We got back from Orlando this past Sunday and I'm already having major vacation withdrawal!
The weather was beautiful, just gorgeous! Sunny and blue skies all week long and super warm. Elliott was a great little traveller - I was a bit worried about our flight going there as it was SUPER early (6:30 am departure!) but he did fabulously. I was most nervous when we were standing in a never-ending winding line at customs (just before you get to the part where you take off your shoes and go through the detector) - he woke up from sleeping just as we were about 10 people away from talking to the U.S Customs official and there is no where you can go. Luckily for us, we just took off the blanket that was on his stroller so he could see us and he made it through just fine.
Once we were on the plane, we bf'd because if he didn't have something to eat he would totally freak out. He was fine but I felt a tad awkward as those seats are tight as it is with one person, nevermind baby trying to suck at your nipple. Sorry for the straightforwardness but that's what it is. LOL.
We also gave him .5 ml of aD.vil so that if there was any pain in his ears, it could help a little.Then, just as we were heading down the runway and we heard the engines rev up, we gave him a bottle so his ears wouldn't pop but after a few sucks - he fells asleep! We kept blowing on his face and shaking him so he would suck (which he did, to appease us I think hehe) and once we were at the max altitude, we just let him sleep. Slept for almost an hour (it was only a 2 1/2 hr flight) and then woke up, ate a bit and played the rest of the time. It was bliss. Coming back home was a WHOLE other story. He had missed his nap and would not fall asleep, and even worse, would NOT take a paci or bottle as we were descending. Instead, we had a wailing, screaming, squirming baby for a good 10 minutes. I even whipped out my boob at one point (no cover) just to see if it would help calm him down. Nope. Finally, I gave him to my hubby and he was able to pat him and calm him down - and then he just zonked out right on his shoulder. I didn't even want to look at anybody because I could just imagine what they were thinking! I think one of the worst things (as a single person) was sitting next to a screaming baby with no where to go! Oh well - we made it through and all is good :)
The rest of the trip was great with the exceptions of a few meltdowns-vomit-in-car situations but looking back now it just made the trip that much more memorable :) My favorite moment was sitting on a beach chair at Daytona Beach with Elliott sleeping in my arms, watching the waves crash and kids laughing and playing. We didn't do Disney as we want his first time to be one that he would truly appreciate and enjoy it. I can't wait to see the look in his eyes when we get to tell him one day that we are taking him to meet Mickey!
Thanks for your comments and feedback on my last post about drying up. I have continued to put him at the breast as much as I can but alas, my supply is just not keeping up with his demand. I am going to do it for as long as I can, but now that we're doing solids as well, I'm thinking our bf'ing time might end soon rather than later. :(
Oh! and Elliott turned 6 months - holy cow - 6 MONTHS! I think back to this time last year and I remember praying every month - please God, let us make it another month, and another, etc. Now that I see how interactive he is, how curious he is about the world around him - the babbling and the laughing - I am so thankful that he is growing up so well and each month of his life outside of my tummy is a constant reminder of what a blessing he is!
Here are a few pics from our trip!
Elliott has his first taste of solids this past Sunday. Just plain ol' rice cereal. He LOVED it! We couldn't keep up fast enough with the spoon he was practically lunging at it and using his hand on our wrist to bring it to him faster. Oh man this kid is so funny.
We got the whole thing on video and it cracks me up every time I watch it. I had put a baby food processor on my baby registry so I can't wait to start making some food for him down the road - hopefully he likes all kinds of food just as much as his mommy! :)
My goal with breastfeeding was to do it as long as I could, and when we first started - I have to be honest - I didn't enjoy it. The dryness, the pain, the twisting, the yanking - let's face it, it wasn't exactly the sweet gentle bonding time that I had envisioned.
Then things got better little by little. E learned how to latch properly, he wasn't as frantic just before I put him on the breast as he was before, and when we had a good nursing session going, it was wonderful. I even enjoyed those wee morning hours when it was just me and him, mother and son. Calm, quiet, peaceful.
But now it seems that I am either drying up and/or his appetite has increased to the point where I cannot keep up. I have to admit, it's partly my fault as I haven't pumped in a long time and he's been eating from a bottle 3 times a day. So of course we would get to this point. Now that we're here though, I don't want to wean him off so quickly because I still like the convenience of being able to whip it out and not having to wait to warm a bottle. Lately, before we give him a bottle, I will put him on the breast first, and then after his 'appetizer' we move onto the bottle. There is definitely not enough breastmilk to satisfy him - but I'm doing it so that I don't lose it completely. Our feeding goes like this: 1st feed - breast; 2nd-feed, breast and bottle, 3rd feed-breast and bottle; 4th feed - breast, 5th feed-bottle - 6th(last) feed-breast. With this 'system' of feeding, he still sleeps 11-12 hours each night.
So the question is, to help with keeping my milk, would Fenugre.ek or Ble.ssed Th.istle work in my situation or is it just at the beginning for mothers who need to get their milk production going?
In other new news, we are going away to Orlando (!) for our first family vacation together and I am trying to get everything in order - I feel like there is so much to bring for just one tiny little baby!
Oh, and today is my birthday! I woke up this morning to my little guy laughing in his crib. Let's just say: Best Present. Ever. ;)
So I had been waiting for E to reach this milestone of rolling from back to tummy since it's around the 5-6 month marker for most babies but now that it's happened - it's totally freaking me out!
Yesterday morning he woke up earlier than usual, around 6 am - so I fed him and put him back to bed, only to find him crying 20 mins later as he had rolled onto his tummy and was frustrated because he didn't know how to roll back.
So I know this will only be temporary until he learns and masters the "from-tummy-to-back" skill but I had a hard time falling asleep last night because I kept thinking he would cry any minute because he had flipped and didn't know what to do. He woke up once around 5 am and I went to check in on him and he was yep, on his tummy. Rolled him back and he fussed quietly for a few minutes and then back to sleep. He is still sleeping from 8pm to about 730-8am so I'm really hoping this whole rolling thing doesn't interfere too much with his awesome sleeping.
We are trying to teach him to roll back so hopefully he gets it soon - but man, stressful times! I can't even imagine when he learns to crawl and push himself up....tell me this gets easier!
