Snippets of Sunshine : April 2013

Uh oh!

Crawling and sitting no longer satisfy E! That's child's play! Or should I say itty bitty baby's play.

Eleanor's onto learning to stand! She's pulling herself up on Mommy, the couch, the crib railings, and even the dog crate.

The Realm of Solids

Just before her 6 month Birthday, we introduced solid food to Eleanor. Bananas were on the menu first, and boy, were they a hit!

Kyle and I have made all of Eleanor's food, and we're following the recipes and guidelines found at www.wholesomebabyfood.com.

I'm keeping a record of Eleanor's experiences tasting her very first solids. Check here for updates on her food frenzy!

Eleanor's First Banana Meal

Food
Date Introduced/ Like or Dislike?/ Reactions/ Notes

Cereals and Grains: (We skipped the rice, barley and oats and went straight for the fruits and veggies!)

Fruits:

Avacodos
3-17-13/ Like/ None/ Tried her first green solid food on St. Patrick's Day to celebrate and surprisingly took right to the avocado

Apples
3-24-13/Like/None/ Grammy Cheryl baked and pureed apples and fed them to Eleanor during her visit to D.C. E loved the Fujis, and we're excited to have her try other kinds of apples.

Bananas
3-3-13/ Like/ None/ Loved nanners so much that she'd cry in between bites when we couldn't spoon it out fast enough

Pears
4-29-13/ Loved almost as much as bananas/ None/ She practically slurped down the liquidy pears! Eleanor didn't even make a single funny face after tasting the pears for the first time.

Vegetables:

Sweet Potatoes
3-9-13/ Dislike/ None/ Frowned, squinted, coughed and spit it out as Annemarie and Cory fed her

Butternut Squash
4-16-13/ Like/ None/ Ate it happily! She tried it for the first time when Des and Sam were visiting for a play date.

Green Beans
4-4-13/ Like/ None/ I steamed frozen cut green beans and Kyle pureed them. Kyle and I both predicted she'd like the beans, and she did! E now knows to open her mouth after she swallows when she wants another bite. This makes it much easier to read when she is full or still hungry.

We love Daddy!

We sure have been missing you, Daddy! Thanks for giving us your best even when you're tired from working 12+ hour shifts. You're our hero!

Not Just Sitting

Eleanor can now manage to get into a sitting position from the floor all on her own! What a big girl!

Tickles for a Tuesday

Grand Daddy O had a special request for Eleanor laughs, so I had to appease! Enjoy!

Just 'Cause...

it's good to start documenting Eleanor's taste in books at an early age! Ha! Ha!

Yummy?

She's sitting up all by herself now!

Caught E Smiling

Reading Eric Carle

Des Stops By

Adorable Friends

Eleanor got to hang out with her bud Desmond on a play date at the house. Sam and her brother-in-laws' girlfriend, Marian, came over and we spent hours on end doting on the little ones and talking new-mom stuff. Eleanor and I were tickled that we got to see our friends again before Sam returns to work. We're already looking forward to future hangouts during summer vacation!

Eleanor loved having Marian help her stand up at the play gym.

Aww! Beautiful Mommy and Sleepy Desmond!

Senor Des

It's a gift from God when friends can enjoy motherhood and their children together.

Swing Me Away

My Love

We visited our neighborhood playground this afternoon so that Eleanor could experience her very first swing ride. Even though the giant seat seemed to gulp her right up, E's sweet smiles and giggles indicated she didn't mind a bit.

In light of the tragedy of Boston's bombings, Kyle and I are feeling especially grateful for our many blessings and days like these when we can simply... swing.

Please join us in praying for those hurt by the violence that was unleashed at the Boston Marathon.

Psalm 46:1

God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.