Baby Name Clues

For our first two pregnancies, we waited until The Birth to find out whether we were having a boy or a girl.  Although we always had names picked out beforehand, we never fully revealed the name until the baby was actually born.  Well Baby D.3 is no different – we don’t yet know whether we will add a brother or a sister to this family, but we are prepared with a name for either one!  As with the first two children, I will publish weekly name clues for Baby D.3 (you can see name clues for Baby D.1 and D.2 below).  This time I am also going to publish people’s guesses because that is half the fun!  However, know that I won’t confirm or deny until the final reveal!  I hope these clues are obscure enough to keep you guessing until the end but helpful enough to generate some ideas. 

Baby D.3 Name Clues

Clue #1:

Boy - First name ends in the letter N
Girl - First name ends in the letter E

Round 1 Guesses:

Boy - Aniken, Bacon, Steven, Rasputen, Nwendy Jr., Nathan, Aiden (x2), Keyan, Cason, Brandon Jr., Evan, 

Girl - Padme, Pie, Katie, Nelle, Evangeline, Evie, Ewendy Jr., Reese, Tere, Callie, Bonnie, Diane, Catherine Jr., Eve

Clue #2:
Boy - First name has 3 syllables.  Middle name has 2 syllables.
Girl - First name has 2 syllables.  Middle name has 1 syllable.

Round 2 Guesses:

Boy - Sullivan Travis, Anakin, Gideon, Finnegan Rascal, Jonathan Brandon (x2), Jonathan Allyn 

Girl - Padme, Katie Mae, Katie Beth, Carrie Anne, Evie, Ellie Mae, Allie May, Allie Ann, Bonnie Jean

Clue #3:
Boy - Middle name is a family name.
Girl - Middle name is a family name.

Round 3 Guesses:

Boy -  Jameson Brandon, Jonathan Allyn, Jonathan David, Donovan, and Allyn, Hilton, or Carlton for middle names

Girl - Sadie Anne, Halle Jean

Clue #4:
Boy - Like my name, the first name is technically 3 syllables (see clue #2) but typically pronounced with only 2.
Girl - Like my name, the first name ends in the letter E (see clue #1), but does not end in the E sound.

Round 4 Guesses:

Boy -  Cameron Allyn, Cameron David, Cameron Bushrod

Girl -  Charlotte Anne, Alice Rae, Christine Claire

Clue #5:

Boy - There are 12 letters in the first and middle names combined.

Girl - There are 13 letters in the first and middle names combined.

Clue #6:

Boy - Initials are CAD
Girl - Initials are CAD

Final Names:  Cameron Allyn and Charlotte Anne

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Baby D.1 Name Clues

Clue #1

Boy – First name ends in the letter N

Girl – First name ends in the letter N

Clue #2

Boy – First name has 2 syllables

Girl – First name has 2 syllables

Clue #3

Boy - The number of letters in the first and middle names combined is 10 letters

Girl - The number of letters in the first and middle names combined is 10 letters

Clue # 4

Boy – First name begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y!)

Girl – First name begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y!)

Clue # 5:

Girl – First and middle name is the first and last name of an actress

Boy – First name is one of the main actors from Lord of the Rings

Clue # 6:

Boy – Initials are IMD

Girl – Initials are EPD

Final Names:  Ian Michael and Ellen Paige

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Baby D.2 Clues

Clue # 1:

Boy - First and middle name combined has 10 letters

Girl - First and middle name combined has 10 letters

Clue # 2:

Boy - First and/or middle name begins with a vowel

Girl - First and/or middle name begins with a vowel

Clue # 3:

Boy - Total of 3 syllables in the first and middle names combined

Girl - Total of 3 syllables in the first and middle names combined

Clue #4:

Boy – First name does not end in the letter N

Girl – First name does end in the letter N

Clue #5:

Boy – First name is in top 100 of SSA names in 2010.  Middle name is not.

Girl – First name is not in the top 100 of SSA names in 2010.  Middle name is.

Clue #6:

Boy – Initials JAD

Girl – Initials EPD

Final Names:

James Allyn and Ellen Paige

(alas, this boy name is now removed from the running of any future boys as my nephew now has the first name James and we won’t repeat it) 

Baby Burrito

The following are lyrics that I made up for after bath time... sung to the tune of Baby Beluga.  It has quickly transitioned to an Any Time song for my kids, and they request any manner of names be substituted for Baby.  We usually start with their names and work our way through all of the cousins' names.

Baby burrito after a bath

You're so cute, you make me laugh

Baby burrito wrapped in a towel

I love you baby!

Baby burrito...

Baby burrito...

Wrapped up in a towel

I can see you smile

I Love. You. Baby.

{Ellen Burrito}

Three Things

It's just the kind of day that makes parenting so heart filling.

1.  Ellen woke up early and I sent Ian in to talk to her while I finished getting ready.  Things stayed very quiet for about 10 minutes so I went to investigate... and this is what I found.

{Sweet siblings reading together in the crib}

Ian climbed into the crib, bringing a book to share with his sister.  Their laps shared the load of the book and Ian started "reading" to Ellen.  Reading right now consists of either reciting the memorized words or just telling the story of what he sees in the pictures.  Ellen sat quietly absorbing everything he was saying and studied the illustrations alongside him.  I was so grateful that I could capture this sibling moment from the hallway, not disturbing their precious interaction.

2.  Later, while I was getting breakfast ready for Ellen, Ian disappeared.  All of a sudden he ran into the kitchen.  Fully Clothed!  With a backpack!  Without prompting, he had gone to his room and changed out of pajamas and into the clothes we laid out the night before (including socks and shoes).  Then he packed his backpack with pajamas, a night time pull up, and slippers "in case it is bed time after we go to dinner."  Can I repeat... ALL WITHOUT PROMPTING.  He is REALLY growing up!

{This photo was taken during potty training almost a year ago, but I couldn't resist as it just shouts BIG BOY}



3.  We were in the car talking about where we were going to eat tonight, this is how the conversation went:

Ian:  Is our family going to be there?

Me:  Yes, Mimi and Grandpa will be there with you, me, Daddy, and Ellen.

Ian.  Ok.  Are we going to eat outside?

Me:  No, it is too cold.

Ian.  Ok.  Yesterday we ate outside with our family.

Me:  Yesterday, a long time ago?

Ian:  Yes, a long time ago.  It was at Gloria's!  And Jessie was there.  And I was sitting next to Daddy, and he gave me his fruit.  And Beckett was sitting with Jessie.  And then we played in the fountain!  I was playing on the little steps, and then Gram came and told me she didn't want me to... she told me no.  But Beckett still played on the steps.  And then the water went HIGH in the air.  It had a long curve and there were lights!

The events, as told by Ian, were 100% accurate and in the correct sequence.  That family dinner happened in August of last year (7 months ago).  Holy Cow, child!

{sorry, no pic from that evening}

Ellen, 12 months / ONE YEAR (5/11/2012)

Twelve Months – 5/11/2012

Dear Ellen,

Happiest of Birthdays to my Ellen! One year ago today you surprised us by arriving a week earlier than expected, very early in the morning. It was an easy birth, easy babyhood, and (fairly) easy first year. Here’s to many more celebrations to come! I thought with a second child that I would be more prepared with what to expect, and in many ways I am; in general I am more organized with all things Baby, outings, and taking photographs of you. The developmental milestones are less surprising but just as exciting, and maybe even more so. The 19 month difference between you and Ian magnifies the immense amount of change that occurs in the first couple of years, and I know before too long you will also be a toddler, a run-around buddy with Ian and getting into who-knows-what.

My Favorite Thing: The moment many proud parents are waiting for finally happened… you took your FIRST STEPS on April 24th. After those first steps, you didn’t really start walking full force. You could go from squatting to standing very easily but just wouldn’t venture to walk on your own (although you would do fairly well holding a hand). Then, during a weekend visit to Rowena the first weekend of May, you just started walking a LOT! In the past week, you have gradually transitioned to walking more than crawling, and I think a few more weeks of practice will see you walking very confidently. You are already VERY good at climbing, and we have to make sure we carefully monitor all step stools or stairs to make sure you aren’t scaling them unsupervised. I have a feeling you will be trying to climb out of your crib before too long.

Daily Activities and Playing: It is so fun to watch you play. You like to read to yourself and can generally find just about anything to play with. When you finish a task and we say, “You did it!” or “Good job, Ellen!” you like to clap for yourself. I can tell that you are also starting to understand a lot of what we are saying. You can follow very simple directions (hands down, sit down, turn the page) and are repeating via sign when we say a word you recognize. You are also starting to sign those words independently, trying to communicate a need to us. The most consistent signs are: more, please, thank you, water, milk, and all done. I can tell that you are sometimes frustrated by not being able to perfectly communicate to us as you are beginning to scream at us, especially at the dinner table. Usually we either ignore you, or say, “No thank you,” and show/tell you a sign that you can use. It only works about 50% of the time, though.

Sibling: Now that you are increasingly mobile and independent, play time with Ian is going more smoothly. I can leave the two of you playing alone in the playroom or one of your bedrooms while I take care of something close by in another room, and I can generally expect you to play peacefully. There are occasionally little fits if he takes a toy from you, but he will just as often either leave you alone or find toys to give to you. Some of my favorite moments are in the car, when the two of you are just talking and laughing together. You are also starting to imitate what Ian is saying in addition to what he is doing. So far he thinks it is hilarious… let’s see how that sits with him in five years.

Eating: You continue to eat up a storm, often eating as much as or more than Ian. You can eat more and more of the table food, needing very little modification. Now you are eating the same eggs as us (previously it was egg yolk only), which makes cooking up a batch of scrambled eggs so much easier! I am more adventurous with the foods I give you as compared to Ian, but you are also very willing to try new things. You will open your mouth for just about anything, although sometimes you will spit out the food if you don’t like the taste or texture. Sometimes you spit it out just to look at it before happily chowing down. You are still taking 4 bottles per day, and a few attempts to introduce a sippy cup with cow’s milk have not gone over well. However, when I give it to you in an open cup, you are glad to drink it! I think it will take a little while to transition you away from the bottle.

Sleeping: Sleeping continues to be very low key with no problems, and you typically sleep from 8 pm to 7am. You woke up a few nights around midnight needing to eat a bottle (when for some reason you didn’t drink enough milk during the day), but otherwise slept soundly. You like to have your blanket and pacifier before going to sleep. Our nightly ritual is: dinner, bath time, pajamas, read a book, turn out the hall lights, help close the bedroom door, turn off the lamp, and lay down to sleep with blanket and pacifier. We only allow the pacifier in the car seat and in the crib, and you are fine with that. I also noticed in the past several weeks that you no longer suck your thumb when the pacifier isn’t available, although I am not really sure when you stopped.

Special Events: Brooke and Dustin got married the first weekend of May. We traveled to Rowena on Friday morning, stopping for lunch in Weatherford and in Ballinger at the elementary school to visit Mimi. Everyone thought you were too cute, and you showed off your new walking skills. That weekend we had several chances to play outside and in the splash pool. You also rode the four wheeler for the first time with Daddy and then again with Grandpa! The noise didn’t bother you at all, and your “bravery” helped encourage Ian to try it for the first time as well. The wedding was short but fun; you didn’t make a peep during the ceremony and just crawled around after Ian for most of the reception. Your favorite part was the balloons.

Again, I didn't get any on the dot monthly photos, but I included a bunch from the week before your birthday when we were in Rowena.  I just got some really beautiful pictures out there in the shade.  I will share more when I add a post about your birthday party (post still TBD!!)

 {Beautiful Girl on a Beautiful Day; Ellen @ 5/4/2012}

{Clap your hands; Ellen @ 5/4/2012}

 {Sitting Pretty; Ellen @ 5/4/2012}

{So serious; Ellen @ 5/4/2012}

{Blonde Wisps; Ellen @ 5/4/2012}

 {There She Goes; Ellen @ 5/4/2012}

 

{Hanging on for dear life, apparently; Ellen @ 5/4/2012}

{Proof she likes to swing, Exhibit A; Ellen @ 5/6/2012}

{Proof she likes to swing, Exhibit B; Ellen @ 5/6/2012}

 {Proof she likes to swing, Exhibit C; Ellen @ 5/6/2012}

{Pick it up; Ellen @ 5/6/2012}

 {First ride on the 4-wheeler; Ellen @ 5/6/2012}

*This ride inspired Ian to take his first ride as well!

 {On the Farm (Rowena); Ellen @ 5/6/2012}

Ellen, 11 months (4/11/2012)

Eleven Months – 4/11/2012

Dear Ellen,

It’s beautiful outside, and you are blooming right along with the plants this spring. The months are speeding by, and I can’t believe we are on the back end of your first year! As always, time is flying by. I have already started thinking about your first birthday party and how we are going to celebrate with you.

My Favorite Thing: You are such a joy to have in our family, and I can’t wait to see what the coming months bring as your babyhood transitions into toddlerhood. Your personality is really developing, and you are becoming both more independent and more particular. Your attention span is growing and you can sit and focus on one task for a longer period of time.

Daily Activities and Playing: You are still not walking, but I can tell that your balance is getting better. You cruise along the cabinets and ottoman still, but you are starting to just stand up by yourself and stay standing for up to about a minute. I expect for you to start walking any day now! You have gotten really proficient at “filling and spilling” with assorted containers and objects. I like watching you concentrate on finishing the task before you, and you usually make sure that you have put all available items INTO the container before you start to unload it. You have also started wanting to read more. You either stand at the bookshelf in your room to peruse the selection, or you find some books on the floor and read by yourself for a while. You also have more patience when we are reading a book to us, looking at each page and carefully turning the page when it is time.

Sibling: If you could talk, I am sure you would tell us that Ian hung the moon. You love to watch him and talk to him, and he talks right back to you! You really like it when HE imitates YOU. You two laugh together and have started wrestling… although it is a little one sided as Ian has a definite size and balance advantage.

Eating: Your daily schedule has remained the same with 4 6 oz formula bottle feedings and 4-5 solid food meals per day. You still don’t always finish every bottle, sometimes leaving up to 1 or 2 ounces, but then you typically make up for that with increased water and solid food consumption. I am having trouble keeping track of everything that you eat… I call you my Little Garbage Disposal because I can almost guarantee that you will eat anything I put in front of you. If I give you something new, you will usually take it out of your mouth and look at it, but then you put it right back in and chow down. Some of the many things you eat: yogurt (you like it with banana and cinnamon), egg yolks with shredded Monterrey jack or cottage cheese, salmon, tilapia, chicken (usually dark meat, slow cooked or shredded), ground beef, any kind of legume (black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, etc), rice, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, green beans, cucumber, zucchini, cooked bell pepper, just about any kind of fruit, bread, cheerios or KIX dry cereal, veggie straws … the list goes on and on. You are so easy to take to restaurants because you will eat just about anything off of my plate.

Sleeping: Night time sleep continues to be very good and consistent. You go to bed close to 8 PM and generally wake between 6 and 7, sometimes requiring a wake up call. At day care, you only take one long nap per day, right after lunch, and then again on both the morning and evening commutes. On the weekends, you still consistently take a mid morning nap and a late evening nap. You still use a pacifier and like to have a few favorite blankets. Usually there are no problems with you going to sleep, but if you resist going down for a nap or bedtime, I can usually put a toy in the crib with you and you will play with than for 5-10 minutes before settling down and falling asleep.

Special Events: Your first Easter was a success. After church, we went to Gram and Pops’ house to eat a delicious meal and then do an egg hunt. Unfortunately, it started to rain right after we snagged a big family photo (The Nokes were there too), so the egg hunt was indoors. You didn’t participate much this year and mostly just crawled after one or two eggs, so I am looking forward to the fun to be had at next Easter!

I didn't get any photos of the kids in their Easter attire because I was singing in the choir this year and Brandon was in charge of getting them ready in the morning, but I did redress them a week later for the 11 month photo shoot.  Ellen is wearing this dress out... I just love it so much!

{"Are you still taking pictures?"; Ellen @ 3/25/2012}

{Messy eater; Ellen @ 3/28/2012}

{Easter Egg Hunt (in backup outfit); Ellen @ 4/8/2012}

{Easter Dress, Front and Back; Ellen @ 4/15/2012}

{Happy Baby; Ellen @ 4/15/2012}

{Even Happier Baby; Ellen @ 4/15/2012}

  

{Window Washing; Ellen and Ian @ 4/15/2012}

{Beautiful Girl; Ellen @ 4/12/2012}

Ellen, 10 months (3/11/2012)

Ten Months – 3/11/2012

Dear Ellen,

Happy happy happy about sums up you at 10 months. You smile all of the time and have fun playing and observing others. You visibly brighten when you see me or Daddy, especially when picking you up from school.

My Favorite Thing: I love how you are starting to communicate. You have started signing “all done” and “more” and even adding more verbal communication. I swear one day you were saying “Mama!” to get my attention, and when I turned around you said, “Ah dah” (aka All done) while raising your hands in the air! I think you are a little confused about “All Done” versus “All Gone,” but we will get there. We still need to work on “More” and “Water” and “Please.” Also, when you try to tell me something in words or in sign, and I repeat it and get it right, you get a huge smile on your face.

Daily Activities and Playing: You are very independent and like to explore all over the house, but you generally stay out of trouble. You will sit and play on the piano or other toys in the play room, or you will sit and look through books by yourself. You are standing more and more but mostly holding onto our legs, the cabinets, or the ottoman. You took one step by yourself, but you aren’t really walking on your own and your balance needs time to develop. You still prefer to crawl everywhere since it gets you where you need to go FAST. I have honestly never seen a baby move so fast – you basically do a bear crawl RUN.

Sibling: You two get crazy together. Ian likes to report what you are doing (“Ellen touched me. Ellen play with that toy”) all of the time. You imitate everything he does, from splashing in the bath tub to banging on a toy, and it is very cute. Sometimes Ian likes to imitate you too! An interesting comparison between you and Ian is that your emotions seem to be more intense than his. Where Ian seemed generally content and easy going about just about anything, you tend to get very happy or very sad. Heaven help the one who takes a toy away from you. Crocodile tears and yelling ensue!

Eating: Nothing has changed in your daily schedule, although the milk source has gradually transitioned to all formula. I enjoyed the simplicity, ease, and time with you during nursing, but I couldn’t keep my milk supply high enough to satisfy you for dinner and didn’t want to spend hours every day pumping and washing bottles and other equipment, so I decided that we would move on after you were 9 months old. You get four 6 oz. bottles per day, spread out every 3-5 hours, but you don’t always finish all of them depending on your activity level and what kind of food you are eating. You usually eat 4 meals of food per day: breakfast, lunch, and snack at school and dinner at home. We haven’t had to serve any “baby” food in a while since you mostly just eat what we eat, with a few modifications. Some of the new things we have introduced: mango (steamed slightly to soften it), blueberries, strawberries, ground beef.

Sleeping: Night time sleep continues to be very good. You start getting sleepy around 7:30 or 7:45 and are usually in bed by 8:15. It is a breeze to put you to sleep; we read one or two books, give you a blanket and pacifier, and turn out the light. Usually you are trying to squirm out of my arms at that point so you can lay down, and you don’t have any patience for being rocked to sleep. At day care, you only take one long nap per day, right after lunch, and then again on both the morning and evening commutes. Every once in a while you are asleep when I come pick you up. On the weekends, you still consistently take a mid morning nap and a late evening nap.

Special Events: Your cousin James Luke Abney was born! We went to go visit him and Brooke in Rowena the very next week. He was very small and had a ton of fluffy hair. You didn’t notice him but Ian gave him a few kisses. Our family is going to be very busy over the next several years. The cousins will be stair stepped through consecutive grades in school with only one gap; Jack (then skip a grade), then Benjamin, Anna, Ian, you, and James! We are hoping you can all go to Texas A&M and maybe all live in a house together.

I didn't get to do a "photoshoot" for your 10 month milestone because we were traveling and quite busy... but I still got several good ones throughout the month.

{First Valentine's Day Cards}

{Crawl, baby, crawl; Ellen @ 2/26/2012}

 {Happy Baby; Ellen @ 2/26/2012}

 {Flying, courtesy of Daddy; Ellen @ 3/3/2012}

{Almost 10 months old; Ellen @ 5/10/2012}

 {Swing, swing, swing; Ellen @ 3/18/2012}

Ellen, 9 months (2/11/2012)

Nine Months – 2/11/2012

Dear Ellen,

Is it possible? Three-fourths of a year old? I can’t believe I will need to start planning for your first birthday party fairly soon! Ellen, your development seems to be increasing drastically over the past month. You are crawling like a mad woman – I’ve never seen a baby move so fast! It is really more of a bear crawl, and you practically run. This first year is flying by and I am loving every minute of it.

My Favorite Thing: Dancing! Anytime you hear music or any kind of beat, your face lights up and you start bouncing up and down in a little baby dance. You can “play” the maraca or any other shaky toy, and you also love to stand and play the toy piano in the playroom.

Daily Activities and Playing: In the beginning of the month you started pulling up and had better success on lower things, like the toy piano, but as the month progressed you started pulling up on anything and everything, including our legs. As a result, we had to start lowering the crib mattress, and by the end of the month it was on the lowest setting! Some mornings when I go to get you, you are standing in your crib looking at the door, smiling. (What a wonderful start to my day.) I love watching you play and learn about the world around you. You are starting to play more independently, going into the playroom to explore on your own while we are cooking dinner or cleaning the kitchen. You are starting to experiment with taking things out of tubs and putting them back in, and you are becoming quite proficient at closing the pop-up-peek-a-boo toy (although Ian has to open them for you right now). You also started waving bye-bye this month! It is fun to watch you start communicating.

Sibling: The interaction between you and Ian puts a big smile on my face. He is alternately extremely sweet to you (“You ok, Ellen?” while he pats your back) and extremely rough, though I believe he generally means well. You just take it all in, and just when I am afraid he is going to hurt you by jumping crazily around, you start screaming with joy and crawling after him for more. The best is when you two play on his bed, crawling on and off, wrestling, laughing. It is also fun to watch you two play at bath time. He likes to fetch you toys and show you how to do things (“Not in your mouth Ellen, like this!” while rolling the car on the ground.) You are always watching him and are starting to imitate whatever he is doing (both good and bad!). I think the next few months/years will give us a run for our money!

Eating: Nothing has changed in your daily schedule - nurse in the morning, have two bottles of formula or breastmilk (6 oz) during the day, and either nurse or have a bottle in the evenings before eating dinner. You have been consistently eating 4-5 meals of solid food each day as well (sometimes breakfast 1 at home, breakfast 2 at school, lunch, snack, and dinner). 2012 has shown you to have a voracious appetite, and right now you are a bottomless pit (like mother like daughter, I am sorry to inform you). Your favorite foods are green and orange: avocado, sweet peas, green beans, broccoli, sweet potato, and carrots. You also like to chow down on rice/quinoa and black or pinto beans if we are having those for dinner. We started expanding into dairy and other protein sources with yogurt, egg yolks, cottage cheese, and tender, slow cooked chicken thighs. I don’t think we have introduced a food yet that you haven’t liked (at least starting on the second introduction).

Sleeping: Night time sleep continues to be very good. The only times you have woken up in the middle of the night since December have been when you ate your dinner before your evening bottle. You ate so much food that you didn’t want to finish the bottle, but then were hungry for milk again around 11 or 12 at night. At day care, you only take one long nap per day, right after lunch, and then again on both the morning and evening commutes. Every once in a while you are asleep when I come pick you up. On the weekends, you still consistently take a mid morning nap and a late evening nap. You are generally very easy to put down. I know that if I see you rubbing your eyes I just have to change you and lay you down in your crib and you will be out like a light in a few moments. You typically go to bed between 7:45 and 8:15. Every once in a while you stay up until 8:30, but that is not the norm.

Special Events: You got your first tooth!! Teeth, actually. I noticed the first one breaking through on 1/28 when I happened to stick my finger in your mouth. When I looked the next day, it was apparent that there were two coming up at the same time. You never showed any signs of being uncomfortable or unhappy before your teeth showed up. I didn’t even notice you biting or chewing anything more than normal. Another easy teether (I hope)!

 So here are photos of Ellen at 9 months... She was diagnosed with a double ear infection 2 days later, so please excuse the watery eyes, tears, chapped cheeks, and snotty nose.  I vow to do better at month 10.

{Ellen @ 2/11/2012}

{Completely distressed mere minutes before... a fragile day}

{Self portrait, Mom and Baby}

{Ellen Distracted... Love those eyes and lashes}

{The goofiest smile I have ever seen.  You're welcome, Ellen}

{Staring intently at the mysterious camera...}

  

I love this series of sibling shots... you can see how fragile Ellen was that day as you get to the third picture.

 

{Ian and Ellen @ 2/11/2012}

{"This is how you use the measuring tape, Ellen!"}

Ellen, 8 months (1/11/2012)

Dear Ellen,

Happy New Year!  You are now eight months old… two thirds of a year!  The past month continued to be busy as we went through Advent, Christmas, and the celebration of the New Year.  You are such a joy to have around and I am already looking forward to celebrating the holidays with you as a toddler next year.

My Favorite Thing: You are very happy and smiley right now.  It doesn’t take much to get you to light up.  You also started DANCING when you hear music and it is so cute.  Your eyes are always shining and I can tell that you very curious about the world around you.  I can’t wait to hear what you will have to say about everything.

Daily Activities and Playing:  After about 5 weeks of watching you work through yoga poses (plank, downward facing dog, low cobra), we were glad to see you finally REALLY crawling on December 27!  Throughout the month you have been able to move around, but it was a bit haphazard and you weren’t able to efficiently get to where you wanted to go until after Christmas.  Your crawl is very amusing – you push up into a crawl and use your toes, instead of your knees, to propel you forward.  You play by yourself very well, staying entertained with whatever toy is nearby, but you are also starting to explore more and are even starting to pull up on the fireplace, ottoman, and play piano.  You moved into the older baby section of the infant room at school and seem to enjoy being with the more mobile babies and having lots of room to explore.

Sibling:  This is when the real fun begins.  Now that you are mobile, you are starting to chase after Ian constantly!  Usually he doesn’t mind, but he is certainly getting more possessive of HIS things, especially toys.  Ian has become a little more daring with you as you have started crawling, sometimes picking you up (!!) and moving you away from his toys.  You are just pleased as punch to be near him and you laugh just hearing him laugh!  You took your first bath together in the big bathtub (goodbye baby tub!) and you both loved splashing and playing together.  Ian wants to take turns pouring water on you and himself.  My favorite times are when you are smiling and laughing together in the car. 

Eating:  You always nurse in the morning and have two bottles of formula or breastmilk (6 oz) during the day.  On weekdays you get an additional “dinner” bottle, and on the weekends I generally nurse you again for the fourth feeding of the day.  Three or four “meals” of solid food are offered each day (breakfast, afternoon snack, dinner), but eating was hit or miss for most of the month.  Due to some mild sickness and traveling, your appetite was reduced for a while, but once we got home and back in a routine, you started eating up a storm!  Right now banana, pear, and avocado are our “go to” foods, but you also REALLY love winter squash and sweet potato.  You really like to self feed, so we are looking for more finger foods to satisfy you.  Rice puffs and rice rusks (“Baby Mum-Mum”) are also favorite finger foods.

Sleeping:  Night time sleep is generally good and you consistently sleep through the night from about 8 pm to 6:30 or 7 am.  A combination of growth spurt/low milk supply caused you to wake up in the middle of the night multiple times this month, but once we worked out a bottle/nursing schedule to keep your belly full and happy, you started sleeping just fine.  During the week you really only nap once per day, right after lunch, with the rest of the group, and then again on both our morning and evening commutes.  On the weekends, you still consistently take a mid morning nap and a late evening nap, mimicking the timing of our weekday commute.

 Special Events:  Christmas was fun this year!  You and Ian looked really cute in your matching dancing reindeer pajamas.  Although you were too young to get into the fun of opening presents and stockings, Ian had fun being the elf (distributing presents) and helping you with your new things.  You received a new baby doll from Santa, a shape sorter from Ian (he showed you how to do it), and two books from Mama and Daddy.  Mimi and Grandpa also got you lots of new books.  Mimi and Grandpa, Aunt Bonnie, Aunt Brooke, and Aunt Jesse all got you new clothes!  The Lewickis got you a stack and roll ball, and Gram and Pops got you a red stuffed elephant, a soft doggie book, and little slippers.  You were a great traveler to Rowena, sleeping most of the way, and you also slept most of the Christmas Eve church service!

{Bath Time @ 12/19/11}

{Waiting for Santa @ 12/22/11}

 {Opening Presents, Family Christmas @ 12/22/11}

{"Ooh I am unwrapping a present!" @ 12/22/11}

 
{"Gee, Thanks Mom, you shouldn't have." @ 12/22/11} 
She actually loves this toy.  And so does Ian.

 {Big Brother Instructs @ 12/22/11}

 {Ellen @ 12/22/11}

There's the happy baby!

{Mama and Ellen in Rowena @ 12/24/11}

{Dierschke Family at Christmas Eve @ 12/24/11}

This is the result of no napping for Ian.  Depression sets in.

{Grandpa Ray and Ellen in Rowena @ 12/25/11}

8 month photo shoot:  Please excuse the poorly chosen outfit and also enjoy the out takes (after the first two pictures).  Ellen was difficult to pose this month as she is always on the move!

{Ellen @ 1/14/12}

{Ellen @ 1/14/12}

{Ellen @ 1/14/12}

{Ellen @ 1/14/12}

{Ellen @ 1/14/12}