Breast Feeding

I have been breastfeeding and bottle feeding Bethie since she was a week old, and I am determined to get her back on breast milk only. It started when she was losing weight and so we had to supplement with formula and pumped breast milk so that we could make sure she was eating enough. Now, she knows that the bottle is quicker than the breast, so when she gets hungry enough, she refuses to nurse and needs a bottle. Several people have told me to just make her take the breast, but I've tried that and I just can't bear for her to be hungry and crying.

I rented a hospital-grade pump from the hospital for a month, and I've been drinking Mother's Milk herbal tea. So far, I've been pumping a lot more than I was, so I'm hoping that this will help us get rid of the formula entirely. Bethie can still have a bottle, but I want to be able to give her breast milk.

Please know that I have absolutely nothing against formula, it's just that I am too stubborn and have to try everything I can before I give in. Right now, Bethie is getting about 50% - 80% breast milk and the rest is formula, so I am grateful that she's even getting that much. I just feel like I have to try and do better for my Little Bird! The first picture is from when she was three days old, and the other is from this week, so you can see my baby is growing up way too fast as it is! :-)

Time is Flying!

Time is just going by way too fast. Elizabeth will officially be 3 months old on Sunday. My baby isn't a baby anymore! She coos and grins at us and is trying to figure out how to laugh. She almost has it but she can't make the separate sounds, so we hear "Ahhhhhhhhh!" when she thinks something is funny. She likes to stick out her tongue now, too, which makes us laugh. She truly is a little burst of sunshine.

Awwww . . .

This is why Elizabeth was named after a Disney princess. She looks about to break into song while the woodland animals flutter happily around her. She just breaks my heart!

Hands

I took this picture of Jeff's hand with Bethie's, and I just had to share it.

Fussy Days and Wet Cribs

Bethie survived her shots, although we did have a pretty long, fussy week. I think more may have been going on than just the shots, as she was very clingy all week and I could hardly put her down. I read about something called "Wonder Weeks" in which babies at this age start making rapid strides in development, but it is confusing for them and so they become fussy and clingy. That pretty much summed up our week, but it could have also been a growth spurt or a little cold, or a thousand other things. In any case, she is much happier this week, and able to amuse herself for short periods of time so that I can get things done around here.

She woke up in the middle of the night the other night, something she hardly ever does anymore, and I fond her soaked through. The sheets were wet as well as the mattress pad, and I couldn't figure out what had happened. I went to change her, and discovered that she was not wearing a diaper!! Jeff had gotten her ready for bed that night and was playing with her on the changing table. He zipped her into her sleeper without realizing that he hadn't replaced the diaper, and so guess who was doing laundry at 3:30 am. :-) It was pretty funny, and this is the second time it has happened. The first time wasn't over night though, and she peed all over me before we realized she was missing a diaper. Hopefully we don't have "strike three", because I don't know how funny it will be next time!

Shots

Poor Bethie had to have her first round of baby shots today. It wouldn't have been so bad for her except that we ended up waiting so long for the doctor and then the shot tech. The nurse had me undress Bethie, we waited a good 20 - 30 minutes for the doctor, and then we had to wait another 15 minutes or so for the tech. Since we had waited in the waiting room for a good while before all of this, by the time the tech was ready for her, Bethie was cold, wet, and hungry. Add to that the utter injustice of having to have three shots and an oral vaccine, and she was not a happy little girl. We had to wait after the shots to see if she would have any reactions, so I got her changed, dressed, and wrapped in a warm blanket before I nursed her. By the time we got the okay to leave, Bethie was sound asleep. I have been giving her baby Tylenol every 4 hours so she has been sleeping for much of the day, but she cries if you touch her thighs so I know they hurt. We're going to try warm compresses when she wakes up to see if that helps, hopefully she will feel much better tomorrow.

My First Mother's Day

I am sure it will come as no surprise to hear that I have been fighting tears all day. First, I am celebrating a holiday that I never thought would be mine to celebrate, and second, Jeff and Bethie have been wonderful and making me feel very special.

Yesterday, Jeff came home with roses and chocolate, and then this morning I got some very thoughtful gifts. Not only did Bethie sign my card with her hand print (Jeff had quite a time with that one, I'm sure. The girl likes to flail her arms!), but I received a beautiful necklace that says "Mom". I also got a picture frame that says "Mommy and Me", into which I put my favorite picture of Bethie and I. After all of that, Jeff made me a huge breakfast which was delicious, and I got to take TWO naps today. It was a terrific day, and I am so grateful that I have a daughter and a husband with whom I can share these holidays.