Eloise Strawn is Growing!

Eloise turns 4 months old on Saturday, May 5th. So quick! She is a growing girl, and this is what is going on in her life.

-Talking all the time. You should hear her right now. Her coo-ing that started a few months ago has turned into a less-graceful squeaking and grunting.
-Grabbing her sister's attention. It is still always a huge deal when Rosalie notices Eloise. The obsession has not worn off! Rosalie is certainly in love with her sister. Eloise seems to play it cool and give Rosalie an all-knowing smile, as if to say, "You just wait until I can keep up with you, and I will definitely use this to my advantage."
-As soon as someone makes eye contact with Eloise, she almost immediately returns the smile. She has been doing this for a few months. Her cousin Madelyn has nicknamed her "Big Smiley" as a result.
-Sleeping in a swaddle. She used to be a better sleeper. She has become a light sleeper, and unless the conditions are right (access to the breast), she doesn't stay asleep long. What happened to the girl who would just fall asleep on the bed while I changed loads of laundry?
-Rolls from back to tummy and gets stuck 9/10 times. The 10th time she lasts about 5 seconds on her stomach before freaking out. She is NOT a tummy girl like her big sister! Why she still attempts, I'm not sure, but I'm glad she is getting in her exercise. She does roll both to her left and right, too.
-"Wheezing." It is technically not wheezing, but "Elo-wheezy" has been diagnosed with a soft larynx. When she is in certain inclined positions, such as her carseat, her soft larynx slightly obstructs her breathing, so she has to suck extra hard to get enough air. We've been working with a pulmonary pediatric specialist, and he is confident she will grow out of this soon. I've already noticed it happening less.
-NOT drinking from a bottle. We were way too lax about introducing a bottle, probably because we knew I wouldn't be returning to an office setting, and she doesn't even take a sip from one. Never has. Probably never will. What a beautiful thing for my child to be so dependent on me. It is also beautiful when I know she has a full belly and I can have some unattached time.
-Gnawing on fingers/blanket. We noticed that her front left tooth has poked through the front of her gum. We're not sure if this is why she likes to nosh on her fingers or a blanket, but I don't blame her. Having a tooth poke through like that can't be comfortable.
-Being ultra-cute, as evidenced by this photo from today

Her 4-month checkup is on Monday, so we'll have her weight and length then. I'm paying less attention to those stats this time around, but she is certainly growing. At least her torso is anyway :)

Time Flies

Time has flown by over the past two months since Eloise's arrival. So much has gone down, and we certainly have our hands full. We go to bed (at varying times) each night, exhausted, but mostly full of joy celebrating our family of four. Here's what we've been up to...

We all traveled down to Nashville two weeks ago while Rob attended the Country Radio Seminar. He definitely enjoyed his time at the conference, and he learned a lot about how to incorporate social networking into WIXY. We stayed at Kathy's house (Rob's sister), and we are so thankful for the time we got to spend with them. As it turns out, I had strep during this week, and was so fatigued it was very hard to care for Rosalie and Eloise. Kathy was a huge help and basically played with Rosalie every day so I could focus on nursing Eloise and trying to take it easy. SO THANKFUL for her support!! Rosalie loved playing with her cousins, and is especially fond of baby Henry. She would always suck her thumb when she got close to him! So random/sweet! Here is the one picture I took while we were away (taken on my iPhone, with bad lighting):

Right now during a normal week, I wake up around 5:30am when Rosalie wakes up. (I then hope everyday for a nap, but it really never happens!) The early morning is usually full of attempts at various parenting techniques to counter Rosalie's defiance. She is absolutely the sweetest girl, but she is certainly caught up in the excitment of being a big sister and being a two-year-old! I've found that reverse psychology works the best :) Rosalie spends her mornings at school, where she is in a classroom full of 2-3 year olds. She can count to the teens (and some in Spanish!), she knows her ABCs, all of her colors, and knows some shapes. More importantly, though, she is a creative spirit, and she loves music, singing, and dancing. She frequently plays pretend and amazes us everyday with something else she has figured out or discovered a new fun way to use a toy. Her teachers at school have noted how nurturing she is. She has "reached out" to a quiet boy in the class and makes sure to give him special attention. It warms my heart so thoroughly to know that she wants everyone to be included. She also lifts up her shirt to feed the baby dolls!

Eloise and I spend the mornings together and each day is different. Some days she stays asleep in her car seat for awhile, which allows me to get work done. I've been trying to devote this time as much as possible to getting B. Lime, our new business, to launch next weekend. I also am keeping up with University-related emails and continue to serve as Volunteer Coordinator for the Illinois Marathon.

We have been so blessed with Eloise- she is a fabulous baby. She has always recognized when night is, that is, she sleeps longer chunks at night. For the most part, she has only one night-waking to nurse. Knock on wood! I have enjoyed not trying to find a schedule for her though. It is refreshing to simply nurse her on demand and not worry about how long she has gone between feedings (which is very much the opposite of how I was with Rosalie- that is a different post). She is growing rapidly, too! She had her two-month check-up this morning, and she weighed in at 9 lb 13 oz (26%) and is 22.5 in long (53%). Just this past week she started coo-ing and giving us smiles. She can also hold her head steady for longer periods of time.

*Rosalie is obsessed with Eloise.* She wants Eloise to be awake, "eyes open!", and she wants to hold her, hold her hand, poke at her, lean on her, and squeeze her. She always has to know where is Eloise and what she is doing. We have to keep a close eye on Rosalie when Eloise is within Rosalie's reach, but it is reassuring to know they have the foundation to be very close sisters in the future!

With everything that is going on, we have started a househunt. We are primarily looking for a bigger kitchen and more square footage, but we are being very picky! We'll let you all know if we find that perfect place that is worth moving into.

Snow Day

Don't let the picture fool you. Rosalie did not have a lot of fun in the snow today; said she was scared. She does NOT get that from her father.

Looks Like Her Father

Look at those Anderson features! So beautiful :)

Home with Eloise

We were discharged a bit earlier than expected from the hospital today- arriving home at 4:30pm. This is a reflection of how well Eloise and I are doing! My lab work shows no signs of preeclampsia and my blood pressure remains within normal ranges. Eloise is eating and pooping as she should be :)

It feels very overwhelming to care for both Eloise and Rosalie right now, especially since Rosalie has a terrible cold and is, quite frankly, a mucous factory. We are very thankful to have the grandparents still here to help us get situated.

Other than Rosalie's cold, we are both in shock as to just how BIG Rosalie has gotten. We are certain she has grown over the past 3 days when we were in the hospital, but we both feel like we are looking at a 5 year old! I don't understand how the same clothes that fit her before, still fit her! Even her teeth seem bigger to me! My sister said she experienced this same phenomena with each of her children as well, so at least we aren't too crazy.

Rosalie has been successfully asleep since 6:30, and now it is our turn to get some sleep before Eloise wakes for the next feeding.

"Baby Eloise"

Hi Grandpa!