Two Months of Eloise

My Eloise-y Peasy girl,

Having an infant at Christmas wrecks me in all kinds of ways. I’ve known the Christmas story for as long as I can recall but it wasn’t until I had my own babies that I felt the weight of the joy and grief Mary must have experienced. She birthed and raised a son, knowing in the end, he would die. Her obedience led to my freedom, but more importantly to me, yours and Sully’s salvation (in Jesus’ name!). I sit in gratitude, thanking God that He sent Jesus for my own babies, too, and I will pray every day that you accept and follow Jesus just as early as possible and that you walk in the confidence that He was born and died for you.

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Eating:

As of today, I’ve pumped 2,553 ounces. We had to get a new outlet added to the pantry and purchase another deep freeze to handle all of the milk. It’s a huge blessing to make this much, but it comes with a lot of work, too. I will happily do it and have accidentally made it a passion I love to talk about. From the math we did and what I'm pumping, I should be able to start weaning myself around 6 months but sill provide you frozen until you are a year. Mama can get so much of her day back earlier and you can still have the benefits of my milk!

You eat 3 ounces at a time, and from what we have loosely tracked, you take about 7 bottles a day. Most of those are from the 4:30 onwards into our night time routine, which I will gladly give you because you've been sleeping through the night for a few nights now.

Growth:

You are just the perfect size! (For the record, I will always say this. I love you in all of your stages and sizes.) You have petite features like your nose and ears, but your belly is round and your wrist rolls are numerous. Your cheeks scream "squish me!" and your little fingers grip ours so tightly. You wear mostly onesies and zip jammies, and those are in 0-3 month. The exception is pants: 3 month seem to squeeze your belly less. I'm not sure how much you weigh, but if we had to guess, it'd be close to 10 pounds.

Your little personality is starting to show through. You are all things smiley and content for the majority of the day, responding quickly to anyone talking to you. Your dimples on either side of your mouth are worth the level of silliness it takes on our end to make you laugh big enough for us to see them.

If we had a dollar for every comment about your hair, we could pay for your college already. It's epically wild and thick and is a new style every day.

Sleep:

You slept through the night for the first time on December 17 and then again 5 out of the last 6 nights! Babies your age can’t technically be sleep trained, but we do everything to set you up for success: making sure you eat well in the day, plenty of play time in your wake windows, and have you swaddled in the dark with white noise.

Let’s keep this up, k?? Also, can you talk to your brother about sleeping a little later, too? Thanks.

Naps are a bit of a free for all. If I need to stitch or make something, I'll let you sleep on your belly next to me. You sleep the best this way. We all ended up with colds at one point this month; one day, you, Dad, and Sully all slept during nap time. Around 4:30 until 9:00ish, you have a hard time settling, which is pretty typical of babies. Sometimes, Dad and I swap holding you at dinner so you can get a quick nap in and sometimes, you sleep in your Rock-a-Roo. If there's a lot to be done, in the Ergo you go, and that keeps you asleep.

Favorite Memories:

Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving was easy and fun! We celebrated with Sugar and family in Goodway, and you got to meet Grandma, Uncle J, Lindsey, Raylen, and more! We had tasty food; you got to be held the whole time; and you traveled like a champ!

Celebrations: This Christmas season has been so fun with you and Sully! We went to the Auburn parade, CFC party, and Callaway gardens with you in the ErgoBaby sound asleep. We decorated the Christmas tree with music, made gingerbread people and houses, painted ornaments, had dinners and parties, and looked at lights. We knew when you arrived that we wanted to not feel confined to home unless it was by choice, so the fact that you ride well and love the Ergo have been huge blessings in our mobility. Christmas feels extra special this year because your brother has caught onto the magic of it allI and I'm thankful you are here for the fun, too!

Regular life: This holiday season has been a blast, but it started with Halloween right after you were born, and it feels like it's been a little non-stop since. We are having fun but craving some normalcy in our schedule which may be why some of the most regular days have been my favorite. I love our weekly playdates with our friends, trying to figure out how to take your brother to the bathroom while also taking care of you, making crafts with you guys, and things like that. You've had 2 epic blowouts which we still laugh about: one at the chiropractor when Mom forgot to pack extra clothes and the other one, you shot poop across our room onto the wall at 5:00 in the morning.

Likes/Dislikes:

Likes:

-You LOVE your dad! He gets the best snuggles and biggest smiles.

-Diaper changes: you stare at your bee painting and coo.

-Napping on your belly

Dislikes:

-being cold

-being held when you are ready to play

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I'm so thankful to have you at this age at this time of year. The quiet time we have snuggling and praying helps me feel God's presence in a way that I haven't in a while. You are the best Christmas gift this year!

Love,

Mom