothies and a bottle nipple. That is our thought on pacifiers. I might be writing in a year about how I never should have given her this as I am having to break her of the habit and pry it from her little fingers!

On another note...today my mom came to me with some literature on the dangerous effects of plastic. She has been feeling this way about plastic for a while and doesn't heat up/freeze food in tupperware anymore and has resorted to picking up a vintage piece of pyrex everytime we go to Canton to store leftovers in. She did some research on bottles and baby toys with plastic and found some dangerous potential side effects so decided to get us some glass bottles. I looked at these initially but worried about my one year old throwing her bottle and shattering it on the wall in a wild tantrum (thinking that she would inherit my temperment) so passed on registering for them.

After looking, there aren't too many brands who also make glass bottles. I found that Medela does which would be great to hook onto my pump however their nipples are too narrow thus possibly causing nipple confusion from the bottle to breast so says our Bradley Childbirth Instructor/Lactation Consultant. Evenflo makes glass bottles as well and were the least expensive... $5.99 for three 4 oz. bottles. Their nipples are VERY tiny though, so we bought them to store and reheat the milk in. We decided upon the Born Free which were a little more but also are good for colic/ear infection prevention and have the wide nipple for E to drink from. She loved her new bottle today - my only question is once we start defrosting the glass bottles from the freezer, will the glass crack from going from one extreme temperature to the other like Amanda's Iced Tea Pitcher did when she poured boiling water into it? There are so many things to learn with a baby!

Anyway, just thought I would share my findings from today. If anyone else has any input on glass bottles, feel free to share. We are excited for our first "earthy" baby endeavour - much easier than the cloth diaper thing...not ready to try that yet!