Mom Group Playdate - VDay Party!

Time for another playdate with our Mom Group! Since Minnesota weather didn't want to play nice, our playdate was a bit delayed. We had to cancel twice due to weather, so third times a charm after all!

Our babies are all between 6-7 months old now so this is the first playdate where they've actually been able to interact more with each other. When we all got there, we put them on the floor with toys and sat and watched them for over an hour....though I think we could've done that all day and been fine. It was so funny to see them stare at each other, scream at each other, grab at each other's shoes, bows, clothes and share toys. (Eva is in the red dress and black leggings...sprawled out in the middle)

And of course we had to get a group shot. Here they are from left to right: Cecilia, Charlie, Eva, RJ, Evelyn, Levi and Ava  (and missing Colton and Arlo)

Since it's February, we decided to do a Valentine's craft. And why not get messy with paint?! Good thing it was washable and non-toxic..we had lots of babies covered in paint.

Here is our finished project! The colors will go great in Eva's nursery, can't wait to get it hung up!

Looking forward to our next Mom Group Playdate in April...just in time for Easter!

My Heart

This Valentine's Day, it's pretty obvious who has my heart. She had my heart before she was even born and that love has grown deeper and deeper each and every day. I had no idea you could love something so much! (it helps that she's super cute too)

Since I kiss her to pieces every day, I thought we'd have a little fun with it. She giggled every time I kissed her...she's lucky she wasn't covered in lipstick as I could easily have kept going! And note to self: do not use long lasting lipstick; this photo shoot was immediately followed by her other favorite activity...bath time!

 

Miss Eva had a Valentine's party at daycare so we had to make sure she was festive. No doubt in my mind she is a little heartbreaker. (and Daddy hopes this shirt would keep the boys away)

I'm dreading the day when she doesn't get along with mom and breaks my heart. So until that day....we'll keep on loving her to pieces!!

Sisterly Love

Eva is getting more and more curious about the cats. Every time she sees them she gets a huge smile on her face and sometimes even makes a little squeal..it's adorable!
Sometimes the cats even come up and sniff her and then she just sits there, motionless. I think she's in shock and doesn't know what to do when they are actually close to her.

I found Mittens sitting on the guest bed and decided I'd have Miss Eva meet her big sister up close. Time for some Sisterly Love! (or not)

and when I got down to get a better picture, they both looked at me like I was interrupting their little sisterly love time...sorry!

And then it ended as soon as Miss Eva thought she's try to give Mittens a little touch, which means grab as much fur as possible...

I'm sure there will be plenty more sister time once Eva starts crawling and walking. I envision a lot of hide and go seek as she'll be chasing them everywhere. They won't be safe in too many places for long.

Six Months!

Happy Un-Birthday Miss Eva! You are officially half-way to one! (yikes!!)

I think since I see her every day, it's hard for me to really see how much she's grown. But every time I write her monthly update on here, I realize just how fast this is going. (and I'm so glad I've been keeping up with it!)

At Eva's 6th month check-up, she weighed in at 18lb 4oz which is the 88th percentile. Still a big girl! She's definitely going to be tall; she was 27 3/4 inches which is the 98th percentile! No wonder I'm buying her 9 month clothes and they just barely seem long enough. The only thing smaller on her is her little head which was in the 34th percentile; though they promise me this is normal and she is fine. (whew!)
Her motor skills are coming along just as they should; she has learned to bang things together and smiles proudly when it's loud. We'll also keep introducing more foods to her and having fun with it since breastmilk is still her main source of nutrition.

The biggest new thing that is happening around here is that we are SO close to sitting on our own! I typically have Eva positioned with the Boppy around her because when she gets excited, her little legs go-go-go and she falls over. But we keep on practicing sitting without support; she gets so proud of herself!

 It amazes me how much she has changed in the last 6 months, and also makes me excited to know what is coming in the next 6 months. Big changes are coming...new posts to come!

Roly-Poly

Eva is on the go! Not quite crawling yet, but she sure can roll!
We've been practicing sitting and playing by using the boppy to steady her, but she easily gets distracted and motivated to move on her own.

I set Miss Eva in the boppy with some toys by her, went to the kitchen to grab some water and when I came back, she was in a totally different place! Perhaps we need to call her Roly-Poly...and I'm sure this won't last long; she's very anxious to start crawling!

Right where I left her, playing in the boppy..

And where she was when I came back...literally a few minutes later...

Little Sous Chef

Miss Eva has been eating more and more solid foods and it's been really fun to experience with her! We started solids a bit early (four months) but she was definitely ready. Oatmeal was her first food and she still loves it, but we've been working on expanding her palette. So far she's had avocados (she's not sure about those yet), peas (they're growing on her), apples and pears (love fruit!), butternut squash, carrots, zucchini and green beans (not a favorite at all).

So far we've made almost everything that she's eaten. Applesauce is actually cheaper and more efficient to simply buy unsweetened all natural, but other than that, we're hoping to make most of her food. It's very easy to do and doesn't take that much time at all. And not only can I ensure she's eating healthy food with no preservatives, we're also saving money doing it!

J went ice fishing last weekend so once Eva went down for bed, I grabbed the monitor, poured a glass of wine and went to work in the kitchen to make and freeze a bunch of baby food.

And Eva is the greatest little sous chef ever. She's always ready and eager to try whatever I've got!

Now if we can just get her to keep more of it in her mouth and not all over her face, hands, hair and highchair.

Five (and a half) Months: Break Through!

I'm a little behind but didn't want to miss an update on Eva's fifth month. Things have been very busy; Miss Eva is growing up so fast that it's hard to keep up! We've made some big breakthroughs this month!!

For the first big breakthrough...let's get back on the subject of sleep. I never imagined I'd be so obsessed with sleep in my life. Until recently, sleep has been a devious little monster and a sore subject in the Barrett house. We've been talking with other parents for advice (and hated those who told us their babies slept through the night since the first week), read multiple books on different sleep training methods and techniques and done a lot of trial and error. Turns out that every baby is different and we have figured out our own routine. And finally, (knock on wood), we have a sleeper!!
We start our bedtime routine about 6pm and Eva goes down around 6:30. We've cut out the night-time feeding and are working on letting her self-soothe so if she fusses during the night, she can get herself back down. I'm up about once a night to help soothe her, but it only takes her pacifier, a pat on the butt and she's sleeping again. She sleeps until 6am, which I'm up for work anyways...other than on the weekends when I'd do anything to sleep in. But now that we have a routine down, we won't complain about being up early and definitely won't be deviating from the plan anytime soon!
The only thing we have left to master is The Nap. She naps great at daycare but is still only taking a couple of half-hour naps when home with us on the weekends. As much as I love to get all the Eva time possible on the weekends, the sight of a peaceful, napping baby warms my heart....and let's me get some much needed laundry and cleaning done!

As much as sleeping is a HUGE step for us, the biggest breakthrough (literally!) this month are these...

TEETH! We have teeth! (also referred to as "toofs" and "chicken chewers")
I've been watching and feeling for these pearlies for weeks now but never saw or felt anything. Then one night during bathtime when I wipe her gums (never too early to start dental hygiene), I noticed one of the bottom teeth poking through. It was like it came out of nowhere! And sure enough, a few days later we had another one!
And with teething comes chewing...chewing on anything she can get her hands (and mouth) on. And lately, that seems to be her socks. She pulls them off her feet and shoves them into her mouth. Yum.

Per the advice of many in my mom group, a lot of them swear by these, Eva is now styling her own amber teething necklace. However I'm much too paranoid to have anything around her neck, so she wears it on her ankle. Check out those thighs!

The idea is that when the amber warms against your skin, it acts as a natural pain reliever. Worth a try! And to be honest, she's barely been drooling and doesn't seem to be as cranky....maybe it's working! I ordered it from Hazelaid and they also sell them for adults...check it out!

I could write a lot more on all that's been happening, but these were the biggest this month. I can only imagine what big changes will be coming...