Sorry I've been such a slacker about posting. I guess now that I've had my baby, I don't want to post much about how each milestone is bittersweet... never knowing if I'll experience this with another child, but so absolutely grateful that I can experience it once.
Elias is just developing by leaps & bounds. He's so freaking hilarious & cute! Even when I'm @ my wit's end & just wanna cry, he somehow manages to melt me all over again with a HUGE-GOOFY-HALF-OF-HIS-FACE grin! It's awesome.
He's almost 4.5 months old now. Umm, seriously!?
He's been rolling over from his back to his belly for about a month now, but has just begun rolling from his belly to his back. And apparently this is out of the norm. They usually do this the other way around. He doesn't care for tummy time, so unless we hang out with him & cheer him on & smile @ him with lots of encouragement... he fusses on his tummy! Like tonight, he fell asleep on his side (his preferred position of sleep), flipped in his sleep, then woke up & cried because he was on his tummy.
We are still exclusively breastfeeding. In the beginning, I would say the first 6wks or so, I didn't enjoy it at all. I think I was half angry at the baby because b'feeding hurt so much. And I felt like he ALWAYS needed to eat. I was so sleep deprived & upset about having to wake up every 2-3 hours, take the baby into the living room, pump or latch him, deal with the screaming, etc etc. I kept pushing myself to do it just one more week... one more day... try another day...
Then, around 6-7wks of age, it started clicking. This was a collision of several factors that I attribute to this becoming easier: Elias began sleeping through the night; we began side-lying b'feeding; the lecture portion of nursing school was over; & b'feeding stopped hurting. Even when he latched.
Since then, b'feeding has become exponentially more enjoyable. I appreciate that I am the only one able to provide for his nutritional needs. I am marvelled at the fact that my body has been empowered to nourish & support another human being from conception to 4.5mths old. I mean, it's pretty freaking amazing, right?! I adore the giggles & coos & "talking" as Elias stops his feeding long enough to connect with me. I love being able to soothe him to sleep or calm his anxiety. I get it now... the overwhelming emotional, physical, & hormonal connection that accompanies b'feeding.
At his 4mth appointment, the doctor cleared him to start solids whenever we want to. I don't feel as though he's ready yet. He's not showing signs of interest & I've attempted giving him little bits here & there. I'm planning to wait until 6mths to start him on solids. We'll see how he leads.
"In the meantime", I completed nursing school! I am officially a graduate nurse & am studying to take the NCLEX to become a registered nurse!!
I have also recently found some mommy groups in the area that I'm excited about meeting up with. I've been thinking about creating my own group as many friends have had babies in the past year or so. I'll letcha know how it all comes out after the next couple of meetings... I plan to attend at least two in the next week and a half.
Oh, one more thing, I'm a MINIVAN MOM! :)
So, without further adou, here's some pictures of the little munchkin...
{He looks thrilled doesn't he? But, really, he loves his Bumbo!}This was from today...
{He is definitely his Momma's baby; he has so many crazy expressions! He's even got a bit of a Blue Steele streak in him! LOL}And just a picture that I thought was cute from last weekend of his diapers drying on the line. We do cloth diapers during the day, then disposables during the night & when we're out & about.
And guess what?! N's new insurance (kicking in around March-ish) has IF coverage! That means we may have another chance at a kid or two more! What a blessing, huh!? I'm hoping he'll agree to cycling this summer, but then we'll probably still be b'feeding, so maybe early 2011! How exciting! And, yes, I definitely still want more kids!
