i am so proud of how well lucy is doing with naps now that she's not nursing! prior to weaning, she had only been nursing a couple times per day [at most] for several months- before nap & bedtime- and that's only been if i was the one to put her down. 

since i'm the only one home with her during the week, i'm therefore the only one who does nap time on weekdays. i was afraid that naps were going to be a nightmare. not because she needs to nurse before nap, but because she is a creature of routine [just like her mama!] she wants & thrives in a predictable environment & does best when she knows exactly what to expect- & all she's ever ever known when she's with her mom, is that she nurses before nap time. [for the record, we're working on  flexibility- for both lucy AND mommy!]

lucy's never really liked cow's milk from the time we first introduced it at 12-13 months, which is perfectly fine with me. she eats plenty of dairy-rich foods throughout her day to compensate for the nutrition she would be getting from drinking milk, and in turn, she drinks a ton of water. my mom helped me brainstorm what to substitute for a special before nap or nighttime drink, and she's been loving having her "special milk" before going down. almond milk! she drinks a few sips, then hands me her cup & happily tells me "bye mommy!" before shooing me out of the room & reading or singing to herself until falling asleep :) i am SO fortunate that she enjoys this quiet time in her crib before sleeping [most days...]- otherwise i have no idea how i would manage eloise in these moments!

my personal autumn harvest- i grew them & tend to them [thousands of times] every day :)

it's national baby-wearing week- which means eloise & i look no different than any other week. 

& to honor the boys in blue who play again friday [i think...!?:)], my girls are sporting their own shades of blue :)

in this picture, lucy was sharing her babydoll with eloise. she kept saying "switch!" then would hand eloise the microphone & snatch her doll back. over & over & over... not bad for sharing for a just-turned-2 year old!

-ivy