Four Months of Eloise

Leigh Ann
Feb 22, 2022
5 min read

Updated: Feb 24, 2022

My Elo-easy going girl,

This has been a busy month for our family! We’ve been to Atlanta, Birmingham, and Selma; hosted a party; spent lots of time outside; spent lots of time supporting Dad in a busy season of work; and Mom started a new job. All of the busyness has shown us that we can take on more and that with a little extra planning, we can get out and about just like we did before you were born. We love that you now get to be a part of the adventures we go on, and you really fit in just so perfectly.

In just a short time, you'll be rompin' and stompin' around with Sully, and the adventures will get bigger and better!

Growth: I haven’t weighed you in a while, but let’s just say that you are living up to your nickname, “MarshmEloise.” Your rolls are the best! All of a sudden, your 3 month footed jammies are tight around your belly and feet, but your regular onesies are fine. You have an appointment soon, so I’m excited to see how much you’ve grown!

Your hair finally lays down, and I'm a little sad!

We think you may be teething! You drool a ton and like to bite your bottle, and at your baptism, Mrs. Emily mentioned that you might be teething, and it all clicked. It really looks like your bottom two teeth are at the gum ready to break through some time.

Your head control continues to be exceptional! We can basically carry you around on our hip because of how sturdy you are. Tummy time goes well, and you are trying to roll over.

You'll be in the middle of these play dates so soon!

Food:

So far, I’ve pumped 4,915 ounces. Once you started getting up in the middle of the night again, my supply dipped because I don’t pump as much in the morning, but it’s okay because I still make enough to feed you and then just a little extra.

Your bottles are now at four ounces, but some nights before bed, you’ll eat seven ounces! I always hope that those will carry you through the night, but they don’t because it falls when you are in a leap.

Sleep:

Oh, dear. You were sleeping through the night until you weren’t, but again, that’s okay. It’s totally developmentally normal for you to wake in the night to eat, but I did get a little spoiled there for a month or so. A couple of times, you got up four times a night and that was rough. Now, for the most part, you just get up between 2:00 and 3:00 to eat which is nice because I get a small set of hours on either end of that. Once you hit five months, we’ll do officially night sleep training like we did for Sully, but I don’t anticipate that being as much of a thing because you already sleep better and more scheduled than he did.

Favorite Moments:

Dad Wins: Last week was one of my favorite moments for us as a family. Dad once had a case at the beginning of his career that resulted in multiple guilty counts leading to a capital sentence. Recently, he was hired to work on the same case as it was appealed and going back to court. We thought he would be gone from 7:15 to maybe 6:00 each night, but because the attorneys were so impressed with his work, he became a full part of their team and worked each night until almost 11:00. It was a surprise in our schedule as we canceled Valentine’s Day plans and then we had to have the truck towed out of the garage which left the three of us without a car for two days, but we really all made the best of it. After all of his hard work, he came back home early Friday afternoon after the jury went back to help us pack for Selma, and during that time, the attorney called to tell Cody the verdict. All three counts were appealed! Dad was stoked, and we were so proud of him! It felt like a family victory because you guys get to see Dad work so hard for others and then hopefully you see me doing my best to be flexible within our family schedule. We truly are a little team, and I’m so proud of us!

Smiles: Watching you smile at Dad and Sully is one of the major joys of my life. It does not matter what they are doing, you smile so big when you see them.

Baptism: Mom and Dad promise to take care of you and to teach you all about Jesus, and we publicly declared that in front of our friends and family at your baptism. We had a group of sixteen people who traveled to see you and celebrate you. What a sweet treat to have your Sugar baptize you! I love that you and Sully will get to watch her live out vocational ministry in a way that I did not always get to see growing up and that it’s a natural sight to watch your brother (and soon to be you) walk around with her at church so comfortably. Church was a huge part of my life growing up both on Sundays and in other days while my mom was at work, and I would love for you to have the same level of comfortability as I felt. Some of my favorite details from the day were your dress that I hand embroidered, your cake that matched, and the baptismal wreath that is beautiful!

Valentine’s Day: One of my favorite holidays is Valentine’s Day because it’s low pressure (for us anyway) and can be made big or small. We celebrated with some footprint crafts, Valentine’s Day picture gifts, and a Galentine’s Day party. I also wrote on a heart one thing I love about you and taped to your door each night. At the Galentine’s Day party, you were sweet though a little fussy. Seven of my friends came over and we all enjoyed charcuterie and cake which was fun!

First Hotel: I was nervous about us all staying in a hotel together because we really needed Sully to sleep and be rested for his allergy appointment and you don’t always sleep through the night. Sully slept in a hotel bed for the first time (which was hilarious because he just kept trying to talk to us in the dark to avoid sleeping), and you slept in a bassinet on the opposite bed farthest away from him. Anytime that you woke up crying, I immediately picked you up to eat so that it wouldn’t wake him up. I think I fed you 4 times! Everyone woke up in a great mood, so I’d say the trip was a success!

Outside Time: We are trying to complete the 1000 Hours Outside challenge, so we try to spend some time outside every day. It is a little tricky to get you both outside when it comes to timing and taking any supplies outside to make the time successful (pump, bottles, snacks, etc.). Slowly, I’m figuring out systems to make the prep time easily. Once we are outside, you seem to really love it. You either nap in the carrier or play on a mat. One of your favorite things is when the wind blows your hair. Mom also started teaching some classes at the Preserve, and you and Sully go with me.