The Eleanor Update: 38 weeks

Feeding:

I feed her fresh strawberries my dad picked on Friday.  I thought she was loving them but when I took her out of her high chair I found most in her lap.

I also bought her some of these since anytime I eat a frozen pop she is all over it (NUK Fill & Freeze Pops).
I filled it with baby food puree and she really liked them.  She knew what to do.  I'm sure I could have found some that were cheaper elsewhere but I went with these because I liked the handle/loop.

We had dinner at my sister in laws last night and she had cous cous and couldn't get enough!  I gave her blueberries this morning but she didn't really eat them.  

Sleep:

My friend was in town last week and visited most days in the afternoon and of course Eleanor wanted to play and didn't nap.  But nighttime sleep was a little better. 

Girl is all over when she sleeps; this was one night

Misc:

She had just started crawling in last weeks update, but she's been doing it a lot more now. 

She could open and close this picnic basket for a long time. 

Ripping up a Cabela's catalog. 

My best friend visited this week

Pulling down her headband

Getting into the dvd's.

Getting into all the things

Crazy bedhead

The Eleanor Update: 37 weeks

Food:  

Not the healthiest of weeks for feeding her.  Lots of potatoes - tater tots, potato wedges, and yesterday I stopped at Mcdonald's after church and she took the french fry out of my mouth at home.  Seriously right out of my mouth.

We did try chicken puree and she was kind of meh about that.

Sweet potato puffs (again with the potato thing) was another thing she liked.

Peaches were okay. I usually will try what she eats - just because- and actually I thought these were gross so on a rainy day I let her play with them.

I bought her a new straw sippy cup (Target clearance for the win) and she figured it out.  Which is good since she doesn't love bottles.


I'm always getting kicked in the face when nursing.

Sleep:

It was rough this week.  There were several drive around to get her to sleep days, and most days were wide awake for hours in the middle of the night days.

Friday night was bad.  I was so tired that I actually didn't wake up right away when the snuza (which I can't not use) went off.  Luckily it was because she wiggled it lose and was a false alarm, but not waking up right away to her needs worries me. 

Misc:
Some new and exciting things this week!

Her second tooth popped through!


And she crawled for real, but only twice.  Once on Friday and once this morning.  Each time I'm like "Did she do that?"  Oh my word! She did!"

She can pull herself up to her knees now.



She says a lot of things that sound like words.  Like I was holding her so she couldn't crawl away when I was getting dressed and I'm sure she said "let go"  Haha.  Also I'm pretty sure she said "mama" but it was mixed in with crying so I'm not positive.

Time Out From Technology

I'm guilty of being on my phone checking instagram or playing more than I should be when Eleanor is around.  She's going to want an iphone for her birthday at this rate. :)

Click here to check out the tech time out challenge.

The Tech Timeout challenge started by Foresters encourages families to take a daily break from technology. Participating families are encouraged to disconnect from all things electronic with the goal of helping spouses, parents and children build stronger bonds, communicate more personally and get more involved in each other’s lives.

Reset Button Please

There are days I wouldn't mind doing over, my high school graduation, my wedding day, the day I found out I was pregnant and despite the fact that Eleanor's birth didn't go the way I had hoped I'd redo that day if it

 meant lots of those sweet brand new baby snuggles. 

Yesterday was not one of those days (although I did put Wednesday socks on her today so maybe 

subconsciously....?)

Eleanor woke up about 1:30 am. I nursed her and she went back to bed. At 4 am I 
was woken by a strong storm. That thunder was so loud it was shaking the windows. It lasted until about 5 - or at least the worst of it. I could not sleep. I wasn't scared (although tornadoes

 frighten me); it was just that loud.I finally drifted off to the sound of distant thunder only to be woken again 

by Eleanor. I fed her, got her back to sleep and round 2 of the storms came through. So by this point it's  

pushing 6 am. I think I finally fell asleep only to have Rob came in a little after 7 (sleeping in the other room), to get clothes and I said goodbye, gave him a kiss and 

was out before he even got in the shower. 

Eleanor woke at 8.  It was still storming.  It down poured and I was checking the radar because I needed to go get a gift for my moms birthday tomorrow. I thought I'd be good. She took her usually short morning nap and I tried to eat while she played on the living room floor but she was crawling all over me trying to get my

 salad so I shared (and so that begins) and then we left. 

We got to the first store-quick stop and when we left it was sprinkling, got to Target and rushed through.  At checkout the sky was very dark  (it was about 1:30). It was starting to rain a little heavier when we ran to

 the car.

Now my car key fob doesn't work which means I have to manual unlock the car.  Not a big deal except my car alarm goes off when I do this. every. single. time.  The only way to stop it is to start the car. So I do that with Eleanor on my lap and get back out of the car and into the back seat to buckle her into her seat.  And 

by the time I'm done it is a downpour and I have to get out to get back into the front seat.  I'm soaked.

I couldn't see more than 20 feet in front of me and my wipers are blasting. Thankfully Eleanor wasn't scared and just watched it.   We get home and it's starting to slow down and I was however also thankful for the

 garage.

She of course fell asleep just before getting home.  I figured I'd get her out, nurse her and she would fall back asleep.  But that didn't happen.  I tried rocking with her, walking/pacing/swaying with her.  I tried letting her cry it out and still wide awake.  At this point she's slept maybe 45 minutes since waking.

The rain has stopped so I put her in the stroller because that usually works.  I reclined it so she would be

 more likely to sleep but still nothing. 

Finally at 4:45 I decided we need to take a drive as a last ditch resort.  But first I need to blow out the 

candle in the bathroom.  I blow a little to hard and somehow manage to get hot wax in my hair and the 

corner of my eye - but how it missed my actually eye I have no clue. I was okay luckily.

So we get into the car and 1/2 mile later little miss is out.  I drive around for another 15 minutes then sit in the car for 30 before bringing her in.  It's getting to the point where I'm worried she'll be up super late at this 

point so while I bring her in the carseat sleeping, and I don't make any more noise than normal, I'm also not 

quiet.

While I'm sitting in the garage Rob calls and says he is working late. Yippee!!

So he finally gets home, eats (dinner was at least done in the crockpot) and I go hide in my room with a 

margarita for half an hour.  Then I give her a bath with lots of bubbles thinking she might like that.  When she tried to eat her bubble covered bath toys I realized that wasn't such a great idea.

But after that I nursed her and she went to bed pretty well.

I stayed up for a little but getting a few things done, and about the time I'm getting to head to bed, she wakes back up.  I look at Rob but he is so tired he can't keep his eyes open (his words'; frankly I wanted to smack him...just kidding...and make him get her- that is true.  I'm tired too.)

Oh and she got tooth number two yesterday so add to it teething pain and 

crankiness

So by the time I finally get into bed its 11:30 and my day is over.

Eleanor decided to pull another wide awake in the middle of the night last night, but other than being 

exhausted the day has been better.  
11:30 to bed

The Eleanor Update: 36 weeks

Eating: 

She had an asparagus spear and loved it.  She spent the entire dinner time eating or gnawing on it.  We tried pureed turkey and she seemed to do okay with it.

We also had tacos one night and gave her a little bit of tomato, ground beef and onion.  She really liked the tomatoes.  

I am guilty of giving her Veggie Straws.  They probably aren't the worst

 thing she could be having, but there isn't much nurtritional value in them, if any.  They are easy for her to hold, probably feel good on her gums and let me eat lunch so I do what I do.

Sometimes I feel bad though when she doesn't get 'real' food.  I understand she's mine with just breastmilk, but I think it's good that she is exposed to other flavors.  I wouldn't say we are picky eaters, but we aren't very adventurous.

She's bit me a few times with that little tooth of hers.  Ouch!

Sleep:  
Naps are getting better.  She usually will take a pretty good (at least an hour, often 2 hour) nap in the afternoons, but the actually time varies.

There have been a few nights where she's woke up crying and sits herself up and I know she's not going to put herself back to sleep after that.  

Last night she fell asleep at 7:30/7:45, slept about an hour and woke up crying. Rob went in there, got her back to sleep and back in her crib successfully.  Then she stirred around about 4 am, I fed her but she didn't fall back asleep until almost 6.  If I put her in the crib she screams and in bed with me she plays around.  I usually just keep her in bed with me because I'm to tired to stand.

I am thankful that Rob is able to put her back to sleep.  It's been a lot less stressful on me because I am not having to keep going in there and doing it.

Misc:  
She's going to have a second front tooth pop through really soon.  I can see that little white sliver at the top.  I just noticed that yesterday so I think it will be through in the next few days.

She's also going to be crawling soon.  She can get on her knees and move forward but only once before
falling.  When she does it twice I'll count it.

We went to an open house this weekend.  I left the diaper bag in the car and just grabbed the clutch with a diaper and a few wipes.  She had a massive blowout.  Of course.  Trying to change her in a strangers bathroom and then having to walk back to the car (which was a little ways away because it was a combined open house) with her just in a diaper wrapped in my sweatshirt was pretty funny.  I kept the big bulky bag with me after that.

It was a busy week for her.  She saw my parents, my sister, brother in law, nephew, brother,  Rob's mom, Rob's grandparents, Robs sister and my other nephew and niece.  She only didn't see Rob's dad and my brothers daughter.

Yesterday was Father's day.  Eleanor 'made' him a card and shirt (and she has a matching one).

She's developed a love for the door stopper