21 Weeks

Eleanor is 21 weeks old today!

This week she really found her voice. Her babbles and gurgles have turned into shrieks and squeals. She is full of cute sounds, both little and big!

She also really got the hang of rolling from her tummy to her back. She had done it a few times before, but the skill never seemed to stick. She has it all figured out now though. It’s so fun to watch her gain a little more mobility. It’s almost time to start working on baby proofing.

My 25th birthday was last Saturday, and we went out for a family brunch to celebrate. Andrew gave me a beautiful emerald necklace, which is Eleanor's birth stone. I absolutely love it. I'm a lucky mama!

20 Weeks

Eleanor is 20 weeks old today!

This week she learned to make a kissy sort of noise with her mouth and she does it all the time. So cute! I like to think it’s because she hears the sound of me smooching on her so much.

Here is a video from a few weeks ago of her telling us a very serious story:

19 Weeks

Eleanor is 19 weeks old!

This week my sweet girl started to enjoy reading books. I’m so glad. It makes me want to go out and buy hundreds of dollars worth of new books for her. We cuddle on the bed together and I hold the book up above us so that she can look at my face or the pages, as her fancy strikes her. We’ve been enjoying Little Bear’s Trousers, Chipmunk Song, and Madeline, just to name a few.

Andrew is going out of town for business for another four days this week, but I’m not worried. Last time everything went really well. We’ll miss him, but it’s not so bad with just Eleanor and mama.

I've been thinking a lot about joy lately. Eleanor is so sweet and pure joy to be around. I don't think I ever really experienced joy until she was born. I knew happiness, I knew pleasure, but I didn't know joy. She fills my heart with it every day.

18 Weeks

Eleanor is 18 weeks old!

I delayed this post because she had her four month check up today. She is 15 lbs 03 oz and 24.5 inches long. Her size is average according to the curve, but she gained four pounds since her two month visit. She has now doubled her birth weight and grown 5 inches.

This past week she learned how to…

• Jump in her jumperoo (it’s a big hit, what fun!)

• Reach for an object with both hands (yay coordination!)

• Grab her toes and pull her socks off (utoh…)

• Cry when she sees something she wants that she can’t have (mostly her bath sponge)

• Be distracted from fussing by toys (very helpful during diaper changes, which she hates)

• Like daddy again (so glad that was a super short phase!)

Her motor skills are developing at lightening speed. I watch her use her hands so deliberately and jump around so gleefully and I can hardly believe this active baby is the same one as that sleepy newborn who used to be content to spend entire days cuddled up in the Moby against my chest. I swear she’ll be talking and walking before I know it.

17 Weeks

Eleanor is 17 weeks old today!

I spoke too soon about her newfound love of the stroller. Last week she loved it, this week…not so much. She’s okay for the first 20 minutes or so, and then she cries and cries.

Aside from the stroller situation, this has been an exciting week! Eleanor has learned that she is capable of making loud sounds, and has turned into a little chatter box. Almost every waking minute she is babbling away, and her baby talk has become a lot more complex than those beginning goo sounds. It’s so cute. It reminds me of how the only negative comment my early schoolteachers said about me was that I was a bit too talkative.

She has discovered her first little game. She puts her mouth against my skin, usually on my shoulder or hands, and blows raspberries and hums. It’s so fun to see her doing something that she figured out all on her own.

She has really mastered her hands. She is able to reach out and grab at whatever she wants and bring it to her mouth. She usually wants my hair or the food I’m trying to eat. She’s also getting pretty good at sucking her thumb. She’s been enjoying playing with the toys on her play gym, and I ordered her a jumperoo that should arrive today. I think she’ll really like being able to play with toys and sit upright.

She’s been working on her rolling. She did it once a few weeks ago, but it was a fluke. Yesterday she did it several times and it seemed much more deliberate. The first time she did it she looked a bit shocked, and the second time she gave a big smile. She doesn’t seem to remember her new skill today though.

Boy is she a mamma’s girl these days. She’ll tolerate daddy holding her, but only as long as she can still see me. I’ve been brainstorming ways to help her learn to like him again. So far we’ve been waiting a little while after he gets home before he tries to hold her so she doesn’t feel like the second she sees him it means that I am going away, daddy baby wearing, and all staying together throughout our evening activities. Any other suggestions would be welcome, but my gut is telling me this is just a phase we’re going to have to ride out.

16 Weeks

Eleanor is 16 weeks old!

This past week she learned to love the stroller. All it took was the removal of the bassinet. My girl wanted to sit up! It came as no surprise, since she has preferred an upright posture since she was only a few weeks old. Although I would have liked to keep using the bassinet seat longer, since it allows me to see her face, I decided to try taking it off. I was really ready to start doing a little exercise, and she would cry and cry the minute I put her in the stroller. The first trip with her sitting forward facing in the big seat went pretty well. She fussed a little but seemed comforted when I would stop and make eye contact with her. She just wanted to know I was still there. After that trip she figured it all out and has absolutely loved getting to look around at the world while we stroll. We’ve gone for hour long walks every day this week. Taking walks has even become a new way to calm a cranky Eleanor.

Next week is going to be…interesting. Andrew has to take a business trip. He is leaving early Sunday morning and won’t be back until Wednesday night. That’s four whole days with just me and the baby. Wish me luck!

Here is a video of our sweet girl laughing:

15 Weeks

Eleanor is 15 weeks old!

If I could freeze her right here at 15 weeks, I would. The thought of her growing up is unbearable at the moment. She is such a sweet, cheerful little baby. I wish she could always stay my darling little doll.

Her big development this week is that she has really figured out that I am her mommy. Of course that has its upsides and downsides. Other moms know what I'm talking about.

She's outgrown her Puj Tub recently, so we got her a much bigger tub that she can use until she is a toddler. It lets her stretch out and splash her legs in the water, which has made bath time even more fun! I'll have to take some pictures of that soon.