5 Months Old

Ellie is 23 weeks old this week, or 5 months old. I love seeing her develop and change in just a matter of weeks! Since her last doctors appointment she has figured out her hand eye coordination. She is now able to grab her toys in front of her and of course everything goes straight to her mouth. She even plays with her pacifier and bottle by taking it in and out of her mouth. Susan has even caught her laughing at her bottle :)  She can even put her toes in her mouth when she is lying on her back.

Ellie did not have a doctor's appointment this month, and thankfully she has not gotten sick yet, so I don't have any updated stats.  Her next appointment is her 6 month checkup on December 17th.

Here is what Ellie has been up to:

Ellie rolled over from her back to her belly for the first time on 10/18/12 (18 weeks old).

Her hair is growing back now and it seems to be much lighter than the hair she was born with. We will have to wait and see if it gets darks as it thickens!  And she still has blue eyes for now..

Ellie in the waiting room at her 4 month checkup

Grandpa falling asleep with Ellie!

Trying rice cereal for the first time.  She doesn't eat very much, but she is learning how to eat.  So far we have tried rice cereal, oatmeal banana cereal, bananas, and sweet potatoes.

Happy drooling girl!

I love those rolls!

Halloween outfit! 

We did not trick or treat this year but we got a goody bag from Aunt Becca!

Playing on her tummy

This is how she sleeps a lot and when she drinks her bottle, lol.

Daddy bouncing Ellie

She loves her tummy now

Other facts about Ellie:

She still wears a size 2 diaper

She is still in 6 months clothes and still does not fill them out!

She still falls asleep around 8pm

She does not need to eat during the night now.  She will wake up in the middle of the night a couple times still but she does need to eat until about 7am now.

She still loves bath time! She splashes so much now we have moved the small bathtub from the sink to the bathtub upstairs so the whole kitchen doesn't get wet!

4 Months!

Ellie is 18 weeks old this week.  She officially turned 4 months old on the 11th, but she didn't have her doctor's appointment until this past monday, October 15th.  I am back at work full time now and my mother-in-law, Susan is watching Ellie full time at her mini day care she has set up at their office.  We are truly blessed that she is able to watch her instead of having to take her to day care.  I really like knowing she is with someone I know and trust, plus Garrett is able to see her sometimes during the day when he is on break or stops by the office.  I feel like I have adjusted to my new routine now but I am exhausted by the end of the day since I usually go to bed when Ellie falls asleep, which is between 8-8:30!

Here are Ellie's stats from her 4 Month checkup: 

* She weighed in at 13lbs 12 oz (50th percentile), and measured 26 inches! (97th percentile)
* She got the same shots as her 2 month checkup, 2 shots and an oral dose vaccine
* She got the approval to start rice or wheat cereal
* She can bear weight on her legs well, and can start sitting up with assistance well
* The next appointment will be her 6 month checkup, December 17th

Here is what Ellie has been up to this past month:

I think her hair is starting to lighten

Loving bath time!

Grandma Susan is taking care of her full time

Giggling and smiling a lot!  She is a happy baby :)

Putting everything in her mouth!

She loves her Daddy! She smiles and usually stares at him the most.

Sitting up well while she is propped up!

Sporting her new headbands-they are still a little big. And her eyes are still blue!

She can bring her hands together now.

She loves playing with her feet and she is starting to bat at things and put them in her mouth.

New activity center so she can play

Play date with Annabelle who is 6 months here and Ellie is 3 1/2 months

Other facts about Ellie:

*She still wears a size 2 diaper

*She wears 6 months clothes- they fit her because she is so long but doesn't fill them out!

*She still wakes up around 3 am each night but will fall back asleep with the pacifier. I will usually have to feed her around 4:30 but she will fall back asleep until Garrett gets her up in the morning

3 Months Old!

Ellie Grace is 3 months (13 weeks) old this week!  My 12 week maternity leave from work flew by!  I think this is true because I really enjoyed my time off.  The last 6 weeks were really great because I had fully recovered and felt physically normal again and Ellie started sleeping through the night!  Besides getting more sleep, Ellie really started to show her personality by smiling, giggling, and "talking".   I got to take her to the park in the mornings since the heat wave had finally ended and I started feeling more comfortable taking her places as well.  She is truly a happy baby and we love her more each and  every day!

Ellie did not have to see the Pediatrician this month so I don't have any updated stats.  We see him next month for her 4 month checkup.

Here are a few things Ellie has been up to this past month:

Ellie at her 2 month checkup (9 weeks) in the waiting room

Ellie started sucking her thumb! Well she likes the back of her hand and other fingers too :)

She makes silly faces!

Look at those blue eyes and eyelashes!

Smiling while doing tummy time

At 10 weeks ( 9-23-11) she rolled over to her back

She is sleeping for at least 6 hours a night.  The longest she has slept is from 9pm-7am!  That has only happened a few random times.

Grandma came and visited her at 11 weeks old

Grandpa Childs with Ellie

Aunt Jessi also came and visited at 11 weeks old

Aunt Jessi and Grandpa

Other facts about Ellie:

She wears a size 2 diaper

She is outgrowing her 0-3 month clothes and can wear some 3-6 month clothes

Can hold her head very steady

Loves to babble with her hand close to her mouth

She will "talk" when you try to have a conversation with her

Has learned how to squeal very loud!

Loves to try and bear weight on her legs

Likes watching Clifford the big red dog (but we think its the colors and sounds!)

2 Months!

Ellie has changed so much in so little time!  She loves to carry on conversations with you, and is smiling and laughing.  She is definitely starting to show her personality!  I think she is a very happy baby :)

I know I already did the first 2 weeks of her second month, so here are the rest of the highlights:

2 Month Stats

• Ellie's 2 month appointment was August 13, 2012 and she was 9 weeks old
• She weighed 11 pounds 3 ounces, was 23.5 inches long, and her head circumference was 15 inches
• She is in the 60th percentile for weight and 90th percentile for length
• Our pediatrician tested her leg reflexes to make sure she was putting weight on them and she did well
• She had to get 2 shots and take an oral dose to cover her vaccinations
• Her next appointment will be in October for her 4 month checkup and shots

2 Month Highlights

• Notices her hands and grasps fingers (She can grab my hair very well now!) 
• Loves kicking her feet and pushing my hands with them while lying down
• She can put weight on her legs when you stand her up
• Can hold her head up steady 
• She smiles, talks (coo), and laughs when you talk and interact with her- this is my favorite part so far :)
• She can turn her head from side to side
• Starting to recognize mommy's voice and look for her
• Does not enjoy bath time!  (She cries every time!)
• She gives you warning before she cries.  I like to call this her "fussy face" because her face looks like she is going to cry but she has not started to scream yet! LOL.  So she gives me warning so I can usually calm her down before she cries.
• She wears size 1 diapers and has outgrown newborn clothes. She now wears 0-3 month clothes
• She showed her Aunt Becca she can roll her tongue!
• She found her thumb and started sucking it
• Blows bubbles
• At night she sleeps for 6-8 hours (I am very thankful to have such a great sleeper!)
• She is starting to sleep less during the day, only taking a few short naps throughout the day

Favorite Pictures

First 6 Weeks

So after keeping a pregnancy blog and looking back on it, I realized I want to start a blog for Ellie.  I want to try to do a monthly blog so I can remember every milestone and special moment with her.  I might try to blog more often, but with going back to work in the near future I'm not sure how much more I'll be able to blog. So right now, I'm going to commit to once a month.

Ellie Grace is 6 weeks old today and I am half way through my 12 week maternity leave from work.  I have been enjoying every moment with her, and it is hard to imagine going back to work right now.  I have my 6 week check up with my doctor this week.  I feel great and am back to my pre-pregnancy weight.  I would still like to loose about 10 more pounds since I weighed a little more than I wanted to when I got pregnant.

So enough about me!  So since there is so much to catch everyone up on I'm going to first talk about Ellie's first month, then catch you up on the past two weeks.  I plan to blog again about her entire second month after her 2 month doctor's appointment. So here we go.....

1 Month Stats

• Ellie Grace was born 6-11-12, 1:38am, 7 lbs 3 oz, 20 1/2 inches long with blue eyes and lots of dark brown hair!
• Since I am breastfeeding (and struggled a little bit at first), Ellie lost some weight the first week. Her weight at her first pediatrician was 6 lbs 3 ounces.  By her second appointment with her pediatrician the following week on June 22nd, breastfeeding had been going well and she gained some weight to 6 pounds 14 ounces.
• At her one month checkup on July 12 she got her second shot, which she did not enjoy but with some cuddling she calmed down.  She weighed 8 pounds 14 ounces (below average), 22 inches long (above average), and 14 1/2 inches head circumference.

Highlights: 1 month

• She enjoys tummy time when she is being held and can look over your shoulder, but only enjoys tummy time for a short time while on the play mat on the ground
• She is starting to hold up her head on her own pretty well
• Responds to sounds and stares at faces
• Follows objects briefly with eyes
• Starts to vocalize oohs and aahs and started smiling 
• Loves to stare out the window and look at the light
• Loves her pacifier
• Does not enjoy bath time
• Starting to outgrow newborn clothes and diapers
• She is a good sleeper! She sleeps most of the day, and at night she will sleep for 3 hours and wake up hungry

Favorite Pictures

Highlights: 6 Weeks

• Notices her hands and grasps fingers (She can grab my hair very well now!) 
• Loves kicking her feet and pushing my hands with them while lying down
• Can hold her head up steady for a short period of time while I hold her
• She smiles, tries to talk (coo), and laughs when you talk and interact with her- this is my favorite part so far :)
• She can turn her head from side to side
• Starting to recognize mommy's voice and look for her
• Enjoys bath time
• She gives you warning before she cries.  I like to call this her "fussy face" because her face looks like she is going to cry but she has not started to scream yet! LOL.  So she gives me warning so I can usually calm her down before she cries.
• She wears size 1 diapers and has outgrown newborn clothes. She now wears 0-3 month clothes
• At night she sleeps for 6-8 hours, then wakes up every 3 hours after that.  Her typical night is going to bed by 9pm, waking up around 3 am, then 6 am, then again at 8 am. 
• She is starting to sleep less during the day;  A normal routine is that she will wake up by 8am  then take a short nap in the morning for about an hour, then takes a long nap in the afternoon for about 2-3 hours.

Favorite  Pictures