Merry Christmas!

Love, Bryan, Lauren & Eleanor

6 Months Old!

Yoga Reunion

Last weekend, the yoga studio I went to for prenatal yoga (Limber Yoga, in West Seattle) held a baby reunion!  It was so great to see some friends I had made as we all grew our little pumpkins in our bellies.  To top it off, to be together with our babies in that same space was pretty neat.  The studio hired a masseuse and a professional photographer to make the day even more special.  I really loved reconnecting with some people and totally enjoyed a mini massage!  Here are some pics of Eleanor and I (and her little friend Arlen and his mom Portia) from that day...

P.S.: Staying active through yoga and swimming was one of the best choices I made during pregnancy.  While I battled some trying pains through the 2nd trimester (that yoga helped relieve), I just felt awesome near the end... and on top of the physical benefits, the mental ones were even sweeter.

5 months!

Happiness

Happiness is coming home to this sweet face! (Even more happiness would be never having to leave.... :)

4 months old!

Three Months!

Hello!

Yes, the three month post is a few days overdue (it's coming, I promise!), but Eleanor wanted to say hi before that came out. 

Things are going well here. Bryan got a job at FWHS for next year (yay!), our trip to Montana went really well, and Bryan turned 33!!

Eleanor is just such a bundle of fun these days. She's a really happy baby and loves to smile and talk to all who smile and talk back. She's spent two nights in her crib in her own room (!) and is sleeping really pretty well. So much fun. She's also been holding her head up pretty well and is starting to interact more with toys.

We can't get enough of her!!!

We've been busy....

The past month or so here in the Hamilton House has been wild!!!  It started with Uncle Mark's retirement party and hasn't stopped!

The party was followed the next weekend by FWHS graduation, Jill's SU graduation party, and Father's Day!

Sleeping through FWHS graduation...

Meeting Grant and Kelsey at Jill's grad party!

Don't forget the last day of school celebration, where Eleanor went to school and got to meet the FWHS class of 2031.

Next, it was Grandpa's 85th Birthday, which Eleanor had to go see him for!

This was followed by my 30th (yikes!), the 4th of July family party, and a visit from Aunt Erin and Uncle Matt who got to meet Eleanor for the first time!

And then... her 2 month doctor appointment... and lots of shots.  In good news, she was up to a robust 12 pounds 3 ounces (63%) and 24 inches long (91%)!

Then (oh, we're not done yet!), we headed to Walla Walla for our first major family trip.  Our really good friends Billy and Alaina were getting married in the land of wheat fields and Whitman College.  It was a wonderful weekend, but kept us quite busy (I was the officiant and Bryan was the best man!)- However, we had some amazing help in the form of Grandpa and Grandma and Pops and Lili!  We couldn't have done that without them.  At the wedding, Eleanor was the hit of the party in her cute little outfit so I am quite excited to see the professional pictures- one of the photographers was near her at all times!

Oh my goodness.  Makes me tired just thinking and writing about it!  Oh yeah, and on top of it all, we are trying to raise this little munchkin!

In the past week or so, Eleanor has turned into a little chatty cathy.  She is so "talkative" and smiley most of the time- it is so much fun!  She really has begun to grow up from a newborn into a baby.  She's starting to interact with her toys; she smiles at and talks to Bruno (who doesn't really know quite what to make if it yet....); she winks and smiles at her daddy at the exact time he needs a pick me up.  She makes life better for all of us.  On the day of Billy and Alaina's wedding, I had to spend a lot of time away from her and it was killing me!  At the wedding, when she heard my voice over the microphone she started crying!  It's amazing that in these few short weeks, we have formed such a bond.  Once I saw her and held her that evening I didn't want to let go.  What an intoxicating little girl...

Two Months Today!

Happy Father's Day!

It's such an honor to have a new little lady who has some amazing men in her life who we all get to celebrate on a day like today. 

Bryan, you are already such an amazing father. Watching you become a dad the instant you held Eleanor in the hospital was one of the best moments of my life.

Grandpa & Pops- Eleanor is so lucky to have you two in her life. I love watching her be entranced by you already. While she may have Daddy wrapped around her finger, she's really got you two hooked already. 

And Great-Grandpas Venn and Hamilton.... Without you guys we wouldn't be here :) True family men and role models, we all look up to you. Bryan, Eleanor and I feel blessed to be a part of two fourth generation families. Thank you both for all your love and support. 

Happy Father's Day to all you Dads!!!

 

It is amazing

These past 5 1/2 weeks have been amazing.  When I sit here and think about how much Eleanor has grown and how much Bryan and I have grown with her I just become a little shocked.  Time has just flown by on one hand and gone so slow on the other.  Some days and nights have seemed to take years, and others are done in the blink of an eye.  I am already nostalgic for the itty bitty newborn of 5 weeks ago, but I also I cannot wait to see what her development will bring next.  I so badly want her to sleep and yet when she sleeps I just want to hold her and "talk."  So many conundrums, so many joys.

The first few weeks were a whirlwind.  The hospital stay, the outpouring of love and support, the visitors, the diapers, the tears of joy, the and tears of exhaustion.  Eleanor got to meet so many important people in her life in the first few days, it's surreal to think about how those relationships will mold and change over time.

Mother's Day came and it was such a special moment.  It took me nearly three quarters of the day to really wrap my head around the significance.  It was almost too mind blowing in the first two weeks of her life to spend the day with my mom and my daughter.  And thinking that one day, perhaps, she will be a mom, too.  Even now it's a little too much to wrap my head around.

Health-wise, Eleanor is an A+ student.  She's gaining weight like a champ (and more!  Getting so chubby... my little gerber baby!) and has aced every exam.  She's battling reflux (Bryan and I are too...), but we are working very closely with the pediatrician to help that situation.

Sleeping may now finally be getting better (maybe?).  The reflux was really impeding any semblance of a night's sleep for the three of us (ok, 4.... Bruno was kept up too).  She would feed and then cry with this horribly sad look that said "I hurt... help me" and there was just so little we could to do help her and sustain that peace.  Oh the poor thing, it just broke my heart.  As we worked on the reflux with the doctor, we began to notice the nights getting a little better.  Then, on her 5 week birthday (a few days after eliminating dairy from my diet, her first night in a different swaddle blanket, her first "real" smile, and after her first bottle with Bryan), she slept 6 hours straight.  Six!  The next night was 5, followed by 6 again.  While that is still a little anomaly, she is hitting at least 4 consistently right now.  It's amazing the perspective it brings to life.  My fog lifted and I knew it would only get better from there.

Oh the smiles!  Eleanor is now at the point where she will smile back when you talk sweetly and smile at her.  Oh I love it so much.  Before last week, we did get a few grins that appeared to not be gas-related, but now... it's wonderful.  On top of that, with the reflux improving, she is just now such a happier baby when she's awake.  5 weeks = magic time.... So far.

Without the love and support of everyone we would not be in this position right now.  Thank you all so much for the visits, the clothes, the cards, the smiles, the laundry, the food, the cuddles with Eleanor, the long flights and short weekends just to spend time with her, and all the love and thoughts and prayers and support you can muster.

It has been hard and it has been tiring.  But, oh, it is amazing.

PS- There are so many more pictures up on our shutterfly site.  Let me know if you need help getting there!