I can't believe I forgot to post this...

There's this great app for iPhone called Flipagram where you can use photos that you've taken and turn them in to a 30-second video. I did a 2013 recap video that I mean to post, well, at the end of 2013. Oh well...here it is, now! :)

Eleanor is 4-months-old!

We had Eleanor's 4-month well-check this morning and all is well...well, mostly. Our pediatrician has decided that our little girl probably came a little earlier than she should have - she could have "cooked" a little bit longer. You see, her digestive system is just a hair on the immature side, which is why we continue to have such issues with her. She definitely has a milk-protein allergy, but we also think she may have acid reflux - and our pediatrician believes these issues are contributing to her very slow weight gain. In her words, she's "concerned but not worried." I'm not sure what that means... Our plan is to try the acid reflux medication until her 6-month well-check and see how much weight she gains then. And then, of course, we can start introducing solid foods (cereal first, followed by fruits and veggies). I'm sure those will put some meat on her bones! As for her head, we're going for a second opinion - a place in Austin called Cranial Technologies. Her first scan with them will be Wednesday, February 5, and then we'll make a decision whether or not we want to helmet her. Until then, we'll just keep up the tummy time. As you can see in the video below, big brother makes it a lot more bearable! :) Turn your volume up and enjoy!

Eleanor Grace!

Snuggled with her pink bunny lovey from aunt Julie!

This never happens - all three of them quiet and asleep at the same time?!

This is after Day #2 of daycare...see details below...

Practicing sitting! She's getting so big!

Look at those shades! GranMum - this one's for you - I think she looks like you in this picture!

This also never happens - I laid her down to blow my nose and when I came back, she had fallen asleep! On her own!

Oh, Eleanor... My, oh my! For those of you who don't know, I went back to work on Tuesday, December 3. My Nana came down and kept Eleanor that first week of December, followed by my mom (Gigi) the second week, and her daddy the third week. Things went fairly well for all three of them. And then I had two weeks off from school! Wahoo! Well, that time flew by and before I knew it, it was Monday, January 6 - and it was Eleanor's first day of daycare. It could not have gone worse.

They called me several times to tell me that she kept refusing the bottle and was crying so much that every time they tried to feed her, she'd fight them so much she'd end up crying herself to sleep. One of the times they called, they even told me that they went and got Cohen from his classroom to try to come in and calm her down. (He told me after school that day that he went to her rescue - how sweet is he?!). Needless to say, by 2:00pm, she had still had nothing to eat since 7:30 that morning, so I had to leave my district mandated training to go and get her early. Tuesday wasn't ANY better. And after a LOT of discussions with Will and some serious soul searching, I went to Human Resources and put in my resignation for this school year.

On top of the torticollis and the plagiocephaly that we are currently dealing with, we believe Eleanor has a milk protein allergy, and because I'm nursing her, I've had to go dairy-free to get all dairy (including my beloved cheese) OUT of my system. This has been quite a challenge, that's for sure! All of that being said, though, Will and I decided that Eleanor needs her momma right now, so I'm out until August (and then we'll reevaluate our situation). I feel like I made the best decision for our family and I will cherish every moment I get to have with Eleanor at home (as well as the time we get to spend with big brother, too!).

Until then, anyone have any dairy-free recipes they want to share? I miss cheese! :(

Christmas 2013

On our way to Austin to have Christmas with Mimmy (and Shelfie caught a ride, too!)

Snuggled up with Mimmy!

Being silly at Top Golf in Austin!

Look at those BLUE eyes!

Family picture with everyone in their Christmas shirts!

And a picture with all of the fam! (Gotta love C's "smile" - he had just bonked his head when we snapped this one).

My Christmas angels on Christmas Eve. I think this is one of the sweetest pictures I've ever taken of them and Cohen melted my heart right before it - when I put the red bow in Eleanor's hair, he said, "Oh! She looks just like Snow White!" He loves his little sister so much! Sweet boy!

Santa Claus came to town!

Checking out his new kitchen!

Cool dude in his new shades!

She wasn't quite awake yet!

But then I got a smile!

Eleanor didn't quite know what to think about all of her goodies!

Meh!

Playing with his new trains!

And then this happened...this is the second year in a row we've had a naked Christmas! The kid loves to hang out in his underwear, what can I say?!

Checking out her new rocking butterfly from Gigi! Pretty neat!

We had a wonderful Christmas! The kids were spoiled and Will and I had a revelation that perhaps we shouldn't do as much in the following years - we should leave the spoiling up to their grandparents! ;)