New Beginnings

It's hard to believe that my baby is 5 1/2 months ALREADY!! It has gone by so fast that I can barely remember these past few months, it's just blurry. I am trying to slow things down and take more time for "the little things". I do not believe in holding them back from milestones and if they are ready, then they are ready.

Today, was the first day Little Man had solids. To backtrack a little, I am on day 14 of dairy, egg and gluten free. He has had only two bottles of frozen milk within these two weeks that could have potentially be laced with dairy, egg and/or gluten. His spit up has reduced significantly and he is pooping every other day or at least every two days. Before, it had been every 4-6 days with super stinky gas. Although the pediatrician's office assured me that once a week pooping for an exclusively breastfed baby could be normal, I had to try something. His fussiness increased the longer he went between poops.

With this improvement, I would assume his random fussiness with feedings and at night would also improve. My theory was that his "constipation" or his tummy being irritated from the offending food was causing the fussiness with feedings. Unfortunately, his fussiness has INCREASED since being on this elimination diet. He has had nights where it took us/me one to two hours to get to sleep at bed time. He is more restless throughout the night and he has started waking early. Last week, the 4 and 5 am wake times I believe were because he was hungry. This week.....habit. :( Two nights ago, I put the pacifier back in (reluctantly - would rather be pacifier free at this point), three times between 4 and 6 am, then I fed him at 6 am. He did not act hungry, just had trouble settling himself down to get back to sleep. Oh, the accidental parenting I am probably doing!!

Last night though, was totally different. He ate well at 7:30 pm last night and was a little restless going down, but soothed himself to sleep. He woke up screaming at midnight and 2 am. He did not seem hungry and did not burp, but again used the pacifier and he finally went back to sleep until 5:50 am, which is when I fed him. I am at a loss for what happened last night. I guess we will see how tonight goes.

So back to the original story, I decided it was probably time to give him solids to help with the next growth spurt. He will go a few weeks of sleeping until 6 or 6:30 am and then the growth spurt hits and it is 4 and 5 am. I am afraid that the elimination diet caused a decrease in calories in my milk which made him hungrier in the beginning. I am trying to get more calories in and be more diligent with getting a full feed in each time so he gets the hind milk and doesn't snack.

Solid foods is going to add a whole new dimension to our routine. He took to the sweet potatoes well. Pushed the food out with his tongue the first few bites, but then wanted more and opened his mouth wide, even grabbed the spoon. The plan is to try sweet potatoes for about 4 days and then try a new food. I should be able to tell if it affects his spit up or poop in 4 days.

Baby Girl on the other hand wants to eat his food. She tends to want what is on my plate and once she sees vegetables, she doesn't want any meat. No, her wanting vegetables is not a problem, but not eating protein is a problem. Today, I had her food ready, but then when I brought out his sweet potatoes, she only wanted that. Instead of fighting, I got her a portion of her own sweet potatoes. She was happy. He was happy. She didn't eat very much meat, but oh well, she normally makes up for it at dinner. This is where we pay for my husband's pickiness. I was a picky eater, but from the stories I have heard, I think he was/is worse than me. She will hold out.....meaning, she has taken a nap before with nothing for lunch except maybe a cracker. This rarely happens as I try to ward off any meltdowns and reason with her so that we are both happy. Her independence is amazing and I love it. That does not mean it is easy to manage. I manage by giving her choices so that she feels she is making the decision without loosing control of those choices....make sense? Ha! I believe in structure and setting limits/boundaries. She HAS to listen to me, BUT I also have to work with her personality, not against it. The struggle is knowing what that looks like. 

I am glad the first day of solids was a success. Hopefully his tummy also agrees. It just feels really soon to start him on solids. It feels like we just brought him home from the hospital. It doesn't seem like I have been at home, not working, for 7 1/2 months. They are not lying when they say "time flies." Staying at home is challenging in so many ways, but rewarding in so many more. As I was thinking today about my frustrations with his randomness, I am so thankful I am not working. Today, I did not wish to be somewhere else, unlike if I was at a job, I know that I would wish I wasn't working.