8 weeks old: peek-a-boo and routines

Peek-a-boo!

Now that Eloise is smiling daily, Evan and I are pulling out all the stops to get some out of her. Turns out Eloise is a fan of the classic Peek-a-Boo game. Above is a progression of photos from the first time we played. What a cutie! Other things that elicit smiles include saying "Hello" in a sing-song voice, a tickle up the tummy followed by a "boop!" on the cheek, and sometimes just talking to her about anything at all. The smile in the picture last week appeared while talking about bath time the night before.

Eloise doesn't have a schedule but she does have a bit of a daily routine now. Some of it created by her, some of it created by us. Here's a rough outline of a typical day, not including all the diaper changes and spit-ups requiring wardrobe changes:

3:30 AM  Eat and diaper change. Back to sleep

6:30 AM  Eat and diaper change. Back to sleep

7:30 AM  Come in bed between mommy and daddy for some lovin' before daddy gets ready for work. Then hang out with mommy in bed or back to sleep

8:30 AM  Hang out in the bouncy seat while mommy takes a shower

9:30 AM  Eat and diaper change

10:00 AM Long morning nap starting in the swing. Mommy gets a lot done during this time - eats breakfast, household chores, pump to build a milk stash, go to the grocery store with Eloise in the front carrier, etc. And write this blog!

12:00 PM Eat and diaper change. Right after this meal is usually the poopy diaper of the day. Play time - tummy time, snuggling and talking

1:00 PM  Mommy grabs something fast for lunch while Eloise lays on the couch next to her. Always wants to be held immediately. More tummy time on mommy, snuggling and talking, being in the front carrier while mommy does household chores

2:30 PM  Eat and diaper change

3:00 PM  Daily walk in the neighborhood. Eloise falls asleep almost as soon as she's put in the stroller for another long nap

4:30 PM  Eat and diaper change

5:30 PM  Start dinner preparations

6:00 PM  Daddy gets home, says hello, has some time to himself

6:30 PM  Dinner time for mom and dad, Eloise in the swing

7:00 PM  Eat and diaper change. Daddy takes Eloise for a couple hours to give mommy a break. Short nap sometime between 7-9

8:30 PM  Bath time with mommy on weeknights and daddy on weekends, pajamas go on

9:30 PM  Daddy gives Eloise a bottle while mommy pumps, diaper change into overnight diaper

10:00 PM Bed time

"I sit here while mommy takes a shower"

Believe it or not, Eloise is almost into 3-6 month clothes already. I feel like she barely spent any time in the 0-3 month clothes! For her second outfit of the day, she is wearing a 3-6 month warmer outfit since it is chilly and rainy today:

In other news, Eloise tried the diaper cover I just made. It leaked out the leg, requiring the outfit change.

Back to the sewing machine

7 weeks old: pediatrician and bath time

A smile afterglow smirk. Didn't get the camera in time for the big smile.

Eloise had her first set of vaccinations at the pediatrician's office yesterday. I'm not sure who cried more: her or me. We tried a new lady that came recommended: Dr. Kimberly Luft (bio linked). We really like her. When I contacted her to ask a question before we ever met, she consulted with a specialist before she answered. That tells me she operates within her scope of practice and her ego doesn't get in the way of using all the resources she has available to provide her patients with the best care possible. She also had a very caring and gentle demeanor and seemed very present with us during our appointment. Not hurried at all, she asked us several times if we had any more questions or wanted to talk about anything else. So far she seems to be a good choice to trust with the care of our most precious Eloise.  

Eloise's stats at 7 weeks: 

23.25" height (95th percentile)

9 lb 10 oz weight (28th percentile)

15" head circumference (65th percentile)

Dr. Luft thinks she's in the middle of a growth spurt. Maybe she grew in height first and will fill out in weight next. I'm trying not to have mommy guilt that she's not getting enough to eat. Her doctor isn't worried so I shouldn't be either. Anywhere between the 15th and 95th percentile is healthy and normal.

A ritual we really enjoy around here is bath time. Okay, I wouldn't say Eloise enjoys it, but she's getting there. We use Burt's Bees Baby Shampoo and Wash. It smells so good I can't stop smelling her head. Here are a few snapshots from bath time this week:

Splish splash

A snuggle in the towel

And into the jam-jams

I noticed something Eloise and I have in common. I already knew she had my long toes right away. I didn't know she could spread them like me though:

So cute!

6 weeks old: sleep & moving up a clothing size

We achieved a new record in sleep this week. Last night was the fifth night in a row that Eloise slept over five hours! From about 10:00 PM to 3:00 or 4:00 AM. The first night I awoke at the time she would usually eat to find her still soundly sleeping. I spent the next couple hours watching her to make sure she was still breathing. She was. The last four nights I was able to enjoy the extra sleep myself. That first stretch of sleep she is mostly silent. And then the next stretch from about 3:00 or 4:00 AM until 6:00 or 7:00 AM she makes a LOT of noises. Growling, squeaking, grunting, sometimes what sounds like a giggle. I look over at her and her eyes are closed and she's not moving. Is she dreaming?

This is week old news, but Eloise has moved up a clothing size from newborn to 0-3 months. This provides a whole new batch of clothing. Pictured above she is wearing a frilly outfit from Evan's coworker. She is also finally fitting into some socks now, too. Pictured below she is sporting some baby Jordans from her aunt Julie.

Eloise and I get out of the house at least once a day, and often that one time is a walk in the neighborhood. She falls asleep every time. We both really like getting out in this nice summer weather and getting in a little exercise.

We also have a couple contraptions for Eloise to ride along strapped to one of us. It's called baby wearing and it's all the rage now. Over the weekend we walked to Milo's City Cafe down the street for breakfast and Evan wore her in a front carrier. It seems to be her favorite one, although she has an expiration for being in any baby wearing contraption. I guess she needs her space sometimes. Well, that's not true. She'll let us hold her without a contraption all day long, we just need to switch positions periodically.

The pears in our yard are ready to pick now, and Evan picked a batch about a week ago and we put them in a paper bag to ripen. This week I pureed four and froze them in an ice cube tray for Eloise to eat when she is eating solids in a few months. I think it's neat she can eat something we grew. Hopefully she likes pears.

Today we had a play date with Erica and Terri's kids at Erica's house. The four kids are 3.5, 1.5, almost 1, and 6 weeks. It was sweet to see the older kids interacting and playing together. This was Eloise's first time around a group of kids and I think she got a little overwhelmed and overstimulated. She jumped at every loud noise and was fussy more than usual. Soon she will be just as active as the older kids. She will look up to them I'm sure. I meant to get photos but I totally forgot. I'm sure we'll have more opportunities with that crew.

5 weeks old: I have a tongue!

BREAKING NEWS: Eloise had her first smile today!!! Evan and I laid her in between us in bed before he went to work and we were both cooing over her and suddenly.... big beautiful smile! Oh, how my heart melts! Her little eyes made crescent moons. No photo to share today but hopefully this is just the beginning of a lot of smiling.

In other news, it seems that Eloise has discovered her tongue this week. Suddenly it's making frequent appearances - she sticks it out, rolls it around, moves it from side to side, etc. A-dorable.

Hey, I have a tongue!

Eloise and I are settling into a daily life just the two of us now. My brother's family left on Friday and my mom left on Tuesday. It was sad to see them go but we had a wonderful time. I feel so loved and supported because they all traveled so far just to meet our little Eloise. My heart was full seeing my brother and mom gaze at her so lovingly when they held her. She stole their hearts, too.

Eloise and Uncle Jay

Eloise and Grandma Zuber

On the last day of Jay's family's visit, we all went out to dinner at McMenamins Kennedy School, an old elementary school turned restaurants, bars, B&B, and second run theater. Eloise had her first restaurant meal - nursing at the table just before the food arrived. Then mom could enjoy a microbrew. 

Cousin Heath, me, Aunt Leslie, Eloise, Evan, and Grandma Zuber. Jay is not pictured because he is taking the photo.

Over the weekend we went to Portland Saturday Market, a big local artists market. Eloise slept through the whole thing with Daddy carrying her in the Baby Bjorn carrier. My mom got a couple skirts and Eloise got a onesie with an applique bird on top of an applique state of Oregon.

Grandma Zuber, Evan, and Eloise at Saturday Market

Eloise tends to get fussy in the evenings and yesterday was extra challenging. We ran through the usual suspects: diaper, feeding, rocking, singing, etc. Finally I pulled out the big gun we'd been waiting for just such a moment to introduce: the pacifier. I tried it on another extra fussy evening without success - she gagged and spit up - mama fail. But last night it was just the thing to sooth her. As soon as it went in her mouth and she started sucking her little eyes got droopy. I took a short video because, as with everything she does, she's so darn cute sucking her pacifier!

4 weeks: Dad goes back to work and Grandma Zuber arrives

Evan went back to work on Monday after taking three weeks off to spend with Eloise. But, he did come home mid-day for a quick visit because he missed his little girl. It was great having both of us home those first few weeks to enjoy our new little family together and support each other as we learned how to care for our precious little Eloise. Each day we would give each other breaks and take Eloise on our own, and we both said we missed Eloise like crazy even though she was just in another part of the house for an hour or two. So I can't imagine how hard it must be for Evan right now, or how hard it will be for me when I return to work. She is so adored by her parents. We are over the moon. In fact, when she was born, one of the first things Evan said was, "I can't wait to have another one." That's how hard he fell right from the start.

Thankfully I only had to weather one day "alone" (aside from the mid-day visit), which actually went just fine. My mom flew in from Arizona Tuesday afternoon for a week-long visit. I picked her up from the airport with Eloise in the backseat. After hugging her hello, she opened up the back door and got in to ride next to Eloise instead of in the front seat with me! All the way home I heard her ooohing and aaaahing over little fingers and toes, squeaks and sighs.

Grandma in the backseat with Eloise

My mom brought a couple newborn photos of me. I really think Eloise is a mini-Evan. Here's the three of us side-by-side. I don't know. We all look like newborns.

I have to share the one taken of me by the hospital photographer. Boy was I ugly, thank goodness Eloise did not look like this:

In other exciting news, Eloise had her first bottle on Tuesday! Evan gave it to her. They both did great. Eloise looked a little confused at first but then got in a groove and drank it. I imagine she may have been thinking right taste, wrong container. Now her daddy can give her a bottle a day. It was unexpectedly tough on me, in fact I teared up because it broke my heart a little to see her drinking from a bottle and not from me. Way to rain on Evan's parade, right? I really do think it's a good thing for Evan to have another way to bond with her.

Glug, glug, glug