a sweet, monthly update of our third daughter, elliot.

it's been four weeks already and i feel like we've been going at a staggering pace. and guess who just floats right along with us? our elli girl. and she really does float. she's just. so. easy.

(and now that i've said that - poof - she's not going to be easy anymore.)

so we have two wild sisters and a floating baby who's quickly becoming less of a baby and more of an adorable little girl who her farmer and i cannot help but kiss 4000 times a day. even though her jammies are constantly drool-soaked and her neck gets stinky and she yammers on and on and on...and on. gah! we just cannot help ourselves!

farmer's favorite thing : her laugh. she's generous with her laughing and her smiles.

my favorite thing : her gusto for food.

need to get caught up? you can find elli's birth story here.


here we are at seven months and it's safe to say - i'm addicted to my bay-bay. i think it's different this round because i know she's our last. i just really want to soak up all her baby-ness and her coos and her chub and her giggles...even her cries. her sweet cries. yes, even her cries. don't get me wrong...her farmer and i absolutely adored kaye and sawyer and every little stinky diaper they made, but, this is the last time i'll say, "this is my six month old." (cue the tears.)

before i forget - she's recently started grabbing for me...and i melt every time her little arms reach to me.

kaye continue to proves that she's the world's best big sister. she loves babysitting and feels extremely proud that i trust her to do so. she gets a kick out of elli and if elli isn't laughing at something kaye is doing, she's staring at kaye's every move.

kaye takes extreme liberties with elli and carries her around the house. oh lord help us all. i've finally convinced her that she can carry elli but absolutely under no circumstances is she allowed to carry her on the hardwood or down the stairs. punishable by the very worst thing i can think of at that moment. but...i'm so grateful that not only do they love each other but that kaye genuinely enjoys elli and is a HUGE help throughout the day. she has no idea how much easier she's made this transition from two to three kids.

our sweet sawyer girl...let me rephrase that. our gal sawyer continues to show promise. i think she might love elli more than kaye, she's just not quite sure how to play and interact with a baby aside from getting right in her face and saying inaudible cooing words. this is cute for the first 15 seconds...but then elli is over it. i'm over it. we're all over it. the other day sawyer tried to crawl into elli's car seat while i was carrying it...with elli in it. sawyer had just felt that at that very moment she wanted to give elli a hug...and nearly took us all down in the process. the love is deep and fierce...and sometimes hurts. i know her interactions with elli will get better and better as elli grows and sawyer matures. right now i'm just grateful sawyer is interested. kaye didn't interact with sawyer until she was well over a year old.

ELLIOT | 7 MONTHS

 nicknames | still boobies. and we call her elli-girl a lot...at least i do.

 size | i'm not sure where we are on the scale, but what i do know is i think things slowed down this month. she's probably sitting somewhere around 18 pounds. she's heavy, but certainly manageable. however, i am certain she grew a bit. those 6 - 9 month jammies are just so very snug on your little toes...why why why do you have to keep getting taller? don't you just want to be a little baby? emphasis on the word little? be little.

milestones | let's seeee...still no teeth. still no crawling. however, if i prop her up on the side of furniture or really anything she can grab onto she'll stand there and bounce forever...and ever. she loves loves standing which reminds me a lot of kaye. kaye - the baby who would go on farm drives and would refuse to sit on my lap and cuddle, but always wanted to be standing and looking out the window.

sitting up is a breeze for our gal...she definitely has a sturdy core and rarely loses her balance anymore...ie. fewer pillows propped all around her while she sits on the floor.

oh! and a huge milestone - yesterday at costco she didn't ride in the ergo, but in the cart next to sawyer, instead! it was a beautiful moment and for 35 seconds i looked like that mom who had it all together.


sleep | sooo...this month i decided it was time to cut her night nursing sessions. i started by cutting the 10 pm. the next week i cut out the 1 am. do you think this has phased elli? not in the slightest. she's a champion. do you think i had a mini-regression because 1. i feel like my supply dropped and 2. i feel like for some reason i'm missing those 1 am wakeup calls / cuddle sessions. yes...mini regression. so, in order to appease myself (and hopefully boost my milk supply)...this past week i've been feeding her at 10 pm again. i know...i know. i'm really effing things up. but...i'll just deal with the consequences. she's my last baby!

for napping - the days we're home she'll hit two 1.5 - 2 hour naps and then has brought in a little mini nap around 4 pm on some days. if she doesn't nap i lay her down anyway and she'll just roll around in her crib and talk to herself. she gets pretty fussy at that time and i think she likes getting away from the commotion of the house. i'd TOTALLY go for 4 pm quiet time if i could get away with it.

you do you, girl.

 eats | last month was all about practicing eating whole foods...this month will be all about exploring new foods.

at the start when the food would go in her mouth her little tongue and lips would get working and eventually whatever was in her mouth was being pushed out. she finally got the hang of the "chewing" technique and hasn't looked back. she has a serious gusto for all the things. sweet potatoes, chicken, avocado, apples...the list goes on and on. she even got her hands on a turkey sausage at easter brunch and i'm pretty sure has developed bloodlust for salty meats.


loves | remember when i mentioned she has started reaching for me? yes...i think she loves me. she definitely thinks her farmer is hilarious and loves when he chews on her ribs. girlfriend also loves our photo sessions. i think it's because she has my undivided attention and i chatter with her in a high-pitched, annoying sing-song voice. she's making fun of me on the inside. girlfriend loves meal time. she adores playing with her sisters. she certainly likes being apart of the action.

dislikes | our sweet gal does not like being sleepy. if you miss her nap window you can count on her not going down easily. our day goes by so very quickly...unfortunately i do miss the nap window more often than i'd like to admit. note to self - must be more diligent on that front.
elli girl - looking at your monthly pictures makes my heart beat a little quicker. the trait i notice most this month is your chin / jawline. it's something i have. both your sisters have. and now you. some may say it's a manly jawline...but i say it's our hereditary trick to avoiding a double chin. 

 also, your quick smile, easy-going demeanor, and love for food mean you're 100% perfect for our girl-gang...and your farmer. he just likes surrounding himself with all these beautiful ladies.

sawyer at one month / kaye at one month