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!