Our little girl is growing up so fast. She’s becoming more and more like a toddler, and less like a baby every day. I’m so proud of her growth and development, but also a little wistful already for the baby we don’t have for much longer. I’m so happy to see such great qualities in Eloise already. She’s fearless, curious and generous.
We’ve been out and about a lot this month! Cousin Sara came to visit, so we’ve been siteseeing all over the city – such as the Empire State Building, Alice’s Tea Cup, Central Park, FAO. We also went to fun things with Alec while he was on paternity leave, like the Bronx Botanical Gardens. We finished up the end of the month with two stroller tours, of the Guggenheim and Whitney.
Developmental
- Standing with confidence now! Lets go of surfaces and balances on her feet.
- Cruising around the room using furniture to balance on.
- Dismounts easily from standing onto her cushy rear.
- Takes steps on the walker or if we’re holding her hands.
- Pulls herself up on our legs, the appliances, furniture, everything.
- Dancing! Bops to music.
- Nods her head for yes and shakes it for no.
- New words: “up” and “yeah”.
- Reaches to be picked up on command.
- Understands “no”.
- Comes when she’s called.
- Hand-eye co-ordination getting really good. Can pick up things like single peas with her thumb and forefinger and put them in her mouth.
- Very chatty. Doesn’t make any sense yet, but is very serious about telling us things and nodding her head vigorously.
- Managed to get a block shape into the correct hole in the box.
- Teething, but no teeth broken through yet.
- Much more affectionate. Lots of hugs.
Food
- Eating really well. Three solid meals a day, plus snacks in between. Prefers large chunks that she can hold and gnaw on. Typical meal for the day: Breakfast: plain, full-fat yoghurt, half a banana. Snack: Half a banana. Lunch: Usually when we’re out, so a puree pack of baby food, plus bits of whatever I’m eating. Snack: rock melon, watermelon, cheese. Dinner: Leftovers from food I’ve cooked for myself and Alec, like pasta, steamed vegetables, baked vegetables, veggie burger patty.
- Getting much better at drinking water from a cup and water bottle.
Sleep
- We completed sleep training with success. Eloise started sleeping from 7pm – 6:30-7:30am. AMAZING. We had a few nights where she woke at 6am, or at 10:30pm, but for the most part, it seems like our sleep issues have been solved.
- Naps: Down to two naps a day. One at around 8:30-9am for anywhere from 1 – 2 hours, and 12:30pm for about 45mins to an hour a half.
Empire State Building.