27 Weeks and 1st Thanksgiving!

Eleanor is 27 weeks old today, and yesterday we celebrated our first Thanksgiving as a family.

We made way too much food and missed all of our extended family back in Phoenix, but it was still a very lovely day. Holidays are so much more special since Eleanor came along. We're all getting so excited for Christmas!

Six Months!

Eleanor is SIX months old! Can you believe it?

Her baby days are half way over. In the blink of an eye she went from a tiny, sleepy newborn, the exact size as my tummy used to be, to a chubby baby who can feed herself (sort of), sit up on her own (for a few minutes), a baby who laughs and babbles and squeals with delight, who reaches out for me with her little hands, who is full of curiosity and vibrancy.

I would give anything to be able to slow time down, but at the same time I am so excited to watch Eleanor grow and change, to see her personality develop, to learn her likes and dislikes, to hear her first words and see her first steps. I feel so privileged to call myself her mother.

I've fallen behind with my posts, so here are a few photos from the last few weeks to catch up...

24 Weeks

24 Weeks with Atlas and Great Aunt Debbie

25 Weeks

26 Weeks

26 Weeks eating avocado and guacamole

23 Weeks

Eleanor is 23 weeks old today!

This has been another major week. She is officially teething. Eleanor’s two bottom teeth broke through. Luckily she hasn’t seemed bothered by them at all. She hasn’t been cranky or out of sorts even in the least bit. I hope all of her other teeth come in as painlessly.

In addition to having teeth, she can now sit up unassisted. Of course it only lasts for about a minute at a time at the most, but she is starting to develop her sense of balance and can correct herself a little bit.

After hating tummy time with a passion for her entire life, she finally decided that it’s kind of fun after all. She is now able to push all the way up on her hands - the first step to crawling. She can also turn herself around and scoot backwards if she is on the hardwood floor. This means its time we buy some sort of play mat so that she can have the traction of a solid surface but also have a clean and padden area to play on.

She is growing and changing so fast.

So much teething related drool!

Still a happy girl!

Feeling her new teeth

There they are!

5 Months

Eleanor is now 5 months (and 22 weeks) old, if you can believe it!

I can’t believe how quickly this last month past. I think from here on out the months leading up to her first birthday are going to fly by. She doesn't seem like a little baby anymore. Still a baby, of course, but not a little one. She is so animated and bits of her personality are starting to shine through. The only thing that makes the thought of her growing up bearable is knowing what a wonderful little girl she will be.

Last week my parents and sister Grace visited. We took Eleanor on her first trip to the zoo and her first foray into San Francisco for the market at the Ferry Building and a little shopping in Union Square. We didn't do a very good job of taking photos, but here are a couple from the zoo:

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.