20 weeks old: first taste of cereal and she knows her name!

We decided to give Eloise her first taste of cereal this week. She has been exhibiting all the signs of readiness to practice eating food besides breast milk. We mixed a tiny bit of Earth's Best Whole Grain Oatmeal and Evan first gave it to her on his finger, as our pediatrician recommended. Her eyes got wide and she loved it! We gave her a little bit on a spoon, too, which went better than I expected. She actually started opening her mouth in anticipation of the spoon right away. Recommendations are always changing so we just educate ourselves and do what we think is right for Eloise, and it isn't feeling right to make this a daily thing yet. She does seem to like sitting in that high chair to be part of our nightly dinner, though!

In other exciting news, Eloise clearly responded to her name yesterday! We were at music class and we always start with the hello song and say each baby's name around the circle. When we got to Eloise - "Hello Eloise, so glad to see you" - her face lit up and she got really excited. Everyone giggled and the teacher said, "ya, we're talking to you!" What a wonderful thing. Definitely a proud parent moment!

And a couple randoms from the week:

 I love daily walks in the stroller!

Same toys, new view

19 weeks old: check up, pterodactyl screams, and teething

Eloise had her four month check-up with her pediatrician on Friday. She is healthy! The vaccinations were no fun but she showed off for the doctor with some smiles and giggles and rolling over on the exam table. Dr. Luft said we could start supplementing her diet with oatmeal cereal anytime. I think we'll hold off another few weeks until she's closer to 6 months. Eloise is still longer and leaner than average but following the same growth curve. Her stats:

Height: 24.75" (59%)
Weight: 12 lb 11 oz (17%)
Head circumference: 16.25" (66%)

Dr. Luft mentioned that we should expect her to enter the "pterodactyl scream" phase any day, and as though Eloise took that as her cue, she began with the screams. They are sudden and blood-curdling screams, often for no apparent reason. When I took her to the grocery store earlier this week she was screaming over and over throughout the store. What are you going to do? Just keep shopping! A lady at the bakery goes, "That is awesome" with a big grin. Another lady by the eggs said, "She's practicing with her voice!" Thanks for the support, ladies.

Speaking of screams, Eloise LOVES to be tossed in the air. She lets out a little scream followed by giggles. It's so adorable. And interesting to note that the scream plus giggles is not a learned behavior.

 I like being tossed in the air

In other news, it seems Eloise has started teething. She is soaking two bibs per day with drool, is suddenly much more fussy, gnaws on everything in a desperate manner, and bites down pretty hard. She doesn't suck her pacifiers anymore, she chews them. We're trying things to soothe her like teething toys, a wet washcloth in the fridge, and rubbing her gums but she still cries. She doesn't sleep as well and seems kind of restless. I feel sorry for her! I hope it doesn't last long.

How does this little girl produce so much drool?

A few photos from the last week:

Dad's first round draft pick

Who's that cutie at the end of the table?

Just trying it out - I feel like a big girl!

E is for Eloise

18 weeks old: first Halloween and wedding

Eloise ended up having several occasions to wear a Halloween costume in the last week: music class, moms group, and a party on Saturday. Who knew? She wore her mouse costume to music class and the party and then a pumpkin outfit from Karen to moms group. Babies in costumes are just the cutest thing ever!

This is a little short on me but I make it work

While Eloise isn't old enough to enjoy Halloween candy, she did enjoy the wrappers from the candy we bought for trick-or-treaters. The wrappers are lightweight, small, brightly colored, and make a crinkly noise. Perfect!

I prefer Butterfingers and Reese's Buttercups over Snickers

The same day as the party we also went to Evan's friend's wedding, Eloise's first. She lasted through the church ceremony and cocktail hour before complete meltdown, about four hours in total. I call that success! Before the ceremony the priest instructed me to nurse in the confessional if needed, which I did - a little weird. I also changed her diaper in there.

Family photo courtesy of Aunt Julie

And finally, Eloise will have her 4 month check up tomorrow. She turned 4 months this week! I'm anxious to find out how much she has grown, but not looking forward to another round of vaccinations.