Thursday, June 26, 2008

Growing, weaning & eating more

Ethan will be 7 months next week! I just can't get over how time is flying by and how fast he is growing up. The other day I went and visited a friend who just had a baby a couple of weeks ago and it was so hard to believe that Ethan was that tiny not too long ago. I actually couldn't remember how it felt holding him when he was that tiny! It's amazing how the little things just slip by you but when you're in that stage of life all you can think of is how you want them to grow up. I'm trying to cherish the time I have with him now because I'm realizing how fast he is growing. The other day when I was nursing him I just rubbed his little arms and legs and tryed to take in that moment. Right now I'm actually trying to wean him and so I know that I'm not always going to have that special moment with him.
For the past 3 months I've been trying to get Ethan to take formula just so it would make it easier for me when I would leave the house, but he just would not take to it. Well my mom came for a visit and she was determined to get him to take formula. She started off giving him canned milk (which is what I was raised on as a kid) and Ethan hesitated for a while but eventually he took to it. After being persistent, he drank 8oz! That's the most he has ever drank! I was so suprised. So after a few bottles of canned milk we switched it to the ready made formula and he drank it right away. I was so estatic! Well as soon as my mom left that weekend, I fixed him a bottle of formula the next day and he would not drink it. Everyday for a week I would try and I would always get the same reaction from him. Not only was I having to nurse him but he was very moody and fussy. It seemed like he just wasn't happy unless I was holding him. I was having a hard time because he never acts this way. My first reaction was that he was teething and that it would eventually go away. Well my mom decided to come up for again for the weekend to watch Ethan while I went to work. I told her that I needed her to get him used to the formula again. After being very persistent and Ethan crying for about 20 min., he eventually drank it. While I was at work, she fed him the formula and he drank 6-80z and was the happiest baby all day long. So we came to the conclusion that he just wasn't getting full off of my milk so it caused him to be fussy. So now, I'm just trying to get adjusted to this new eating schedule. The hardest thing for me is deciding if it's even worth me nursing him anymore if he's not getting full. You would think he would eat more baby food if he was so hungry but that's not the case. He seems to go through fazes with the baby food. Some days he eats really well and some days he just eats a few bites. I'm assuming that one day he'll just take to it and want to eat more so I'm not trying to worry about it. There's no need to try and force him to eat more food right now b/c he'll eventually get to the point where milk just won't be satisfying to him and he'll want more food. So that's where we are right now...but the boy loves him some bananas. When all else fails, feed him some bananas!

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Ethan's 1st beach trip

Ethan went to Myrtle beach for the 1st time and loved it! He didn't really have a reaction at first and just kindof sat there and took it all in. After awhile he started to put his hands in the sand and would try and catch the waves as they came up on shore. It was soo cute. Ishmael had a great time interacting with him at the beach. Ish would lay Ethan on his boogie board and pull him around on the water. Every now and then it made me nervous thinking he was going to roll off the board when a big wave came. Thankfully Ish caught him in time! So I would say that Ethan enjoyed his time at the beach. He did get exhausted and had a hard time napping on the beach but he managed to get a cat nap in every now and then.
Ethan has started to eat really well and so far likes anything I give him. I thought he was going to be a picky eater like his daddy but I kept introducing it over and over and eventually he grew to like all the vegetables. Now I'm starting to give him fruits and I know he won't have a problem with those since they are much sweeter. As far as the sleeping goes... well, he got really spoiled on this beach trip because I didn't want to keep our friends up all night with him crying. But as soon as we got home I have been trying really hard to stick with his routine and to not nurse him when he wakes up in the middle of the night. Most of the time he's not hungry and just wants me to nurse him back to sleep. Last night he only woke up twice crying but he eventually fell back to sleep. So we are making progress! Hopefully this time he'll stick with it and not go back to his old ways! The boy is 6 months old and growing fast. I cannot believe he has hit the 6 month mark. It feels like just yesterday that he was a newborn and I was wishing he was 6 months old and now it's here!