I cannot believe my little Eleanor Joy is 6 months old! How did half a year already fly by?? She is still the happiest baby I've ever met. Super sweet and always ready to give anyone the most perfect smile who looks her way.
Eleanor Joy likes...
taking all the diapers and other supplies out of the diaper caddy...everyday...multiple times a day...
her brother's toys
mommy
Huck and Herschel
the exersaucer
lotion messages
"chasing" Jack
her binky
the ergo
Eleanor Joy dislikes...
when mommy leaves the room
eating solids
sleeping in her crib
Health: Ellie weighed 17lbs and measured in at 26 3/4 in. at her 6 month wellness check up! She's gained 5lbs in the two months since I've cut dairy from my diet. She still can only tolerate baked in dairy through my breastmilk while cheese, butter, and all other forms of dairy are still a fail. She is doing so much better though! She is still in size 2 diapers (although I think we're almost ready to move up a size), but is now in all 9 month clothing.
Nursing: I have no idea how often Eleanor nurses during the day. I quit trying to keep track. She is very squirmy and easily distracted while eating so I feel like we do a lot of quick nursing sessions many times a day. At night she has gone back to only nursing 2 times.
Solids: Eleanor tried solids for the first time this month! Her first food was sweet potato, and since then we've tried banana, avocado, applesauce and pears. She hates it all and usually refuses to open her mouth after the first taste! What a difference from her brother who seemed to never stop eating once he got that first taste of solids!
Sleeping: I don't even want to talk about it... I seriously think I breed the world's worst sleepers. When Ellie hit 6 months we were on a good sleep schedule. She was napping well and doing okay-ish at night. She just moves sooooo dang much in her sleep and is almost crawling, so I decided it was no longer safe for her to nap in my bed and starting putting her in her crib for all naps and the beginning of her nighttime sleep. OH.MY.WORD. We have some serious sleep issues now. Girlfriend does not like her crib...
She is still doing 2 naps (sometimes 3) a day but will only sleep for 30-40 minutes at a time in her crib. On a bad day, she gets 1 hour total of naps. On a good day (meaning Steven's home and I can hold her after she wakes up to finish napping...) she gets 1.5 - 2 hours tops. It's bad, ya'll. And I know she can self sooth because I've seen her do it while spying on her like a crazy person through the monitor!
At night, I put her in her crib and sometimes she'll give me a 6 hour stretch before waking to nurse. At that point I move her to my bed, nurse her, and she usually will wake one more time to nurse before morning. Lately, though, she is fighting being put in her crib for nighttime sleep, too. I'll rock her, put her in crib, she wakes up anywhere from just a few minutes to 40 minutes later and I have to start rocking her all over again. But if I just put her in my bed for the night right away she sleeps like a rock (a squirmy rock) for a good 6 hours before she nurses.
We were doing so well before I made the switch to her crib... *sigh*
New This Month: Eleanor is ALMOST crawling. She scoots / army crawls where she wants to go and is pretty good at it! She will get up on all fours and rock back and forth, too. So, so close! She loves bouncing in her exersaucer and just being around the family... including the animals. When she sees Steven she just stares as if she's in awe (like in the picture above) and gives him the sweetest smile. She definitely still prefers her momma but is fascinated by her daddy and big brother, Jack. She is happy to play all day.. who needs naps anyways?!?! When she first tried solids she wasn't too impressed, but now she just downright refuses them. She does love to sit in her highchair and be apart of the dinner table discussions along with everyone else. Also this month I've noticed that she seems to no longer mind being put in her carseat! Very rarely will she cry when being put it. Now she just contently enjoys the ride or takes a quick snooze. But, hands down, the best thing about this month was her saying her very first word...."MAMA"!!!!!
Eleanor you are the sweetest, little girl and I am so glad that you are mine! My world has become a better place with you in it. I'm so glad I get to be your MAMA! Happy half birthday, baby girl!
