Great Grandmas

We arrived in Williamsville for the NY portion of our holiday travels.  Eleanore loved spending time with Mimi (above) and Grandma (below).  It is so wonderful to celebrate the holidays with the matriarchs of my family!

North Carolina Christmas

We had a great time in NC visiting with friends of the family and enjoying the temperate weather.  Eleanore even had her very own room!  

Eleanore also hit a big milestone the day after Christmas -- she can now crawl!

Photo above is from Christmas eve and the photo below is from Christmas morning.

Baby and Santa and Baby Santa

We arrived in Burlington, NC for the first part of our Christmas vacation.  Eleanore met Santa for the first time on the 21st.  She liked putting her fingers through his long beard.  She wasn't afraid of him at all.  We will see how it goes next year... :-)

We found the little Santa hat below on a brief trip to the Harris Teeter.  It was a random find, but provided hours of amusement!

Holiday Time at the Tarry Household

Holidays in the Tarry house are a fun time!  We decorated our silver tree (in the photos above and below) and Eleanore loved to look at the lights.  We also displayed Mimi's Dickens Village for the first time -- it was the perfect festive addition!

The photo below is of a tuckered out Daddy and baby.  Apparently Christmas makes them sleepy!

Lucky Number Seven (7 Months Old!)

Eleanore is 7 months old!

Month six was all about the veggies - Eleanore has now mastered carrots, squash, sweet potato, peas, green beans, corn and avocado.  She had a little banana one day too, but I don't think she cared for the texture.  I spent some time over the Thanksgiving holiday making baby food.  I made big batches and froze them in ice cube trays.  She eats three cubes per meal - plus cereal!

She is still a little peanut weighing in at 13 lbs, 8oz the day before Thanksgiving.  But it is amazing how quickly she is filling out now that she is eating more.  She spits up a fair amount so we just started her on Prevacid to see if we can get it under control.  You will see in the photo above that she wears a bib most of the time.  I hate how it looks, but it is effective!

Eleanore is also on the move.  She can't quite crawl yet, but she can pretty much get anywhere she wants to go by rolling or scooting.  She can get up in full "crawl position", but she doesn't have the coordination to get her arms and legs in sync. 

She is working on sitting too -- if you place her just right she can go for short periods of time before falling over.  Still no teeth yet... which is good for me since she is still nursing.

 

Rockette

While my mom, Bubbe, was visiting last weekend, Eleanore received her first Christmas present - a rocking horse from her Aunt Tara!

Since Tara's horse (and Eleanore's fuzzin) is named Rocky, we dubbed her "Rockette".  We also thought it was fitting because the Rockettes are so associated with the holidays.  Plus, she is a rocking horse!

There is a little seat so Eleanore is quite stable as she bounces.  (It comes off when she gets bigger.)  There is a video of Eleanore's first ride out on our Mac gallery.

Hollidazzle Dazzle

This weekend we ventured to our old neighborhood in downtown Minneapolis to watch the Hollidazzle parade with our friends Scott, Megan and their daughter Margaux.  Hollidazzle is Minneapolis's pitiful attempt at an electric light parade...  But the atmosphere is festive and I think Eleanore enjoyed looking at the lights.  It also gave us a good excuse to warm up after the parade at The Local (an Irish bar)!

Happy Half

Eleanore is six months old!  Hard to believe half a year goes by so fast!!

She is still a little peanut weighing in at under 13 pounds.  She is long and lean!  She is quite good at rolling, but prefers only to go in one direction.  Teething is in progress, but we haven't seen a little tooth yet.  My baby book says I got my first a few days after my six month birthday, so we'll see!

Daycare at MDT is going well.  I made it to my goal of breast feeding for six months.  There is no way I would have made it this long without the daycare on site.  It has been great!

About a week ago we started solids.  Rice cereal - mmmm.  I thought it would take her a few days to get the hang of eating, but I was wrong!  She was a natural; I just held out the spoon and she gobbled it right up!

We had a little Happy Hour at a Thai restaurant downtown to celebrate her "Happy Half".  It was also to celebrate the fact that we have made it through six months of parenting!  Whew!  

Photo above is from that night and photo below is of her second meal (first one was video taped - it is posted on our Mac Gallery).

Happy Halloween!

Eleanore thoroughly enjoyed her first Halloween -- because she got to spend it with her Nana!  Patrick's mom came into town just in time for Halloween festivities.

Our festivities amounted to dressing Eleanore up in her kitty cat costume and handing out candy.  She looked like her fuzzin Doobie and Pockets's little sister!  She didn't go trick-or-treating, but we did walk to some of the neighbors to say hello.  It was a beautiful night.

Nana was in town from Thursday to Tuesday.  On Friday and Monday Eleanore played hookey from daycare and spent the day playing with Nana.  They took a few walks and enjoyed the unseasonally warm Minnesota weather.

Bubbe's Fall Visit

My mom (aka Bubbe) came for a visit for a week in October.  It was supposed to be a two week trip, but a new clinical trial opened up so she went back to Buffalo on my birthday.

We had a great, very mellow, quiet time.  It was nice to have nothing on the agenda.  We took a few walks around the neighborhood - Eleanore in her stroller and mom on her new mobility scooter (courtesy of Northwest Airlines since they ruined her last one!).  And we hung out a lot at home.  

Eleanore is drooling up a storm and chewing on everything in sight, so I think teeth are on their way.  Other developments are that she can pretty much get into a crawling position, but she isn't mobile yet - unless you count rolling and rolling.  She is a long and skinny girl - still under 13 pounds.  Her hair looks quite red and mom says it is the same color mine was when I was a baby.

Fall in Minnesota

Fall is a great time to live in Minnesota.  The trees are beautiful and the weather has been mostly sunny and crisp.

We took Eleanore on a little outing to the Apple Jack Apple Orchard to experience her first pumpkin patch.  We met up with the Scholl's (Dawn, Rod and Ellie) and had a lovely afternoon.  I'm not sure Eleanore was all that impressed -- she couldn't figure out why I kept taking her picture with the big round orange things -- but it was a good excuse to be outside.  

We bought some cider and apples and I made a big batch of sweet potato apple soup!

Five Months Old!

Eleanore is the big 0-5!

It has been so much fun watching this little person grow and learn. She can now successfully roll all the way over (granted only in one direction) but she is officially mobile. She is reaching for and playing with toys much more. Her favorites are a little orange "bee" and a colorful doggie with crinkly ears. Rings are always a hit too - not the finger wearing kind, the plastic link-together kind.

It is hard to leave her at daycare every day, but most days I still see her twice when I go down to nurse. I can't believe we are a few short weeks away from my six month goal for breast-feeding. I feel very lucky that we have been able to keep it up for this long.

Other than working, nursing, and sleeping not much goes on in the Tarry household! We see friends on weekends, but most weeknight we just collapse. I'm sure we will get into a routine eventually, but we are managing just fine.

Photos above and below are from after a bath this week. She still is a bit hesitant in the tub, but she doesn't fuss, she just looks freaked out. Come to think of it she really doesn't fuss that much at all - she is content most of the time!

School Days

Eleanore is adjusting nicely to "school".  Her teachers are wonderful and take very good care of her.  There is so much activity she sometimes has trouble napping, but she sleeps great at night!

The photo above is of little E with her pal Tyler.  They were born 3 days apart and his mom is another HR person at Medtronic.  This photo was not staged...  Tyler was really holding her hand.  Patrick sent a note to Tyler's dad telling him to watch his son!

The photo below is from the morning before "pajama day" at daycare.  They had all the ages wear pj's and bring in teddy bears.  Then the daycare director gathered everyone together and read the book "Corduroy" in the common area.  Eleanore looked so lovely with her sweet lollipop teddy I couldn't resist having a little photo shoot before leaving the house.

First Day of School

Eleanore started daycare the day after Labor Day - the same day that kids around MN started their school year.  Very appropriate!  Daycare is in the same building where I work, so I am still able to nurse her.  It is difficult to manage the time away, but so far it seems to be going fine.  I even listened to a conference call from the nursing room on Friday!

Her latest development is that she can roll from back to front.  She does it constantly.  As soon as we put her down she pulls her legs up and rolls right over. This is great, and very cute... when it is not 4am!  Because unfortunately, once she rolls over, she can't roll back.  When she rolls over in the middle of the night she gets stuck on her tummy which does not make her happy.  Patrick has to get up, go in and roll her back over.  He even coined a new term: one night when he came back to bed he said "she Beethoven-ed" and it has stuck.

Another development is that she has officially discovered her toes.  She is quite good at grabbing and holding toys now, and her toes are no exception.  They are the best toy of all!

Photos above and below are from the past two weeks.  I need to get some from daycare soon.

  

Bruce and Masha's Wedding

We just got back from Charleston, SC where Patrick's cousin Bruce continued the tradition of fabulous people getting married over Labor Day weekend.  :-)

We had a wonderful time and introduced Eleanore to just about everyone in the Tarry family!  This was my first visit to Charleston - it is a beautiful town and has a great relaxed vibe about it.  We stayed at the historicl Mill House and it was Eleanore's first time in a hotel.  

It was great to see Patrick's parents and brother.  We took some lovely strolls around town and ate at some fabulous restaurants (SC biscuits are to die for!  But nothing outshone dinner at Tristan's on Friday night).  Monday was Patrick's mom's birthday and it was great to be able to celebrate with her.

Eleanore once again traveled like a champ.  There was a lot of activity so she slept really well each night.  Her newest trick is "zerberting" really really loudly.  It is hysterical.  She just started about a week ago.

Photo above is a little Tarry family photo, photo below is from the wedding.  More photos are out on our Mac Gallery. 

Minnesota State Fair

Eleanore is an official Minnesotan now... she has been to the State Fair!  Yes, she experienced all the sights and sounds (and smells, if you count the animal buildings!).

My mom and sister were in town so it was a family affair.  We saw the animals, the midway and partook in many delicacies including a deep fried candy bar on a stick, and of course cheese curds.  Even though it was a Thursday and it rained in the morning, the place was packed!  According to the official website there were over 116,000 people there that day.

Mom and Tara are now off to Alaska for a glacial cruise.  Mom was here for two weeks and Tara for just a quick overnight. 

The photo above is from the Fair, and the photo below is of my mom (Bubbe) reading to little E.

Three Months Old

Is it possible?  Can this little baby really be three months old already?!  I have a feeling that many of my posts over the next few months and years will start with a similar refrain... "where has the time gone?"

Eleanore has more and more personality each day.  She continues to be a pretty chill baby who eats and sleeps like a champ.  She is now able to hold her head up with relative consistency and she is working on rolling over (she can go from front to back if we position her hands just right).  It is amazing to think about how much she has learned in the past few weeks!

I've spent some time in the past few days jazzing up the videos on our Mac Gallery.  Check it out - the link is to the left of this page.

Soup's On

Eleanore has been exclusively breast feeding, but that doesn't stop us from having her join us at the dinner table.  She likes to sit in her high chair and play with her silverware.  My mom sent her silverware that matches our silver pattern.  She even had Eleanore's initials engraved on the handles.  In the photo below she is holding the spoon.  She is an elegant little lady, even though she doesn't eat food yet!

Playtime

We're back from Buffalo and Eleanore is getting more and more active.  We just got her a little play mat and she loves it!  She can hit the toys and grab the rings.  It is so much fun to watch how excited she gets.  It is adorable.

In the photos she is wearing her "Portland outfit" from cousin Holly.  She likes it because she can pull on it and show off her tummy.

Four Generations

It was wonderful to be in Buffalo for the Fourth of July.  Per tradition, we spent the day at Aunt Rowie's for a swim and backyard BBQ.  Abby, Kevin and the boys were in town and Brooke, Rik and their boys were of course there also.  Eleanore didn't go for a swim yet, but she did dip her feet in the pool.

I am so lucky to have both of my 92 year old grandmothers still with us, and Mimi (Mary Eleanore) spent the 4th with us too.  The photo above is four generations of women!  Eleanore is Mimi's first great granddaughter - she has seven great grandsons.

We spent the 3rd with my dad and grandma and the photo below is another shot of four generations.

Unfortunately, before our visit was over, both great-grandmas ended up in the hospital.  We think they both had minor strokes.  They are both doing much better now, but it was a quick reminder that at 92 anything can happen.

Eleanore's Fuzzins

Eleanore does not have any human cousins yet, but she does have some furry cousins - so Jen coined the term "fuzzin".  Christopher has Cujo (bulldog), Ross and Jen have Roo (kitty), and Tara has Scoop and Casper (kitties) and Rocky (horse).

On our trip to Buffalo we introduced Eleanore to all of her Buffalo fuzzins including a trip to the barn to see Rocky.  Tara has had Rocky since she was 16 so he is a older gentle horse.  Tara put Eleanore up on him for her first horse ride (well, he took two steps, but that still counts!).

The photo above is Tara, Eleanore and Rocky, the photo below is Ross, Jen and her fuzzin Roo.

Oh, and for those of you that know Doobie and Pockets (my mom's kitties) - those are Eleanore's funcles.  Hehe.

Eleanore's First Beach Vacation

We just got back from a wonderful trip to North Carolina! It was Eleanore's first plane ride and she was great... slept almost the entire way there and back.

We flew into Raleigh and spent the first night at Patrick's house in Burlington. Before we left for the beach, Eleanore held court and was introduced to some of Patrick's parents' good friends. Then it was into the car for a 3.5 hour ride, a ferry to the island, and then a tram ride to the house. Again, Eleanore was a trooper - slept most of the way!

It was a very relaxing week, and I was able to catch up on some sleep.  Patrick's whole family was great with Eleanore.  Check out our Mac Gallery (link is on the left) to see more photos and videos.  The photo above here is Eleanore at the beach for the very first time.  The one below is a family portrait.

Patrick's First Father's Day

Parick is a poppa!  So we celebrated his very first Father's Day on Sunday.  We took a mystery ride to a brewing store and got him a starter kit to begin making his own beer (he made a batch with our friend Craig earlier this spring - they bottled the Friday before Eleanore was born).  Then we went to Excelsior and sat outside at Maynard's for a Walleye fish sandwich.  It was a beautiful day and we watched the boats on the water.  Eleanore was an angel and slept in her car seat.

My mom sent Patrick a tree and he planted it in the backyard - we will watch both the tree and little E grow.  The photo above is Patrick, Eleanore and the tree.  The photo below was also taken that night.

 

Visit from Grandpa Steve

My dad came to visit on June 6th.  He drove out from Buffalo, NY with a van full of stuff!  He brought the piano that Mimi gave my mom the day I was born; the grandfather clock; the Dicken's Village; and more!  He stayed for a long weekend and on his first day here we brought Eleanore to the Copper Kettle in Osseo for brunch.  It was my first meal in a restaurant in over a month!  And Eleanore's first time in a restaurant.  That Sunday we took a drive to South Mpls to Matt's Bar for Juicy Lucy's - Eleanore was a baby... in a bar!

I can't believe how big Eleanore is getting.  She is 9lbs, 2oz now.  You can see from the photo below that she is really working on getting her head up.  If you click the Mac Gallery link on the left of this page you can view a video.

Eleanore Photos

This child is going to have a very well documented life!  In just a few short weeks we have taken so many photos of her!  Maybe if she weren't so dang cute...