12 Weeks

Eloise is now 12 weeks old, I can't believe it. Do I say that every time I post? I have a quick video of her practicing holding her head up. My camera skills are really off so only watch if you can tolerate a shaky hand. I also had Parker trying to get in on the action and to top it off I end with a shot of my lovely pajamas/robe. That is the behind the scenes glance at daily life..if I don't have any major plans, I often end up in my pjs for a good portion of the day.




In other random news, I woke up with a sore right arm and shoulder today and could not figure out why. I thought that maybe Ellie's weight was catching up to my lack of muscle? Then I figured out it was from playing Wii tennis, baseball, and bowling against Tom. I feel pretty pathetic!

I ♥ Sleep and hopefully Eloise will too...

I've been missing a lot of sleep lately. I realize this is to be expected with a new baby but usually by 11 weeks most babies are beginning to stretch out to longer and longer sleep periods. Eloise started doing this around 2 months and we had a few good nights in a row of a 5 hour stretch between feedings. Things seemed to unravel after that and I felt like we were moving backwards in progress. As a last resort earlier in the week, I dragged her massive swing up the stairs and into her bedroom at 12:30am so she would sleep there and I could sleep in my bed. It worked for one night but it didn't work for the second night and I knew I had to find another way. I've been doing a lot of reading about sleep and the thing that really frustrated me was that I consistently read that from birth to 2 months one should do whatever it takes to get your baby to sleep. Check. Then at 4 months if your baby is still not sleeping longer periods, they are developed enough to let them "cry it out". Okay...but what about the time between 2 and 4 months?? They're not developed enough to leave them awake and crying in the crib but they are starting to know their surroundings so it's important to be establishing good routines and habits, like sleeping in the crib! I was not comfortable with this gray area, couldn't someone just spell out step by step what I needed to do? And can a person go crazy from not having any REM sleep for long periods of time? I'm almost positive I haven't had REM sleep since November 2nd, 2009.

I met my friend Nicole for a little mall walking this week (yep, I said mall walking and it was surprisingly refreshing) and we shared our baby sleeping trouble. I have to just say, thank goodness someone else has a baby about the same age that is NOT sleeping through the night. Lately it seems like everyone I talk to has babies sleeping for long periods of time at younger ages than Eloise. My mom even pulled out my baby book and I was sleeping through the night at 2 months of age! I was actually annoyed of my baby self for doing that.

So anyhow, Nicole mentioned a phrase "sleep begets more sleep" that is commonly used amongst the baby sleep books. I've heard it before but right then something clicked in my head and the wheels started turning. They are very slow wheels due to lack of sleep, but they were turning. To make this long story a wee bit shorter I'll summarize. Every child is different, but I think I finally figured out some key things I need to do that work for Eloise to make sure she gets the sleep she needs. So last night with my newfound confidence, I had a really good feeling that Eloise would have a decent night's sleep (and by Eloise having a decent night sleep, mom has a decent night's sleep). Drumroll please........things were MUCH improved versus these past two weeks and I think it will keep getting better if I can keep up the routine. The biggest problem now, I was so excited that I found the key to Eloise's sleep that I couldn't sleep. I'm sure I'll get over that shortly.

Eloise has been a social butterfly lately and made some new friends! The first cutie-pie is little Sophie Eibon. She is almost 5 months old and Eloise's sleep mentor. Currently Sophie sleeps from 7:30pm - 5:30am.

Trying to hold hands but looking like a fist bump.

Cutie-pie number two is 3 week old Allie Carr. She is so precious and I know everyone says it, but was Eloise really that small only 7 weeks ago????

Ellie and Allie weighed almost the exact same at birth so it is really mind blowing to see how much Eloise has grown. She kind of looks like a monster-baby next to Allie.

Besides play dates, Eloise has been trying to set a record for attending the most baby showers ever. She is currently at 4 and will potentially be at 5 by the time she is 3 months old. Luckily she is still at the age that she behaves pretty well in a crowd which is good because it's so much easier to bring her along. (and lucky for me all of the hosts and mamas-to-be have been very accommodating with Eloise tagging along).

Ellie has also been working on her neck and head strength. She doesn't really like tummy time but putting her on the boppy pillow and placing a mirror in front of her usually gets a few no-cry minutes!

Yes, she has the bald stripe on the back of her head and no, I definitely do not neglect my baby and leave her lying down all day long :)

I'm hoping last night wasn't a fluke and my new "methods" really work so the better sleeping continues!

Jess

2010!

Believe it or not I've been thinking about the year 2010 since I was a little girl. It always seemed so far away and to actually be in the "2000's" was downright futuristic (this is from my 1980's Jess viewpoint, picture frizzy hair being contained with a massive scrunchy, some sort of over-sized sweatshirt probably in a neon color, and leggings, not the leggings that are trendy again today but the kind with stirrups at the feet and probably in an obnoxious color that pants should never be in like teal). Or more simply a "multiples" outfit like this one:

The reason I thought about the year 2010 was because it is the year I would turn 30. I would wonder what my life would be like at that point, when I was...old. Ha ha, now I laugh at the sentiment of 80's Jess. I would expect nothing less from a 9 year old perspective but I'm glad to be excited about 2010, my 30's and the future in general. 80's Jess could never have imagined the impact of this little lady either!

(thank goodness that the 2000's also brought knowledge on how to straighten my hair...)

Eloise hit 2 months this week. Her latest development is putting her fist into her mouth to suck on. She won't take a pacifier but she loves that hand. It's consistently her right hand too, I wonder if that is any future predictor of being right-handed? Her head/neck strength is getting stronger as well and she likes to test it out in her bumbo chair. Tom and I have difficulty getting her out of it though, it's like a little suction seat! Unfortunately I had a cold last week and then Eloise got a cold and finally Tom caught it. It was a rough few days at first but I'm better now and Eloise is almost completely better, still holding on to a little extra congestion/snot in the nose. She is not a fan of the suction thing to remove snot from the nose. Not that it is something one would enjoy...but necessary for helping her out.

I did a quick 2 month photo shoot since Eloise wasn't really in the mood for modeling that day. She ended the photo shoot by blowing out of her diaper so I was forced to change her clothes. What a little diva :)


Trying to get that hand in her mouth!


Her hat is a little big, which I thought was too cute!



The bottle intervention was quite rough. Eloise went almost 8 hours without eating. She finally took a tiny bit of the bottle from her aunt Lani but we are no where near Tom being able to feed her and have it be an enjoyable experience. Hopefully we get there... Tom's work had a post-holiday party with dinner at Mancini's followed by the Wild game. We left Eloise with Lani and Leisa which worked out perfectly since they live in St. Paul. Tom and I realized it was our first time out together without our baby! It was fun for me to meet more of Tom's co-workers. I forgot to ask them if he is really as busy as he says he is...ha ha. We couldn't stay out too long though due to our little one. She had an okay report card. Took a tiny bit of a bottle but wasn't happy about it and then slept. Again, hopefully we get there...

Eloise and the bottle need to make PEACE in 2010.