Let me be clear, this little girl rocks my world. I know (because I've asked) that all momma's are obsessed with their babies, but truly I am obsessed. I could just eat her up. And I tell her that daily. I am the lucky momma of Eleanor Margaret. I get to stare at this bright and joyful face every single day. I am so blessed.
Sure we have sleepless nights and cranky moments. Yes it isn't all sunshine and roses in this house. Many days are hard. Really, really hard. But then I look into those bright blue shining eyes, and at that big, bold grin and I smile. I know that it is all going to be ok. And our days are numbered. Soon she will be a year old, and then two, then ten and then...oh, I'll stop there. The days go by too quickly. I am just trying to soak it all in.
Eleanor, you are my Eleanor. My sweet baby girl. I am such a silly, proud mom. I love you so much and I can hardly believe you are half a year old (+21 days...but who's counting?) Yes, I'm a little late getting these photos taken. I was searching for the perfect fabric for the backdrop. I really wanted strawberries and couldn't find any local. So I had to wait for my order to come in from Etsy. And it finally came, and we finally have photos!
So baby girl is now six months old! Where did the time go? It has been half a year since that fateful day in November. And ladies and mommas-to-be, it is true what they say, your memory of the pain quickly fades. I would do it all over again every single day to spend just one more with Eleanor. I just re-read my birth story and while I'm glad I have it recorded, it doesn't seem real at all. I remember very little from the day of her birth apart from what I read in the story. It is funny how time can change all things. It has certainly changed our lives.
At 6 months old Eleanor is a very happy baby. She rarely fusses except when tired or hungry. And for her six month our lives literally revolved around whether she was tired or hungry. We have been "sleep training" and working with different schedules to try to make it work for all of us. I am happy to say that now (at six and half months) we have found a system that works. Most of the time. But for the last month it was hairy. Some nights she slept in bed with us, some nights in her crib. Some nights she was up every hour and others every 2-3 hours. Rarely did we go more than three hours straight of sleep. Very rarely. We messed with her eating schedule. We started nursing more frequently during the day. Some days we nursed every 1.5 to 2 hours. Oh, that was hard.
Describing this past month as hard is accurate. But it was also an amazing amount of fun. We watched Eleanor grow and learn so much this month. She surprised us by pushing up to all fours. She started off by pushing up into a plank position. I was excited the first time we saw her do that. But when she tucked her knees under and started rocking her booty back and forth I was overwhelmed with pride. I know every mother watches their kiddos bridge these milestones, but it makes it no less exciting when it is your own child.
Her next trick was sitting up on her own. Or did that come first? Either way she mastered both of these achievements this month. Now she is a pro and rarely topples over. She loves to sit up and play with toys that make noises. She loves sitting up in the bath tub all on her own as well. That was one of our best days when we realized we no longer needed the infant tub but could just set her in the big tub. Bath time has never been so much fun before!
We took a big trip this month to the beach with friends Andy, Brittany and Matthew. Eleanor wasn't a fan of the sand or cold ocean waves. We set up a large tent and let her jump happily in her bouncy seat for hours while we laid in the sun and soaked up the ocean air. While at the beach we also discovered a new favorite of Eleanor's: the baby swing. We found a park and she smiled joyfully while we pushed her in the swing. We now try to stop at a park daily to let her swing.
While we were at the beach we also hit another major milestone. We were sitting on the couch in our condo and I was munching on a ripe banana when I decided to just pop it in her mouth. I know they recommend to wait until at least six months for Baby Led Weaning, but I felt that five months and three weeks was plenty of time to wait. Eleanor was definitely ready. She had been deliberately watching us eat and drink for weeks and was very excited to try it for her self. So on that day she got to munch on a banana and we have never looked back. Solid foods have been really fun for us. We try different foods almost every day and even feed her right off our own plates. She eats many meals with us, and others while I'm cooking in the kitchen. She loves pretty much everything she has tried including lemons and broccoli! Since eating is a wonderful passion of mine, it has been so much fun to watch her explore food.
That about covers our month. It has been my favorite so far. But of course I say that every month!
Such a big girl!
When people see Eleanor they are instantly in love. Her winning smile and chubby rolls are enough to melt any heart. She is such a social baby and really flirts and shows off for people. I would guess that she is making the days of many strangers all the time. People are drawn to her and love her so much. I have prayed since I was pregnant that she would have a heart and real passion for others and I hope that her personality now carries into her childhood and then into her adulthood. I hope and pray that she is always this happy and bubbly and friendly. I want her to be full of love and compassion for others. If that smile is any indication of Eleanor's future I would bet my prayers will be answered!
Happy six month birthday baby girl!
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