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.

14 Weeks

Eleanor is 14 weeks old today!

This week her hand-eye coordination really improved. She started not only grabbing objects, but looking at what was in her hand very intently.

She’s laughing more and more. Yesterday she laughed just because I laughed, which made me laugh harder, which made her laugh harder! I can’t describe how wonderful it is to lay on the floor and laugh with your baby.

3 Months

Eleanor is three months old today (and 13 weeks old yesterday).

This week she has enjoyed sitting up with our assistance, getting tickled, listening to the banjo, and staring at her feet. She did not enjoy riding in her stroller, getting her diaper changed, or having clothes pulled over her head.

12 Weeks

Eleanor is 12 weeks old today, and just this morning she rolled from her tummy to her back for the first time! Her neck strength has really improved lately. I’m not a big stickler about tummy time, but I try to give her a chance to work on her strength for at least a few seconds every day, which means I put her on her tummy until she cries. I noticed yesterday that she was holding her head all the way up and supporting herself with her arms better than usual and for a longer period of time, then when I tried today to get a photo of her tummy time skills she rolled right over! We’re waiting to see if she’ll do it again after Daddy comes home tonight.

I think she is also starting to purposely grab onto things. She doesn’t really reach out directly for objects yet, but she seems to deliberately lift her arm up, then put it down, inching it closer to what she wants to get her little hands on until she has it in her grip.

She’s developing so fast these days. She’s figuring out so many new sounds, skills, and even moods. I can’t wait to see what each new day will bring.

Edit to add: She just for real laughed for the first time too! What a day!

11 Weeks

Eleanor is 11 weeks old today!

This past week has seen a major development. Eleanor figured out how to move her hands up to her mouth. Chewing on her fingers is now her absolute favorite thing, as you can see from these pictures.

Her head and neck control is getting really great. She is able to hold herself up and look around while in my arms. She has started moving her body a lot more and is gaining mastery over her top half. Now when she is done being in the sling she pushes up with her elbows and lifts her head high as if to say, “Ok, get me out of this thing!” She has also started showing a preference for her daddy. When he comes home from work she smiles at him and leans towards him. At first I thought her leaning was just a fluke, but she’s done it now three days in a row! She wants to go to daddy! I hand her over and the two of them head to her nursery for a sing-a-long. She likes to hear Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and The Wheels on the Bus.

As for her lower body, she is slowly beginning to figure out her legs. She pushes against things with quite a bit of force and is starting to bear weight with them if you put her in a supported stand.

She still hates the play gym but likes the bouncy chair again, especially when I dangle her little Zoe muppet toy from it. She looooves looking at Zoe. I think it’s just a matter of weeks until she is reaching for her.

She eats a lot, sleeps a lot, smiles a lot, and chatters a lot. Our hearts are overflowing with love.

I finally figured out how to take half decent videos with my camera, so here are two from this week: