Clothing size: She’s wearing 6-9 month things, 12 month leggings, and all her dresses seem to be different sizes, but 12 months is generally a good fit. How did she grow so fast? She’s been wearing more “real” outfits now that the weather is getting warmer, but realistically, she still spends a lot of time in footie pajamas because they’re so much easier than keeping socks on those chubby little feet!
Eye color: Blue. She gets compliments on how gorgeous her eyes are all the time lately.
Hair: It’s looking a lot like Kaelyn’s did as a baby- dark brown! However, I am kind of curious if she’ll have some curls, because although the hair on top of her head is pretty straight, the back definitely has some texture to it. I love that fuzzy little frizz!
Teeth: ONE!!! Finally! It popped through the day after she turned 8 months (since I’m now two weeks late on this post). I was surprised to finally feel it! It still hasn’t pushed all the way up, but it’s definitely there, and yes, it is sharp!
Eating: I said we were going to start foods… and I even bought baby food, but we still haven’t! She is definitely ready, so it’s time. She’s been exposed to major food allergens but that’s all. She is still nursing around the clock, usually 2.5 to 3 hours between sessions, sometimes shorter, sometimes longer. It seems like we’re more consistently at the 3-hour mark lately, though.
Sleep: I almost don’t want to talk about sleep because it will just sound like a bunch of complaining. BUT… this little girl is our worst sleeper. Her tooth coming in definitely didn’t help, and we had a week that was worse than ever as far as actually getting a few consecutive hours of shut-eye goes.
She finally outgrew her swaddle blanket (which was overdue to be retired), so we decided to try these “weighted blanket” sleep sacks from Nested Bean. It has taken some adjustment to having her arms free, but she has learned that she no longer has to lie flat on her back all night. I think that is helping her sleep a little more soundly. I’ve caught her sleeping on her side and belly.
We’ve been trying everything this month to get her to stay asleep: white noise, weighted swaddles, essential oils… It seems like she’s at least improving! Thankfully, she still takes a 2.5 hour nap every afternoon.
Also, she is still in our room, but now that she is moving around so much, we finally lowered the bassinet (which was probably overdue, also).
Words: It’s hard to believe, but she has started saying “Mama!” Finally, I’m someone’s first word (instead of “Dada”)! I heard it the first time and dismissed it, thinking that she’s too little to say anything, but she says it consistently when she wants me or sees me, so it definitely counts! Otherwise, she babbles a lot and is obsessed with blowing raspberries.
Favorite things: Her mama, sisters, Daddy, music, dancing, pacifiers, and absolutely being the center of attention.
Dislikes: Along with that first tooth came some awful diaper rash. She was not a fan, and it broke my heart to see her cry just from getting changed.
Nicknames: Evie, Evie Bedeevee, Lovie, Boo, and new for this month, Snaggletooth. Ha! Nella calls her “Eeeeee” and it’s just adorable and hilarious.
Milestones, etc.: -She is a strong, independent sitter now! She still topples over every once in a while, but this princess really has it down.
-She isn’t officially crawling, but with how well she rolls and then pulls herself around on her belly, it’s almost just as good. She is all over the place and into everything! The older girls are a little irritated now that she can get over to their toys and take them all apart.
-Everything goes in her mouth.
-She still kisses me a lot and I love it!
-She is ready to stand… and I’d be surprised if this girl doesn’t walk early. If I go to pick her up off the floor from a sitting position, her legs immediately stick straight out and find the ground. She can stand for short periods of time if I help her get up (she’s not pulling up yet), but she’s not cruising.
-She loves to hold my hand and play with my fingers. It can calm her down and make her happy even when she’s overtired. Usually, she most wants to do this during lunch, which makes it pretty hard to eat a salad, but there’s just nothing like baby fingers wrapped around your own.
-It’s always been so hard to change her diaper because she is wiggly and her hands are everywhere… and now that she is mobile, it’s even more challenging. She tries to roll herself off the changing pad, and if I don’t give her something to hold as a distraction, we end up with a mess.
-She had her first ride in the swing! She seems to think it’s fine, but she mostly just tries to eat it or lick it the whole time.
Dear Eve,
You’ve made me more exhausted than ever, but that little grin and shining blue eyes of yours are worth all the sleepless nights. You are beautiful, with a personality to match. I love how you call for me, try to wiggle over to me any chance you can, and how I’m still your safe place. You and I are best buddies, and I’m savoring that for as long as I can.
I’m excited to see you continue to discover the world around you. I love you and your belly laughs, baby girl.
Love, Mommy