Clothing: Eliza wears size 3 diapers and I think will be in them for a bit longer. Not ready to upgrade yet, which is fine by Mommy! She wears size 9 month clothes; however they are somewhat snug, so she comfortably wears 12 months (at least that's what we're buying to stay ahead of the game aka growth spurts).
Sleeping: Eliza is sleeping fairly consistent throughout the night. We still have an early "alarm" every now and then, but for the most part she is sleeping through the night. Bedtime is usually around 8:30 and she will wake up anywhere between 6 and 7am. She cat naps in the mornings (~30 minutes or so) and her longer nap is in the afternoons. She typically takes a 2 hour afternoon nap right before I come to pick her up after school.
Eating: Eliza continues to nurse about four times a day (7am, noon, 5pm, and bedtime). During the week, she will take formula about two times after breakfast and lunch (~2 oz.). Eliza eats three meals/day. She loves having oatmeal for breakfast mixed with a fruit (prunes, banana/blueberry, mango, apple), and then has a veggie/fruit for lunch and dinner. She tried a few new foods this month: asparagus mixed with sweet potatoes, cauliflower, blueberries with banana, and yogurt melts. She really loves any and all foods she tries, although some may take a few attempts :)
New discoveries: Lately, Liza has been grinding her teeth. She has six teeth total now--four upper central and lateral incisors and two bottom central incisors. It drives Mommy CRAZY!!! We try to ignore it as much as possible, but I think she knows how much it irritates us and continues to do it anyway! Hopefully it's a short phase! She has a few ticklish spots that we've found-on her neck, upper thigh, and under her arms. So funny to watch her squirm and laugh when you tickle her. In terms of speech, Liza says "mama" and "dada" clearly; however as much as we'd like to say it's intentional it's not yet :( Soon though, right? It's still just music to our ears to hear her say it in her sweet light and airy voice. Precious! She does LOTS of raspberries with her lips and tongue. She's actually very good at that and does another little roll with her lips back and forth that Aunt Lala and I try to do, but can't get it quite as well as Eliza has figured it out! Too funny.
Accomplishments: Eliza is army crawling. She is moving around the house with her version of the army crawl, which is mostly using her legs and trying to pull with her arms. Hasn't quite figured out how to get up on all four's yet, but we know it's coming soon! Eliza can clap her hands and shows her excitement by clapping, especially when Mommy and Daddy are silly! And we are silly! She will imitate some vocally, but not consistent yet. She wants to observe EVERYTHING! I think she has her Mommy's curiousity as she has to know where everyone is and what they are doing at all times! I can only imagine when she is verbal how many questions she will have (like Mommy!).
Places I went: We were busy this month with lots of fun activities. We started the month down in Decatur, as Eliza and I drove down to celebrate Aunt Lala's baby shower. We are so excited for baby Menard to come into this world! Eliza was the life of the party needless to say, as she laughed, talked, and screamed (testing her volume) throughout the party. All the women ATE.IT.UP! We were able to see and spend time with Gigi (Great Grandma Guieda) as well! We are so blessed that Eliza is able to spend time with and get lots of kisses from Gigi! Looking forward to the next time we see her! We also helped our cousins Easton and Hunter celebrate their birthdays at a park in Plainfield. We made another trip down to Decatur with Daddy and went to the Great Pumpkin Patch in Arthur with Papa Moo, Nonni, and Unca T. So much fun! That might be the best pumpkin patch we've ever been to--hands down! Papa Moo got Eliza her first pumpkin too! Mommy and Liza drove to another baby shower for Aunt Lala in Kankakee. It was fun spending more time with Nonni and Aunt Lala--we will take all the girl time we can get! We helped our friend Brayden Jefford celebrate his 2nd birthday and went to Goebbert's pumpkin patch in South Barrington with the Jefford's as well.
Odds and Ends: Eliza understands "no" when Mommy uses her stern voice. She will pout her lip and cry when she knows Mommy is serious, but other times will smile and laugh to see if Mommy will change her answer :) Liza shows her excitement when she sees Mommy and Daddy as she claps, bounces, and smiles. It is precious to see her waiting for Daddy to walk up the stairs when he gets home. She can't wait to see him! She hates having her nose messed with or her face wiped off. Eliza had her first sinus/cold with a stopped up nose. We tried using the aspirator to get the "gunk" out, but nothing came out :( She wanted to be held all evening when she didn't feel good and didn't like being on her back (we elevated her crib on one side to help her sleep at night). Everything, I mean EVERYTHING goes in her mouth. She loves bath time as she splashes her hands and feet and <3's Mr. Ducky! Liza has started pulling up a little on Mommy and Daddy, but we're hoping crawling comes before pulling up!
Hanging out with Gigi in Decatur
Our little punkin'
Nonni and Eliza at Aunt Lala's baby shower
Our little Liza bug
Mommy, Aunt Lala, Liza, and Nonni
I'm 8 months old!
Eliza continues to be such a happy girl with the most precious smile and laugh that lights up our lives! Each month we continue to thank God for blessing us with an amazing baby girl. We can't wait to see what new things we come across each month with her as she continues to grow. We love you Eliza Marie Ripke! You are the greatest gift God has given us and we will forever be grateful!
Lindsay: It is obvious that Eliza is pure joy to your family. Would you have ever thought life could be THIS good as a Mom? Congrats on becoming an Aunt. I had no idea your sister was pregnant. That is wonderful!
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