Nellie Lou – Six Months Old

I don’t know how it’s possible, but Nellie Lou has been alive for half a year.

weight: around 15 lbs

height: around 25.5 inches

size: I put all of her 3-6 month clothes away during my latest snow days. 6-9 is still big, but she wasn’t able to stretch out in the 3-6 month sleepers. Size 3 diapers.

sleep: We are in a major sleep regression. I’m the only person that can soothe her when she wakes up every few hours, and it has made me one exhausted mom. She’s still napping well, usually taking 3 naps a day.

eat: She’s still breastfeeding on demand, which was constantly during the week of snow days we just had. She just started showing some interest in real food. We’ve made some peas and sweet potatoes for the babysitter’s house, but while we’re home we just give her whatever fruits/veggies we are eating cut into pieces she won’t choke on. She loved cooked carrots and roasted sweet potato rounds. We’ve given her a few raw veggies to chew on with her new teeth coming in.

teeth: She’s got two bottom teeth now. They just popped through on Monday and Thursday. They took forever to come in, and she’s been drooling for months.

moving: I’m sure you can tell from the pictures, she is moving everywhere. She loves to roll around to get where she wants to be. She does the backward crawl. I’ve never seen anything like it – she arches her back and then moves her head forward it’s crazy. She is sitting pretty much on her own. She’ll topple over every once in a while, but she’s a strong little booger.

Here’s a five and six month comparison –

Bowen at six months and Nellie Lou at six months –

On to the next month.

Nellie Lou – Four Months Old

I can’t believe another month has come and gone. Nellie Lou is now 4 months old, and is letting her fun and calm personality shine. She loves to smile and she’ll laugh on occasion, but it’s not something she does a lot. You have to be really silly to get a sweet laugh from this girl. She has the sweetest dimple that makes you want to squeeze her cheeks whenever she smiles.

She loves people and will let almost anyone hold her, but she also loves her Momma and will let you know when she needs her Momma. 

She’s rolling from belly to back and back to belly, which seems so crazy. She is so mobile for a four month old. She squirms around to get where she wants to be, whether on her playmate or laying in bed.

She loves her brother. Bowen is so incredibly sweet with her. Seeing them together melts my heart.

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There’s not much she doesn’t like other than the usuals – she hates being alone or watching you walk out of a room, people crying (whether in real life or on tv – she always starts to tear up when she hears or sees it), being hungry, and being overly tired.

weight: I’m not sure but I’m guessing around 14 lbs

height: Maybe around 23 inches, we have no idea since we haven’t had a doctor’s appointment since her last well visit (we’re thankful for such a healthy baby)

size: I just put away most of the 0-3 month clothes, so she’s mostly in 3-6 month and size 2 diapers.

sleep: I think we’re going through the 4 month sleep regression. She’s waking up around 2 or so in the morning pretty consistently. Sometimes she wants to nurse and other times I can just replace her pacifier and she’ll go right back to sleep. She’s still going to bed around 9:00 and she will sleep in until about 7:30 or even 8:00 if we all are sleeping in.

eat: She’s still breastfeeding on demand, which is generally every four hours or so. She’s becoming more distracted while she’s nursing, so at times she wants to eat more frequently, but I’m sure she’s eating less at each sitting because she’s so busy worrying about what’s going on around her. At the sitter’s she’ll eat about 7 or 8 ounces while I’m at work.

Here’s a comparison of Bowen and Nellie at 4 months –

On to the next month.

Nellie Lou – Three Months Old

Nellie Lou is growing up so quickly. She’s become quite a happy baby over the last month. She smiles constantly and loves to coo and goo. She wants to be talked to and loves to lay on my chest when she’s sleepy.

      

She’s a very active baby. She wants to stand up all the time, and she loves to kick her arms and legs. She’s even rolling over from her belly to her back. She uses her sweet little feet to move around on her playmate. I’m amazed at how mobile she is as a three month old.

She’s Bowen’s biggest fan. She could stare at him all day long, and loves to watch him race around the house.

weight: Around 13 lbs

height: Around 23 inches

size: 0-3 month clothes, size 1 diapers – those are both getting snug though

sleep: She’s the best sleeper ever. She naps at least 4 times throughout the day, usually with one really long one. She goes to bed at night around 9:30 and sleeps until 4:00 or 5:00. It’s amazing!

eat: She’s still breastfeeding on demand, which is generally every four hours or so. At the sitter’s she’ll eat about 8 or 9 ounces while I’m at work.

Here’s a photo comparison of two months to three months –

Here’s a comparison of Bowen and Nellie, each at three months old.

On to the next month.

Nellie Lou – Two Months Old

We’ve been blessed with one sweet baby girl. Nellie Lou is the total opposite of her brother, she’s calm and mostly content. She loves to be held, but will lay on her play mat or the bed while I get things accomplished around the house. I’m loving every minute of this phase of her life.

She’s not too fond of her bath, but loves having her hair washed like she’s at the salon. I tilt her little head back into the water, and she’s happy. She’s already a little wary of strangers or people she doesn’t see everyday. She’s also not into rocking or bouncing, she’d rather you be very still when you hold her. If she gets too fussy or worked up, putting her underneath a ceiling fan seems to do the trick. She could stare at a ceiling fan for hours.

She’s started smiling, but she’s pretty stingy with them. I can usually get a few a day, but Bowen seems to get the most. When she sees Bowen her arms start to flail and she can’t take her eyes off of him.

weight: I’m not sure but I’m guessing around 11 lbs. She feels pretty solid.

height: I have no idea, but she’s quickly growing too long for some of her three month outfits. Maybe around 22.5 inches.

size: 0-3 month clothes, size 1 diapers

sleep: She’s a wonderful nighttime sleeper. She’s going to bed around 8 or 9 and has been waking up between 2 and 4 am, and then she’s back to sleep for a few more hours. She’s had a few nights when she hasn’t wanted to go back to sleep, but I’m not complaining. She’s also taking at least three naps a day.

eat: She’s still breastfeeding on demand, which is generally every four hours or so. Look at that belly!     Here’s a comparison of Bowen and Nellie, each at two months old.

On to the next month.

Nellie Lou – One Month Old

I guess I can’t keep using the “I just had a baby” excuse because my sweet baby is a whole month old today.

I know a baby that sleeps most of the time doesn’t have much of a personality yet, but I can tell she’s not exactly like her brother. She seems pretty laid back so far. I’m just waiting for the nonstop crying to start. Bowen had a pretty bad case of colic, and was an overall unhappy and high needs baby for about three or four months (though you can’t tell it now), maybe we’ll be blessed with a happier baby this time around.

She loves to cuddle and be held, but she’s content to sit in her bouncy seat or on her playmate too. She likes her pacifier, which I’m loving. Bowen was not a fan of the paci.

weight: around 8 lbs

height: around 21 inches

size: newborn clothes and newborn diapers

sleep: three or four hours at night, usually only awake during the day when she’s hungry and maybe an hour of tummy time/interaction – I can tell she’s starting to get away from the sleepy newborn stage because this time is increasing

eat: she’s breastfeeding on demand and it’s every three or four hours around the clock – the double chin and chubby cheeks prove it

just bornone month

And because I can’t stop comparing, Bowen and Nellie at one month –

On to the next month.

Resemblance

We initially couldn’t figure out who Nellie looked like. Her nose and sweet chin had us looking through all kinds of baby pictures to determine where her sweet features came from.

I see some similarities between Bowen (top) and Nellie (bottom).

The coloring might be a little different – Bowen seems to have a darker complexion.

       

After some convincing from my Mom, I’m starting to think the person she really looks like is…

Cassie on the left. Nellie on the right.

Say My Name, Say My Name

When people see my pregnant belly, their first question is, “Is it a boy or a girl?”

Then they immediately ask, “What’s her name?”

My answer is, “I have no idea.”

It’s true. I’m so confused about naming this little girl growing inside me. Should we go with a trendy name? Maybe a classic? Should we use a family name? I just don’t know.

I’ve used every baby naming website I know – nameberry, nymbler, babynamegenie, babynames. I even get on the Social Security website to check name popularity.

I take suggestions from anyone and everyone, even complete strangers, who always suggest the most popular names or something very bizarre.

There are a few things I know I don’t like.

1. Nothing in the top 100 names.

2. No ley on the end. That includes Finley, Kinley, etc.

3. Can’t start with a B. I would be left out if everyone else’s name started with a B.

4. I’d rather it not end with en or on. It will sound too much like Bowen and I’m not fond of matchy names.

5. It can’t be too difficult to spell.

I know Baker is fed up with my indecisiveness. I can’t help it. Picking a name feels so final, and I don’t think I’m ready for her impending arrival. Having a second child is scary, and my list of worries is a mile long.

I guess I should just conquer my first worry – what to name this baby. I think if we do decide before she’s born, we’ll be keeping it to ourselves. Everyone’s opinion will just make me worry even more.

Here We Go Again

The Gardner’s are growing…

Baby number two will be here in August.

We’re more than halfway through this pregnancy, and just 10 weeks away from the gestational age Bowen was born. Things are going well, and we’re all so very excited!