Eleanor is 10 months old!

This blue eyed beauty has 4 teeth (all in the front- 2 on top and 2 on the bottom). 

She says "mamamamamamama" all day long. 

Eleanor loves to dance. It is hilarious! She shakes her head with so much passion.

Secret is out- she looks like Jonas, haha. More and more every day.

I am shocked that she isn't walking yet. E stands constantly & with perfect balance. I guess she needs a little more time to take a step though. 

She has just started to clap and wave. 

For some reason, she is obsessed with biting our noses. It makes her so happy. 

E also tries to grad Zara's hair. She especially loves to do this while she is napping. She is already turning into that little sister. 

She has gone back to daycare and it is going well. She cries when I drop her off and that makes me want to cry. But she is so excited to see me when I pick her up. She smiles and takes my face mask off for me. 

Despite pumping as much as I ever have, I cannot make enough milk for Eleanor & had to start supplementing with formula. 50/50 breast milk/ formula. 

E is always trying to get her little hands on whatever Zara is playing with. the drama!

She wears 6-12 month clothes & size 4 diapers. 

E still doesn't like to be set down unless me or Jonas stay really close. Babies are always reminding me to be still. I spend a lot of time holding her. My favorite thing is when she tries to get in my lap while I am pumping. She is so content when she finally makes it.

E loves all the food! Apple slices, bread, bananas, baby food pouches, baked potatoes, rice. Seriously, anything. Mostly, she loves milk though.

I should probably try to sleep train her but I am too tired, ha. She still wakes up at least one time per night to eat and cuddle. 

She is one sweet baby. She (mostly) just goes with the flow and she just wants to be close to us. I love her tiny, chubby hands. I love to see her smile at me when she is half asleep. 

lake michigan.

We spent a couple days at Indiana Dunes State Park. We came here a couple years ago (see here. Zara looks so different!) We camped last time but I need a hotel during this time of breastfeeding- I only have two more months until I reach my goal! 

It was a great weekend filled with family time and our happy little girls. They loved this trip away. I feel like most kids thrive with some sand and water. Zara loved her beach toys, swimming with Jonas, making sand castles, playing with some kiddos she met, flying her kite & eating hot dogs and chips. I asked her what she loved the most & she said "the ice cream!" 

Eleanor loved cuddling all day, dipping her toes in the water & grabbing fistfuls of sand. If she could talk then she would probably say the ice cream was her favorite too.

This weekend was also full of sand. So much sand. Sand in our food, sand in our hair & sand all over the car. We even climbed the 3 sandy dunes for some sweaty sand, ha. We carried the girls most of the way but made Zara do her own steep climbing. They gave her a sticker at the end of the 3 dune challenge & she definitely earned it!

This was our first trip away with Eleanor & I cannot wait for more!!

Kentucky Down Under.

We had to get out of our house after months of being inside! Kentucky Down Under was open so we spent a hot summer day visiting birds & kangaroos. Eleanor loved hanging out with a kangaroo joey- she cried every time we picked her up. I think Zara was mostly there for the ice cream but she did enjoy listening to the birds talk and sing. This little trip definitely helped with our sanity.

Life with Covid- 19 (Weeks 10 &11).

Life with the pandemic is getting better (again!). We have had haircuts, visits with family and friends, warm weather, visits to PLACES. & we are so, so grateful to be here on the other side.

Of course, we have also entered the Black Lives Matter movement. Everything in my life is so small compared to this historical moment. I have spent a ton of time reading, thinking of my own mistakes and thinking ahead to how I will teach my children and how I will be better. It has been emotional and hard to witness the injustices to the black community(not just the current injustices). I hope I can be part of the change. I hope to help make things better for the current & rising generations. They have hurt for far too long.