All Done!

At 13 1/2 months, Ben is officially done nursing. It's been 5 days since he has had any milk, and he doesn't really seem to mind anymore. This is one of those bittersweet times, when I am happy to be past that part of babydom, but at the same time, I am going to miss it. I really enjoyed nursing (feels weird to say that in the past tense!), and Ben really enjoyed it too. I decided early last week that I wanted to try to get him off of that 5:00 feeding that he so stubbornly was holding onto. So I made sure our dinners were prepped and ready to just heat up when we got home so that he would be eating dinner ASAP in hopes that he would then be too full for milk. I still caved and gave him some those first few days after dinner, but after a few days he started to get the idea that milk wasn't going to be forthcoming as soon as we walked in the door, and then decided he didn't really care all that much, as long as the feeding got replaced with mucho cuddles. I think I can handle that! So that chapter of our lives is officially over. I guess now I can find out how big my boobs REALLY are! Ha ha! Is that TMI???

Let the Weaning Begin!

Well, it's not happening exactly how I planned it, but I have officially begun weaning Ben from the breast. What I had wanted to do was eliminate his evening feeding first, leaving only morning and bedtime. But as I have previously posted, that didn't go over very well. So until this week I have plugged along at 3 nursings a day. Most mornings I am awoken by my baby's cries for milk at about 5:00. It sounds bad, but that's the time he's been trained to wake up to eat. But on Tuesday, he didn't wake up. So I decided to let him sleep and go about my morning routine. He didn't wake up until 6:00, which is when I would be getting him up anyway (he would always go back to sleep for a bit after nursing). So I decided to forego nursing that morning and see how we did. He didn't even seem to notice. Today is day 3 of not nursing him in the morning. I'm really excited about having this feeding knocked out (assuming we continue down this path). This morning I was even able to get up and exercise a little bit which I have been wanting to do for a long time, but when do I have the time to do that? I am just hoping that my body quickly adjusts my milk production. By the time we get home from work, I am, shall we say, more than ready to feed him! We'll see how long it takes to get him off of me completely. I'm not in any huge hurry, but, in the words of my friend Robin, I am also ready for my body's part in all of this to be over.

Not Ready for Weaning

Now that Ben is officially one, I wanted to try to start weaning him from the breast to cow's milk. He has been drinking cows milk once a day for a couple weeks now, and does just fine with it. But this kid really loves nursing, which makes my heart soar! =) Our current nursing schedule gives him 3 nursings a day... 1st thing in the morning, right before dinner and right before bed. I wanted to try to cut out the early evening feeding on Monday, and try to give him milk with his dinner. But when I got home, all he was interested in was Mommy's milk. I tried giving him some cow's milk in a sippy cup, and he would have none of it. He pushed it away in utter disgust and then started poking at my shirt, as if trying to figure out how to get to those things he really wanted. So, of course I gave in! I don't want to take it away from him if he's not done with it. It feels nice to have that freedom to nurse if we want to, but if he doesn't, he can have cow's milk and it doesn't make a bit of difference. So I am going to just let him tell me when he's ready to wean, and enjoy this time with him while I still can! =)

The End of an Era

Today was quite the ceremonious day for me. It was my last day of pumping at work... and probably of pumping ever. YAY!!!! I am so excited to be done with pumping. It has been well worth the inconvenience. I can proudly say that Ben has never, and will never, have a drop of formula. With the milk I pumped today, he has enough to make it through the week. Then starting Monday, we'll have his daycare teachers give him a little whole milk in his cup. I figure starting on a little cow's milk a week early won't hurt him. I've given him a little once or twice, and he seems to dig it, and hasn't had any adverse reaction, so we should be in the clear. I plan to continue nursing for a little while longer, but probably not too much. I'm ready to have my body back.

Although it is a little bittersweet for me to think that nursing is coming to an end. In a way I feel that has defined me over the last year. Nursing has been my thing... my soapbox, if you will. I'm certainly not shy to talk about it. I feel such a sense of accomplishment (only 17% exclusively nurse - as in no formula - for the first year). I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to pump at work without a problem, because I know not everyone has that opportunity. My employers have been exceptionally supportive of it. But it is a relief to know that I can now carry my cute SMALL purse to work, instead of the ginormous backpack. Plus, I get my lunch hour back!

So long my friend Ameda Purely Yours. We've had some good times, but I'm glad to be done with you!

Not So Sweet Potato

To the casual observer, the above picture appears to be a small piece of au gratin potato, placed upon the end of an everyday fork. But to certain 3 year olds, this is much much more. This is a foreign object, unknown in origin. A substance that may cause great pain upon the taste buds and digestive system. An enemy so great that it should be avoided at all costs, even if that means spending 45 minutes at the table and forsaking bath toys and bedtime stories. So my friends, beware the au gratin potato. It may look tasty to you and I, but unknown evils must lurk within.

Big Boy Food!

I am so tired of buying baby food. They overtake my pantry, they're expensive and now that Ben is eating Stage 3's, there is very little selection. So I am now a woman on a mission. My mission, and I have chosen to accept it, is to have Ben totally off of baby food by his 1st birthday in 5 weeks. So far, we're doing really well. I think I have only fed him about 3 jars of baby food in the last week. He's still eating it at school, but our options there are limited, so we'll work on that one later. But at home, he's loving his new menu. I've decided that I'm going to just start giving him whatever we're eating. The first 2 nights, he had meatloaf and au gratin potatoes. He was in heaven, eating the whole thing! He's also eating grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese, cut up fruit, crackers, he even got to enjoy his first hot dog on the 4th of July. I hope to be able to introduce a wide array of foods to him and try to bypass some of the pickiness I (unbeknown to me at the time) helped to create in Joshua. Ben seems to be all about food (he gets that from his Mama) so I think we're looking good!

Sippy, Sippy!

I didn't think he would EVER do it, but Ben has finally decided to try drinking out of his own sippy cup. Yay! I was beginning to think he was going to want me to hold his cup for him forever! I guess one drawback to nursing is that he only gets one bottle a day and doesn't really get the chance to practice holding it himself very often. I knew he COULD do it.... he just WOULDN'T do it. The lazy bum! But the other day he started to show some interest in doing it himself. So, in order to encourage him, I broke down and got him a little bottle of juice (gasp!). I am not a fan of juice, but wanted to try to give him some way watered down incentive to put his little hands around that cup. It seems to have worked. He was double fisting the cup and taking swigs tonight. Go Ben!

Making Progress

Joshua has always been a very picky eater. Even when he was a little baby just starting solid foods, it was difficult to get him to eat. We had gotten into the very bad habit of making him his own separate dinner, usually comprised of either chicken nuggets, a hot dog or a grilled cheese. It has gotten to where that is all he will eat. There was a short time in there when he had gotten a little more adventurous, but that was short lived. We decided that we are done with all of that, and we want the habit to be broken by the time Ben is old enough for table foods. We think that Joshua needs to learn to eat what we are eating, so we have taken a pretty hard lined approach, giving him whatever we are eating, take it or leave it. It is also a benefit for us, because we end up eating a little healthier since we like him to get as many fruits and veggies in him as we can. For the first few nights, he ate most things but the main course (he loves fruits and veggies - even broccoli!). We have been able to coax him into a bite or two, but that's it. Then last night we had spaghetti. Josh decided he was going to eat it and did a great job. We're not sure if he tasted it and just really liked it, or if he is learning that if he doesn't eat what is in front of him, he doesn't eat. Whatever the reason, we were encouraged to see the progress. We'll see what tonight brings!

Rub a Dub Dub, Thanks for the Grub! Yay God!

Ben had been doing really well sleeping through the night, but right around 4 ½ months, he started waking up again and was definitely hungry. So, we decided to begin solid foods to give him a little more sustenance (and Mommy a little more sleep!). We started giving him rice cereal mixed with Mommy’s milk on Christmas day, and within a couple days, he was a pro at eating with the spoon. We then moved on to tastier fare, such as sweet potatoes, applesauce and even peas (make sure you check out the pictures on that one!). After we bumped him up to two solid meals a day, he again started sleeping through the night. Ben has turned into quite the little piggy. He’s now eating stage 2 sized jars of food, and is sometimes looking for more when he finishes those.... even after taking a full nursing right before eating. I guess we won’t have any trouble getting this one to eat. Must take after his mother!

Thanks For The Grub

Josh shows us how he prays for his breakfast each morning

Mmmmmm.... Yummy!

For the longest time, Joshua has had a VERY small menu of things that he would eat. The boy would have lived in chicken nuggets and goldfish crackers if he could. We couldn't even get him to taste anything that looked even remotely different from his normal cuisine. Then on Sunday, it was like a switch had been flicked and he decided he was going to eat anything and everything. On most Sundays, we go to Sam's Club after church for samples (kind of the poor man's Sunday Brunch). We usually offer Josh anything they have out to sample, and he just about always turns his nose up, unless it's cookies or any other tasty treat. But this past Sunday, whatever we offered him, was devoured! He had grilled chicken, clam chowder, pizza and many other things. Ever since then, he has decided to broaden is food horizons. We have actually been able to serve him whatever it is we are eating for dinner, and usually it is eaten, or at least tasted. Just another leap into Big-Boydom. It has been amazing to see the changes in him even since his birthday a few months ago. He's such a great kid!

Spoon Master

Joshua has perfected the art of eating with a spoon...

Hot Diggity Dog

Just a short clip of Joshua chowing down on a hot dog using a fork. Enjoy... he sure did!

Catchin' Up

So by now, anyone still reading this has lost all hope of getting a weekly update. Time and brain power definitely seem to be at a premium these days. The little man is ALL over the place. I love the kid to death, but dude, sit still for like 5 minutes! No wonder he's so skinny, he never stops moving =) But it is so cool to see him crawl all over the place, cruise on the furniture, pull himself up on absolutely everything, and to think that at one point all of us were doing the exact same things.

Joshua seems to have finally kicked cold #2 or 3 (can't remember how many he has had). Still has the remnants of a cough, but the rest of it seems much better. We also think that he may have had a mild case of roseola, which is very common and harmless. Basically they have a fever for a couple days, then a flat rash for a couple days, then it's done. The rash seems to have gone away, so we're not even going to bother with the doctor, especially since his 9 month appointment is on Monday anyways.

As you have probably figured out by the last post, we now have the ability to post videos online. I didn't say we had the time to download them from the camera and edit them, but we can certainly post them!

As far as development goes, he is moving right along. He is eating like a little piggy, mostly in the morning. He is eating about 18-20 ounces of baby food, 16-20 ounces of milk, and 2-3 ounces of water a day. He is still babbling, hasn't quite put words to objects yet. He is also finally holding bottles by himself. Apparently he has actually been doing this for a while, but he rarely gets a bottle at home, so we never really see it! On the downside, Joshua has discovered that he can hit things. It's cute when he hits his toys, his high chair tray... not so cute when it is our faces, the dog, a food-filled spoon, other kid's faces at daycare. Okay, so the last one is kind of funny, at least in the mental image sort of way. Oh, and we also think that he is working on teeth #'s 7 and 8.

Joshua still loves the light on the stairway landing. He has also discovered the joy of bubble baths, although I think Mommy enjoys them a little more than he does =) One of his new things is to carry a random toy around with him when he is crawling around.

I'm sure I am completely forgetting some things, but that is about all I can remember. New pictures are up, be sure to check 'em out!

Catchin' Up

Wow, it has been a long time since I have written anything. Something about a 5 month old saps your energy and along with it, your will to keep a blog updated. Here's the scoop since the last post:

Joshua has conquered Stage 1 baby food, and really seems to enjoy eating something besides breast milk. He's not suite sure of peas, but he still takes 'em down. No funny faces, much to my dismay. We tried to get him going on Stage 2 baby food, but he's not quite ready yet, still gags on it a little bit. But he is up to 3 solid meals a day, along with his milk. Brenda is still a trooper and we have yet to give the kid any formula.

He continues to develop physically at an amazing rate. He is now about 28.5 inches (98%) and about 16 pounds (50%). Yes, he is still long and skinny like his daddy. But he is starting to put a little bit of meat on his bones... you can't see the kid's ribs anymore, which is always nice. His two bottom teeth are all the way through, and didn't cause a ton of pain. However, the top right tooth is now coming in, and seems to be bugging him a little more. He's still taking it like a champ though, and luckily most of the discomfort has come during "awake" hours.

No crawling yet, but we are getting closer. He can extend his arms all the way on his stomach, and he can get his butt a good 6 inches off the floor, but he can't quite do both at the same time. Once he figures it out, we think he is going to be an active one. He sure seems to want to go places. Although he can't pull himself to sitting, he can sit up pretty much without supervision now. He still topples over every now and then, but he seems to have it mastered.

He went through a 3 week or so period where you heard nothing from him but grunts, groans, and screeches, earning him the nickname "Mongo". But he seems to be growing out of that, and has started babbling within the last few days.

I'm sure I am forgetting some things, but that is all I can think of at the moment. Keep on checking the pictures, we're keeping them updated. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Next Up...

Green beans! Yum. They looked ever so appetizing, that nice green, creamy paste. Gotta get me summa that. Anywho, Joshua has mastered the sweet potatoes, and we introduced green beans in to the diet last night. I don't think he liked them quite as much as sweet potatoes (or a store hanger for that matter), but he gobbled 'em down. He did crinkle his brow on a few bites, but we are still in search of the ever elusive squidgy baby face. He did, however, fall asleep mid-meal this morning.

I Yam What I Yam

Rice cereal was a big success, and he seems to have mastered the art of swallowing something that isn't breast milk. So this weekend, we hit Phase 2... real food! Well, real baby food. You probably won't see me crackin' open a jar of Gerber Phase 1 sweet potatoes. But J-Bird definitely loved 'em! He gobbled them down like nobody's business. We busted out the camera in hopes of catching an amusing facial expression, but he maintained a blank stare before and after that first taste. Initially we thought that maybe, like Bart Simpson on the NYC subway, he was born without taste buds. But that proved to be false when he licked a hanger at Babies R Us the next day and scrunched up his face in a look of disgust.

Oh, and in case anyone cares, and I am sure you don't, we are now referring to baby poo as "The Deuce". It's quite sad that we've talked about the deuce so much that we have started to come up with nicknames for it.

Yum Yum Yummy

Breast is best, but rice cereal is...uhhhh... ethereal? Anyways, on Sunday the J-Meister took another step towards big-boydom when he chowed down on some rice cereal. And a few spoonfuls of it even made it into his stomach. Most of it, however, ended up on his face, bib, and various other areas. I'm guessing that Copper will be warming up to him fairly soon, seeing as how he will have a little flavor now. He'll be doing 2 feedings of rice cereal a day for another week or so, and then we can bring on the Stage 1's. Pictures will definitely be updated frequently, as a sloppy baby is one of the great joys in life. That and reruns of Fresh Prince and Saved By The Bell.