4 months of Eloise // Update on Kidney

Eloise is 4 months old! I can't say it enough: time please slow down! 

E L O I S E: 
➳15 pounds, 26 inches long, and wearing 3-6 month clothes. She also went up a size in diapers and is wearing a 3 now.
➳Starting to nap better after I learned her sleep patterns. We haven't started sleep training yet but if you're struggling with sleep too, I suggest reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. It gave me an entire new outlook on sleep and really worked for us. 
➳Laughing out loud now! Melts me every.single.time. 
➳Starting to touch her toes on her own 
➳Starting to not love her carseat because she's so interested in the world around her. We've been taking her out at restaurants and the store and she loves looking at everything. 
➳Not rolling over yet. She's trying to "scooch" instead (I've never had to spell that!) 
➳Loves running with mama in her BOB 2-3 times a week. 
➳Loves bathtime 
➳Is somehow perfect for her dad the second he walks in the door. Anything he says or does it's the coolest thing ever. Like one day we had a really rough time, and he walked in and asked her "do you like cinnamon?" and she was so smiley at that phrase the rest of the night. 

 Eloise is a lucky little lady who has already taken her first airplane ride to Washington. We visited for 10 days over Christmas and it felt so nice to be "home" during the holidays this year. She's a good little traveler. With a long 10 hour travel day like we had, I can't complain about the 30ish minutes of crying she gave us on the airplane. & I will spare you the details of flying with an infant. I can't give anybody advice or tips and tricks because it's really just doing anything you can to keep the baby happy for as long as possible. Whatever works for you! I will give a shoutout though to Solly Baby Wraps. Being hands free at the airport was so helpful, especially through security. 

After we got back from our little trip, Eloise had a follow up appointment for her kidney and she had her 4 month check up with her pediatrician. Both appointments went great! For those following along with us and praying her her health, here's a little update. I won't get into the medical details, but feel free to ask me questions if you're curious! In November, Eloise had 3 tests done at Loma Linda to see if urine was getting pushed back into the kidney, to see if both kidneys are working and at what percentages, and an ultrasound to see if there is a blockage. At the follow up appointment, we learned that she does not have urine reflux and both kidneys are working how they are supposed to be, but she does have a little "bubble" in her ureter called a ureterocele. This is not painful for her and isn't causing any issues at the moment. As long as this stays true, she won't need surgery to remove the blockage until 12-18 months. We will go in every 3 months to monitor this issue and we are so happy to finally have answers after all this time. Thank you all for your prayers and positive thoughts, we really appreciate it!

It won't last long

It's been a really rough week for me and Eloise, which meant Nick picked up all my slack and cooked dinners all week (so thankful for him). She's been really fussy, has bouts of screaming fits where she is inconsolable that last 30-45 minutes sometimes, eating a lot, not napping or falling asleep at night easily and doesn't like to be set down. I called our doctor's office and they chalked it up to teething and a food sensitivity, so I've been keeping a food journal to try to figure it out. She is also getting used to being back home from 10 days in WA, and I read somewhere there's a growth spurt and a sleep regression at 3-4 months... so she's going through a lot. (and so am I because I had to cut out coffee). But I keep reminding myself that this won't last long... it's just a stage.

Through this week though, I've also felt a lot of pressure, not sure from where, but pressure that we need to start sleep training Eloise, to get her on a schedule, to get her to sleep in her own room, that I shouldn't hold her while she naps (even though that means she gets an extra 30 minutes). Maybe it's from the "parenting books" like What to Expect, or blogs that I read, bragging about where other babies are in their development. It's so easy to compare our selfs to others, and I'm committing to work on not letting myself do that anymore. I know everybody says it a million times, but all kids are different.

So why does society teach us, as parents, to do things "one" way? If all kids are different, why is it frowned upon to hold your baby through naps, to let them sleep in your bed if it's been a rough night, to wait to sleep train until it feels right. Maybe the pressure for me is coming from being a new mom. Am I doing this right? I don't know. But I am going to continue to do what feels right for Eloise and try and not let the pressure of the world get to me.

And to savor precious moments like this because I know it doesn't last long: