Eleanor: 6 Weeks

Things are getting a little happier around here. She is still having some food issues (mostly still spitting up) but did give us the gift of sleeping from 10pm to 5am one night last week, so there is that. I think figuring out that you have arms and legs, and can control them, provides much comfort to infants. She has also started cooing, and smiling, which just makes me turn to goo inside.

Here is Eleanor @ 6 weeks:

Little of this, little of that...

I. am. tired.

Truly asleep on my feet. It seems like each week a new personality emerges from our littlest little, and after purchasing a copy of "The Wonder Weeks" I knew to expect (and was reminded of the same weeks with Mikey and Jonny) that week 5 would be difficult. Eleanor has not disappointed. Basically the baby's brain starts to wake up in week 5, and her senses "turn on." The baby is easily overstimulated, and this leads to a lot of crying. A lot. Like, baby is fed, changed, being held, binkied, and still crying. OH MAH GAWD STOP THE CRYING!

I was starting to feel a little distressed because the only way Eleanor was falling asleep was if someone was holding her --- not exactly a precedent that I wanted to set. I don't consider myself as an attachment parent, though I'm perfectly happy to hold my baby to comfort her, but this was starting to drive me crazy. Knowing that she was going to cry regardless of if she was in my arms or somewhere else, I got her completely set up in the glider, including wrapping her up in the baby straight jacket (aka, swaddle) and just let little sister cry her brains out. And she did - for 3 minutes. Three minutes! That is it! The rocking and white noise (provided by the swing) finally did its job, and knocked her out. And there she has happily slept for the last 1.5 hours. She hasn't exactly loved the swing up to this point, and we were only setting her in it as a stationary resting spot after she had already passed out. But now... now I'm thinking I've found my solution to getting the baby used to falling asleep on her own (or at least with a different crutch that doesn't include she and I doing the waltz and 4 am).

I'm still less than happy with the eating situation. I thought I had solved all of her eating issues (spit up, and crying at the bottle, and not wanting to eat more than an oz or two at a time) when we tried the Up & Up version of Enfamil AR (added rice starch). It could just be that she is in that magical wonder week, but it seems like the spit up/crying is getting worse again. She seems to be growing just fine, but I guess I'm just worried that she is going to have other eating issues besides this reflux deal. After trying Zantac unsuccessfully for a few days, we have been able to handle the food issues without medication, and I'm still hoping we can continue that way until she starts on solids around 4 months old.

I'm sure we dealt with similar issues with both boys, and time + the insanity of moving across country made me forget. 

For now, because my brain is barely working, I'm just going to insert these disjointed photos and this will have to count as a real blog post. 

Also, Fitz ran away. /sigh. Didn't notice the boys hadn't closed the garage door, and he slipped out. I hope he finds his way back home again!

 {finally asleep, on her own}

 {enjoying a bath, sort of... and her hair dry after a bath cracks me up}

 {a sweet package arrived from Uncle Andrew and Aunt Stephanie.. toys for the boys, and some sweet gifts for the baby, too}

 {since the boys are entirely too neglected as of late, I've been trying to take them somewhere each weekend. This last weekend we visited a local park for the first time, and had lots of fun!}

 {Little E, much too long for the "small" size swaddle now}

 {Coloring books & stickers!}

{Goatie - the beloved ceramic dog I made for my mother when I was 11. After my mother passed away, I made sure to have my little brother grab him and send him back home to me. Still processing the death of my mother}.