Jogi in the (dirty*) highchair.

*now clean

Eleanor.

Sometimes, it is heartbreaking to have these perfect, beautiful little ladies. This one's for Eleanor.

Tonight, Josephine was not very happy. Not hysterical, just pouty and fussy. I was pumping and she was in the swing across the room (Bill had to run outside, so I was thinking he'd be right back). And, Eleanor was absolutely unable to stand Josephine's unhappiness. She stood over the swing and told her "Baby. Stop. No. Cry. Sad. No. Happy." And, she pet her head gently. She sang softly to her. She danced. She kissed her head and feet. She tried to feet her a bottle. She fiddled with the knobs on the swing. She covered her with blankets. She just did everything she could think of to make Josephine happy. And, that is my Eleanor. She can be sassy. She has her moments. But, she is intuitive, sensitive, smart, and does everything with such a good heart.

She is also funny. Her new thing is a game called "Fast." This actually consists of Eleanor just running from place to place, screaming "Fast! Me fast! FAST! MEEE!" It basically gets increasingly frenetic to where she is slamming into things. As in, she runs from the kitchen, careens off the wall, and runs directly into my bed with her face. Then she does it again. Of course, all the while, screaming "Fast!" She loves "Fast." I do not. Because, if you know Eleanor, you know it might as well be called "Disaster."

She hits high notes. We have a classic Disney songs tape (yep, a tape). On it is "Spoonful of Sugar." If you had any childhood at all, you know the scene during that song where Mary Poppins is looking at herself in the mirror, pauses, and her reflection hits a "cheeky" riff of high notes. Eleanor rocks that out. Even if she's reading a book or coloring in her car seat, she just keeps doing what she's doing and sings the long high notes. It's awesome.

Everything is now "Nice." I made an awesome dinner tonight (coconut rice, tofu (with cinnamon and cayenne), and broccoli and celery (with fresh ginger, coriander, and garlic)). Eleanor really likes the spices and unusual flavors I use. And, as she pounded the food, she kept saying "Nice. Yeah, nice." "More. Please. Nice, thank you."

I know there's more, but it's 1 am. And, I have a chance to sleep, so I am going to take it. It is this time of night when I can't wait for morning and a chance to see smiling Bayly girl faces.

The Light in the Morning.

Four months!

Well, Miss Josephine had her four month check up on Tuesday. That seems so amazing to me. It's as if she's been here forever, and four months actually just seems kind of arbitrary. But, to think her next check up will br six months, putting her "big baby" territory is crazy!

The appointment, itself, went about as I'd expected. She was a hair under 16 lbs - which put her in the 90th percentile! I did, of course, know that she is a big girl. It is made extra fun by the fact that she is in the 50th percentile for height, at a hair over two feet tall! (That means that she looks even chubbier than she is!) And, her head is the 75th percentile. (I didn't catch the measurement.)

She definitely flashed the doctor her winning smile! (Which I know I need to post more of on here!)

The pediatrician (unlike the doctor we saw at Eleanor's four month) suggested we hold off on solids. She said that the AAP is now firmly recommending exclusive breastmilk for the first six months (although she wasn't adamant about waiting that long). So, we'll take it one day at a time and see how (much more) "into" table food she becomes.

Pictures later!

Beauty and the Beast.

Well, this is not a commentary on the dichotomy of behavior in my house (although Josephine has had a rough few days, as a compliment to Eleanor's excellent behavior). Actually, over the last few days, we've watched the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast in installments. (YouTube, a toddler, and breastfeeding/pumping are a dynamic combination.) And, while watching that movie, I feel like I noticed some exciting developmental connections made by Miss Eleanor. At one point, I was tending to Josephine and, hence, not watching the screen. It was a scene in the Tavern, and all the doltish men were singing about the worth of "not nice, mean" (as Eleanor calls Gaston). He must have done something noteworthy, because all at once the men on screen and Eleanor cheered simultaneously. It is neat to think that she could be watching and anticipating and noticing an achievement.

Also, while watching the "show" (as she calls anything on TV or the computer), she saw the talking household implements. She told me. "Light no talk." "Clock no talk." "Coff coff no talk."

Finally, she began to notice when the characters were falling in love. She was reading their emotional cues and reacting to them. Each time the characters looked at each other lovingly, she would take my hand, stroke my leg, or look at me saying what I am 99% sure was "I love you."

Finally (AGAIN), she has just been making all sorts of connections. She's always been verbal, and starting saying many words well before a year. But, her sentences have developed in a way I didn't expect. I thought she'd repeat phrases she'd heard. And, she does do that, but mostly she puts long strings of words together. For example, there is a house on our street with dog that is often in the front yard, although he wasn't today. Eleanor looked at the house and said, "House. Dog. Pet. Walk. Daddy. Hi. Bye. Home." So, it is clear what she means. It seems like an unusual way of doing things, but I am glad she's found a way to put her words to use. If all of us are patient enough to hear her out, things go much better around our house (as in WAY fewer fits). And, it's absolutely amazing to see her going from toddler to bright kid right before our eyes. Lucky us. :o)