This is the kind of thing that really ticks me off: http://www.newser.com/story/114737/study-breastfeeding-mothers-seen-as-less-competent.html. The gist of the story is that men and women view breastfeeding moms as less competent than other women in general, and specifically less competent in math. Are you kidding me?
As for the math part, well, you got me there. I'm no math whiz and you'll never catch me saying otherwise. But that was true well before motherhood came on the scene. And given that lawyers aren't known for our math skills, I guess I have good company ;)
As for competence, first of all, why would choosing to nurse mark me as less capable than if I had chosen to feed formula? For the record, I don't judge the formula feeders; formula is a viable option for women who can't nurse, and the most important ingredient for a child's health is love. Nursing moms don't have the monopoly on that.
But, anyone who wants to talk about nursing moms being incompetent, walk a day, a week, or 8 months in my shoes and get back to me. You'll be waking up by 5 every weekday, nursing twice a day, pumping four times a day, and putting in a full day's work. Sound tough? It is. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat. My baby's worth all that and more.
More importantly though, it's sad to think that people really view nursing moms so negatively, because I've never felt more competent than I do now as a mom. I've accomplished a lot of things in my 32 years that I'm proud of, but knowing that I can grow, protect, and deliver a life into the world and then nurture him with the most perfect food nature can provide is the most satisfying, empowering accomplishment of all. There's no greater feeling that knowing I can satisfy his needs so completely, and I already know I'll miss it once that stage of life is past.
I'm glad to see several high-profile celebrities lately make a point of proudly saying that they breastfeed. These women can outsource nearly every detail of their lives, and they still choose to reserve this most important task for themselves. And for all their money and fame, they have no advantage over the rest of us there, no shortcuts. I think their example says a lot.
I believe that in order to reverse this unfortunate stereotype we nursing moms need to encourage and support other moms who choose to do this. Not look down at those who don't, but help lift up those who do. A few weeks ago a lady in my office saw me walking with my pump bag. I don't recall that we had ever spoken before, but she stopped to tell me how much she admired that I was still nursing even after returning to work. It was just a moment's conversation but it made my day.
Now whenever I walk through the building with my bag, I like to think that I'm silently serving as an example that you can be a mom and a capable worker. Maybe seeing that I can make it work will encourage the next new mom to try it too. Or at least not to view those of us who do as incompetent.
Ok, off the soapbox and off to bed...
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
How to succeed at pumping without really trying (ok, with a lot of trying!)
Recently several new mom friends have asked me for advice on how to pump enough milk for their babies. So, I decided it was time to write about how I’ve done it, both so I can remember for the next child and so it may be helpful for other moms.
I didn’t set out trying to become the pumping guru. I just wanted to nurse my son till at least age one, and as a full-time working mom I knew that would necessarily involve some quality time with a breast pump. How has it worked out for me? Well, 7 ½ months in, my son is still exclusively breastfed except for one solid meal a day. He hasn’t touched a drop of formula since my milk came in on his 3rd day of life. I pump enough that not only do I meet his daily needs, but I have over 300 ounces of frozen milk stored for him. And that’s not counting the 400+ ounces I’ve pumped and donated to a milk bank. So, in my book that’s a success. And now, in the words of Hans and Franz, I'm ready to pump...YOU UP!
Disclaimers
I must point out that I had many things work in my favor. First, Daniel was a full term baby and has always been quite healthy. Second, he started sleeping through the night very early, going 5-6 hours by one month old and allowing me to build up my stash. Third, he spent his first 5 days in the NICU, which turned out to be a breastfeeding blessing in disguise because it enabled me to have 3 sessions with lactation consultants and led me to start pumping earlier and for him to get bottles sooner than planned. I had intended to nurse exclusively for the first few weeks to avoid nipple confusion, but since he seemed to take to nursing well in spite of the bottles we decided to give him one or two bottles a night from the get-go.
Finally, and most importantly, my husband helped out a lot in the evenings while Daniel was a newborn. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, a supportive husband makes a world of difference, and mine has always been very supportive of breastfeeding and happy to do what he can to help. While Daniel doesn’t need night-time parenting much anymore, Kevin is still a great hands-on dad and Daniel and I are both very lucky. Once I started back to work, having a supportive office and supportive boss has been very important too.
That said, here’s what I’ve done, from the newborn days to the early months back at work to my current strategy:
The early weeks
In the newborn days, I nursed for every feeding during the day, but Kevin took 2 feedings in a row at night by bottle so I had about 6 hours of “off-duty” time every night. I’d pump right before going to bed and then wake up 3 hours later to pump again, so I was pumping at least as much as Daniel was eating in his 2 bottles and usually a little extra. Waking up to pump was faster than feeding him, changing him, and getting him back to sleep, so I got some rest, and about one night a week I’d just pump before bed and sleep through, since I had enough stored up to cover that extra bottle he’d take. Kevin had some long nights and sleepy days at work, but he never complained. Neither of us was especially well-rested, but neither of us was exhausted either, thanks to our team approach.
Initially I was just pumping slightly more than he needed but once he started sleeping 5-6 hours at a stretch, I continued to get up for that mid-night pump session to build up my stash. After about 2 months I quit waking up to pump but I still pump right before going to bed, more for comfort than supply at this point.
Back to work
I started back when Daniel was 12 weeks old. For my first 2 ½ months back, Kevin was home on paternity leave, which was great for all of us. I was typically working from 7:30-4 every day, and my feeding and pumping schedule looked like this:
5:00am nurse Daniel
6:45 pump while brushing teeth, etc., yielding 1-4oz total
10 pump at work, yielding 3-4 oz per side
2pm pump at work, yielding 3-4oz per side
4:30 nurse Daniel
7 nurse Daniel
10 pump while getting ready for bed, yielding 2-6oz total
Daniel’s daytime feedings consolidated into 2 7oz bottles, one mid-morning, one early afternoon. My work pump sessions cover his daytime needs, the home pump sessions were to pad the stash and maintain supply. After awhile I started pumping for a local mother’s milk bank on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and for Daniel on Tuesday and Thursday so I can use some of our frozen stash.
Current schedule
Once January rolled around Kevin went back to work and his mother started keeping Daniel during the day. And I started a compressed work schedule working 8-530 most days and getting every other Monday off to spend home with Daniel. My current schedule looks like this:
6am nurse Daniel
7 pump while getting ready
11 pump at work
3pm pump at work
630 feed solids
730 nurse Daniel
10 pump while getting ready for bed
Tips to maximize supply
A few things that have helped me, and may help others:
I didn’t set out trying to become the pumping guru. I just wanted to nurse my son till at least age one, and as a full-time working mom I knew that would necessarily involve some quality time with a breast pump. How has it worked out for me? Well, 7 ½ months in, my son is still exclusively breastfed except for one solid meal a day. He hasn’t touched a drop of formula since my milk came in on his 3rd day of life. I pump enough that not only do I meet his daily needs, but I have over 300 ounces of frozen milk stored for him. And that’s not counting the 400+ ounces I’ve pumped and donated to a milk bank. So, in my book that’s a success. And now, in the words of Hans and Franz, I'm ready to pump...YOU UP!
Disclaimers
I must point out that I had many things work in my favor. First, Daniel was a full term baby and has always been quite healthy. Second, he started sleeping through the night very early, going 5-6 hours by one month old and allowing me to build up my stash. Third, he spent his first 5 days in the NICU, which turned out to be a breastfeeding blessing in disguise because it enabled me to have 3 sessions with lactation consultants and led me to start pumping earlier and for him to get bottles sooner than planned. I had intended to nurse exclusively for the first few weeks to avoid nipple confusion, but since he seemed to take to nursing well in spite of the bottles we decided to give him one or two bottles a night from the get-go.
Finally, and most importantly, my husband helped out a lot in the evenings while Daniel was a newborn. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, a supportive husband makes a world of difference, and mine has always been very supportive of breastfeeding and happy to do what he can to help. While Daniel doesn’t need night-time parenting much anymore, Kevin is still a great hands-on dad and Daniel and I are both very lucky. Once I started back to work, having a supportive office and supportive boss has been very important too.
That said, here’s what I’ve done, from the newborn days to the early months back at work to my current strategy:
The early weeks
In the newborn days, I nursed for every feeding during the day, but Kevin took 2 feedings in a row at night by bottle so I had about 6 hours of “off-duty” time every night. I’d pump right before going to bed and then wake up 3 hours later to pump again, so I was pumping at least as much as Daniel was eating in his 2 bottles and usually a little extra. Waking up to pump was faster than feeding him, changing him, and getting him back to sleep, so I got some rest, and about one night a week I’d just pump before bed and sleep through, since I had enough stored up to cover that extra bottle he’d take. Kevin had some long nights and sleepy days at work, but he never complained. Neither of us was especially well-rested, but neither of us was exhausted either, thanks to our team approach.
Initially I was just pumping slightly more than he needed but once he started sleeping 5-6 hours at a stretch, I continued to get up for that mid-night pump session to build up my stash. After about 2 months I quit waking up to pump but I still pump right before going to bed, more for comfort than supply at this point.
Back to work
I started back when Daniel was 12 weeks old. For my first 2 ½ months back, Kevin was home on paternity leave, which was great for all of us. I was typically working from 7:30-4 every day, and my feeding and pumping schedule looked like this:
5:00am nurse Daniel
6:45 pump while brushing teeth, etc., yielding 1-4oz total
10 pump at work, yielding 3-4 oz per side
2pm pump at work, yielding 3-4oz per side
4:30 nurse Daniel
7 nurse Daniel
10 pump while getting ready for bed, yielding 2-6oz total
Daniel’s daytime feedings consolidated into 2 7oz bottles, one mid-morning, one early afternoon. My work pump sessions cover his daytime needs, the home pump sessions were to pad the stash and maintain supply. After awhile I started pumping for a local mother’s milk bank on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and for Daniel on Tuesday and Thursday so I can use some of our frozen stash.
Current schedule
Once January rolled around Kevin went back to work and his mother started keeping Daniel during the day. And I started a compressed work schedule working 8-530 most days and getting every other Monday off to spend home with Daniel. My current schedule looks like this:
6am nurse Daniel
7 pump while getting ready
11 pump at work
3pm pump at work
630 feed solids
730 nurse Daniel
10 pump while getting ready for bed
Tips to maximize supply
A few things that have helped me, and may help others:
- Invest in a good double automatic pump. I’ve got the Medela Pump in Style Advanced Metro and it’s more than paid for itself. A cheap manual pump like the Medela Harmony is a good back-up or occasional use pump but for heavy pumping the PISA is a must.
- Get or make a pumping bra that holds the bottles so you can pump hands-free. I made one by cutting holes in an old sports bra. Being able to pump while brushing teeth, putting on makeup, etc, is a great time-saver.
- When you pump at work, rinse the pump parts with water between sessions then steam clean them at home. The Medela cleaning bags work but the Dr. Brown’s bottle sterilizer holds more and can be reused indefinitely.
- If you have an iPhone, invest in the Milk Maid app. It keeps track of pumping times and amounts and lets you track moving it from one location to another and from bottles to bags for freezing.
- Drink LOTS of water. Milk is made up mostly of water and while mornings are many women’s most productive pump time, I find I get more in the afternoons at work, probably because I drink so much water or tea throughout the day.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
7 month update
Hard as it is to believe, Daniel is already 7 months old! As I think back on the past month or so, I realize we've had several big changes.
First, here's his 7 month "birthday" picture:
Eating
We introduced Daniel to solids around his 6-month birthday and have been gradually expanding the offerings. So far sweet potatoes, bananas, and multigrain cereals have gone over well. He was initially less enthused about zucchini squash but seemed to like it better as the week went on and as I mixed it with not just breastmilk but also a little cereal. I think going forward with new veggies I'll start out just mixing it about 50/50 with milk and cereal and gradually decrease the cereal portion as he gets used to the veggie. When we first started solids Daniel needed a little help getting the hang of how to use a spoon but now he eagerly leans forward with his mouth open to take it.
Breastmilk is still the majority of his diet, as it should be for a 7 month old, but over the next month I think we'll try to work up to 2 solid feedings a day. So far solids are just a supplement to milk feedings not a replacement for them, but as the year goes on solids will become a bigger part of his diet. In the meantime he's still nursing like a champ and taking two 7oz bottles during the day.
Sleeping
Not much change on this front. He still sleeps wonderfully through the night almost every night and naps pretty well most days. His wakeful interval has been about 2 hours since his newborn days but now sometimes seems to be able to go a little longer to 2 1/2-3 hours at a time. We're still on a 2 nap a day schedule though and hopefully will be for a few more months at least.
Skills and developments
As the last post mentioned, Daniel now has his second tooth. I can't tell yet where the third one will come through so I don't think it's imminent but you never know.
First, here's his 7 month "birthday" picture:
Eating
We introduced Daniel to solids around his 6-month birthday and have been gradually expanding the offerings. So far sweet potatoes, bananas, and multigrain cereals have gone over well. He was initially less enthused about zucchini squash but seemed to like it better as the week went on and as I mixed it with not just breastmilk but also a little cereal. I think going forward with new veggies I'll start out just mixing it about 50/50 with milk and cereal and gradually decrease the cereal portion as he gets used to the veggie. When we first started solids Daniel needed a little help getting the hang of how to use a spoon but now he eagerly leans forward with his mouth open to take it.
Breastmilk is still the majority of his diet, as it should be for a 7 month old, but over the next month I think we'll try to work up to 2 solid feedings a day. So far solids are just a supplement to milk feedings not a replacement for them, but as the year goes on solids will become a bigger part of his diet. In the meantime he's still nursing like a champ and taking two 7oz bottles during the day.
Sleeping
Not much change on this front. He still sleeps wonderfully through the night almost every night and naps pretty well most days. His wakeful interval has been about 2 hours since his newborn days but now sometimes seems to be able to go a little longer to 2 1/2-3 hours at a time. We're still on a 2 nap a day schedule though and hopefully will be for a few more months at least.
Skills and developments
As the last post mentioned, Daniel now has his second tooth. I can't tell yet where the third one will come through so I don't think it's imminent but you never know.
The biggest news on the skill front is that Daniel is beginning to crawl. Last Monday he got up on his hands and knees for the first time. Tuesday he learned how to rock back and forth. Friday he was on the bath mat before his bath and while trying to move forward, he scooted himself backwards off the mat, out the bathroom doors and into the bedroom. And Sunday night...well, he did this:
Yes, we have a crawler now! Excited and a little nervous to see what lies in store this week as he gets better at it. One thing's for sure, we need to babyproof ASAP!
A few more pictures
 |
| Yum, bananas! |
 |
| Yay, I'm crawling now! |
Friday, February 4, 2011
Snow days!
It's been an interesting week here. Last weekend was gloriously warm and Monday was pretty nice too, but the rest of the week has been COLD. Cold weather + precip Monday night=ice on the roads, so my office and Kevin's, following the lead of most local school districts, was closed on Tuesday...and Wednesday...and today. We both went in to work on Thursday, Kevin for the full day, me for a delayed start and early exit. I had to use some vacation time to do that, but since I was dropping Daniel off at Grandma's and then taking him home I felt safer avoiding the traffic. Kevin had to work from home all 3 days but I was home free just enjoying a few extra days home with Daniel.
It turned out to be a momentous week as Daniel cut his second tooth, alongside the first one in the bottom middle. I see him licking it with his tongue a lot so he's obviously still getting used to these new sharp things in his mouth. I'll miss that cute gummy baby smile but it's exciting to see him hit this new milestone.
Here's a picture of Daniel and me exploring our snowy sidewalk and yard:
And here we are inside where it's warm. Daniel's staying warm in a jacket my mom (Mimi to Daniel) gave him for Christmas. Note the cute bear ears! And if you look closely, you'll see tooth #1.
Sweet potatoes for my sweet potato
After getting less than enthusiastic responses to avocado and green beans we decided to go back to sweet potatoes to help Daniel get the hang of eating solid foods before branching out again to something new. He seems to like sweet potatoes pretty well so far though milk is still far and away his favorite food.
Canada, eh!
In August 2009 Kevin and I traveled to Lake Louise, Banff, and Jasper, Canada with my family. While we were in Jasper we saw a little onesie we thought was so cute we had to get it for a future little Williamson to wear someday. Now Daniel has grown into it and it looks really cute on him. And the baseball cap he's got on looks like a beret for some reason giving him quite the international flair:
It turned out to be a momentous week as Daniel cut his second tooth, alongside the first one in the bottom middle. I see him licking it with his tongue a lot so he's obviously still getting used to these new sharp things in his mouth. I'll miss that cute gummy baby smile but it's exciting to see him hit this new milestone.
Here's a picture of Daniel and me exploring our snowy sidewalk and yard:
And here we are inside where it's warm. Daniel's staying warm in a jacket my mom (Mimi to Daniel) gave him for Christmas. Note the cute bear ears! And if you look closely, you'll see tooth #1.
 |
Sweet potatoes for my sweet potato
After getting less than enthusiastic responses to avocado and green beans we decided to go back to sweet potatoes to help Daniel get the hang of eating solid foods before branching out again to something new. He seems to like sweet potatoes pretty well so far though milk is still far and away his favorite food.
Canada, eh!
In August 2009 Kevin and I traveled to Lake Louise, Banff, and Jasper, Canada with my family. While we were in Jasper we saw a little onesie we thought was so cute we had to get it for a future little Williamson to wear someday. Now Daniel has grown into it and it looks really cute on him. And the baseball cap he's got on looks like a beret for some reason giving him quite the international flair:
Saturday, January 22, 2011
6 months old and eating solids!
Monthly update
Even though my last post was only a few days ago, there's a lot of news. For starters, we had our 6 month checkup on Thursday. Daniel's up to 15lb 8oz and 26.5in long, still long and lean and a healthy boy. He had his first runny nose this week but no other symptoms so the doctor's guess is allergies or teething rather than a cold. He was very smiley and giggly at his appointment and grabbed the stethoscope from the doctor's neck so he could play with it and inspect it further. Our next checkup is in 2 more months and I wonder what new tricks he'll learn by then.
The big change for us in the past month is that Kevin returned to work and Daniel goes to my mother-in-law's house during the day. We've all had to adjust a little to that change but all in all, it's going well. Daniel seems to be happy there during the day and generally naps and eats well. He has always thrived on a routine of play, eat, sleep (we tried switching the first 2 but it just works better this way), and we try to have him back down for a nap within 2 hours of waking. My MIL is trying to stick to this routine with him as well and I think that predictability helps him to feel secure even though it's not home and not Mommy and Daddy. Grandma is relishing the opportunity to spend time with him and her house is close enough to my office that I can go over to visit at lunchtime. It's about as close to an ideal situation as you can have short of working at home.
Here's a look at where we are this month:
Sleeping: His nighttime sleep is down a bit during the day because he doesn't get to go back to sleep for long after our first feeding of the day. He still eats around 5:45-6, but whereas before I would put him back down and he'd wake up again after 8, now we leave for Grandma's by 7:15 so he's up for the day by then. The good news is he seems to be compensating for that by napping longer during the day. 2 and 3 hour naps are not uncommon. He's had a harder time getting down for the night for the past few weeks with teething but most nights it's still not too bad.
Eating: Until tonight, Daniel was still an exclusively breastfed baby. He's a good eater and if tonight's experience (below) is any indication I think he'll be a good solid food eater too.
On a side note, the fact that I exclusively breastfed for 6 months, as the AAP recommends, makes me a member of an exclusive club. Only 13% of mothers still exclusively breastfeed at 6 months and less than half are still nursing at all. I know some women aren't able to nurse or can't fully provide that way, but given all the benefits nursing provides mom and baby it's a shame that so many women don't get the support they need at home or work to enable them to continue for the whole first year. I was happy to see the Surgeon General's call to action to support breastfeeding this week bring awareness to the issue.
Activities: The ExerSaucer has been a big hit this month. He loves playing in it and it's been fun to watch him discover new toys on it. In fact, he loves it so much we decided to get another for Grandma's house. He still enjoys his activity mat too and is starting to work on creeping. If we put a toy he wants a few inches away from his hands, he can scoot himself there, though not yet gracefully. He has figured out how to lift his butt up and down and tries to generate momentum that way but not always successfully. Sometimes he'll use his head to scoot forward too. He lifts all the way up on his arms too and he's starting to put weight on his knees. While he may not be able to put the movements together smoothly during the day he's quite proficient at moving all around his crib at night. It's not uncommon to find him all the way across the crib from where we put him, turned 180 degrees to face the opposite direction!
Here's his 6 month carseat picture:
Since that doesn't show his length well, here's a picture of him lying by our cat Todd.
For the first few months Todd seemed indifferent toward Daniel but lately they seem to be growing fond of each other. Daniel watches Todd from across the room and Todd lets Daniel pet him, grab his fur and, as we saw today, even roll over onto him, and he was still purring. Besides our other cat Tim, Daniel has another feline friend in Grandma's cat Marty, who stands guard outside the bedroom door while Daniel naps during the day.
Who likes sweet potatoes?
We decided early on that we would wait until Daniel was 6 months old to introduce solids, or at least as long as we could. So as the half-year mark drew closer we made preparations, setting up the high chair, researching which foods to give, and last week, I bought little bowls, spoons, and sippy cups. It felt surreal to look at them and realize my baby would be eating big boy food soon. It reminds of how it felt in the final months of pregnancy looking in his closet and realizing that a little baby was coming soon to wear them.
After much consideration we decided Daniel's first solid food would be sweet potatoes. So today Daniel and I went shopping and bought a fresh yam. I baked it, scooped it out of the peel, pureed it, and mixed in some breastmilk to thin it out, then let it cool.
On the advice of some mommy friends we stripped him down to his diaper and a bib (so as not to have messy clothes) and strapped him into his high chair.
Once we got him settled in it was time to eat!
Here's his first bite:
Mmmm...yummy!
We quickly discovered though that he ate better if we put a dab of puree on our finger and fed him that way. After he got tired of his high chair we even fed him some more in the bathtub and he kept eating. All told, our first foray into the land of big boy food went pretty well. After a few days assuming no adverse reaction from the sweet potato, we'll try another new food, this time something green.
One side effect I'm not looking forward to: stinky solid-food diapers. That's one "change" I can't believe in!
Even though my last post was only a few days ago, there's a lot of news. For starters, we had our 6 month checkup on Thursday. Daniel's up to 15lb 8oz and 26.5in long, still long and lean and a healthy boy. He had his first runny nose this week but no other symptoms so the doctor's guess is allergies or teething rather than a cold. He was very smiley and giggly at his appointment and grabbed the stethoscope from the doctor's neck so he could play with it and inspect it further. Our next checkup is in 2 more months and I wonder what new tricks he'll learn by then.
The big change for us in the past month is that Kevin returned to work and Daniel goes to my mother-in-law's house during the day. We've all had to adjust a little to that change but all in all, it's going well. Daniel seems to be happy there during the day and generally naps and eats well. He has always thrived on a routine of play, eat, sleep (we tried switching the first 2 but it just works better this way), and we try to have him back down for a nap within 2 hours of waking. My MIL is trying to stick to this routine with him as well and I think that predictability helps him to feel secure even though it's not home and not Mommy and Daddy. Grandma is relishing the opportunity to spend time with him and her house is close enough to my office that I can go over to visit at lunchtime. It's about as close to an ideal situation as you can have short of working at home.
Here's a look at where we are this month:
Sleeping: His nighttime sleep is down a bit during the day because he doesn't get to go back to sleep for long after our first feeding of the day. He still eats around 5:45-6, but whereas before I would put him back down and he'd wake up again after 8, now we leave for Grandma's by 7:15 so he's up for the day by then. The good news is he seems to be compensating for that by napping longer during the day. 2 and 3 hour naps are not uncommon. He's had a harder time getting down for the night for the past few weeks with teething but most nights it's still not too bad.
Eating: Until tonight, Daniel was still an exclusively breastfed baby. He's a good eater and if tonight's experience (below) is any indication I think he'll be a good solid food eater too.
On a side note, the fact that I exclusively breastfed for 6 months, as the AAP recommends, makes me a member of an exclusive club. Only 13% of mothers still exclusively breastfeed at 6 months and less than half are still nursing at all. I know some women aren't able to nurse or can't fully provide that way, but given all the benefits nursing provides mom and baby it's a shame that so many women don't get the support they need at home or work to enable them to continue for the whole first year. I was happy to see the Surgeon General's call to action to support breastfeeding this week bring awareness to the issue.
Activities: The ExerSaucer has been a big hit this month. He loves playing in it and it's been fun to watch him discover new toys on it. In fact, he loves it so much we decided to get another for Grandma's house. He still enjoys his activity mat too and is starting to work on creeping. If we put a toy he wants a few inches away from his hands, he can scoot himself there, though not yet gracefully. He has figured out how to lift his butt up and down and tries to generate momentum that way but not always successfully. Sometimes he'll use his head to scoot forward too. He lifts all the way up on his arms too and he's starting to put weight on his knees. While he may not be able to put the movements together smoothly during the day he's quite proficient at moving all around his crib at night. It's not uncommon to find him all the way across the crib from where we put him, turned 180 degrees to face the opposite direction!
Here's his 6 month carseat picture:
Since that doesn't show his length well, here's a picture of him lying by our cat Todd.
For the first few months Todd seemed indifferent toward Daniel but lately they seem to be growing fond of each other. Daniel watches Todd from across the room and Todd lets Daniel pet him, grab his fur and, as we saw today, even roll over onto him, and he was still purring. Besides our other cat Tim, Daniel has another feline friend in Grandma's cat Marty, who stands guard outside the bedroom door while Daniel naps during the day.
Who likes sweet potatoes?
We decided early on that we would wait until Daniel was 6 months old to introduce solids, or at least as long as we could. So as the half-year mark drew closer we made preparations, setting up the high chair, researching which foods to give, and last week, I bought little bowls, spoons, and sippy cups. It felt surreal to look at them and realize my baby would be eating big boy food soon. It reminds of how it felt in the final months of pregnancy looking in his closet and realizing that a little baby was coming soon to wear them.
After much consideration we decided Daniel's first solid food would be sweet potatoes. So today Daniel and I went shopping and bought a fresh yam. I baked it, scooped it out of the peel, pureed it, and mixed in some breastmilk to thin it out, then let it cool.
On the advice of some mommy friends we stripped him down to his diaper and a bib (so as not to have messy clothes) and strapped him into his high chair.
Once we got him settled in it was time to eat!
Here's his first bite:
We quickly discovered though that he ate better if we put a dab of puree on our finger and fed him that way. After he got tired of his high chair we even fed him some more in the bathtub and he kept eating. All told, our first foray into the land of big boy food went pretty well. After a few days assuming no adverse reaction from the sweet potato, we'll try another new food, this time something green.
One side effect I'm not looking forward to: stinky solid-food diapers. That's one "change" I can't believe in!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Book list
You may notice I added a new widget to the right sidebar today. I read a lot so I decided this year I'll keep track of what I've read and see how many books I make it through in 2011. (r) denotes a book I had already read before, all others are first time reads. In a few years once Daniel starts reading I'll keep a list for him too.
The book I'm reading right now is a historical novel based on the lives of an Irish immigrant who comes to America in the 1700s and his descendants. It would be an interesting read anyway but is particularly so for me because that immigrant, one Thomas Hill Dougan, is a direct ancestor of mine. The following generations are collateral relations for me, not direct, but still fascinating to get that glimpse of what their life must have been like. I'll post more about it later but I learned of this through the massive genealogy project I started last year. It's one of those things that I didn't realize what a big undertaking it would be till I got into it, but am really enjoying learning about my roots. So far I have several Revolutionary War patriots, soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, and on Kevin's side, he is directly descended from Pocahantas. Really cool to learn about it all, and I hope it'll make a great gift for Daniel someday to learn more about his roots.
The book I'm reading right now is a historical novel based on the lives of an Irish immigrant who comes to America in the 1700s and his descendants. It would be an interesting read anyway but is particularly so for me because that immigrant, one Thomas Hill Dougan, is a direct ancestor of mine. The following generations are collateral relations for me, not direct, but still fascinating to get that glimpse of what their life must have been like. I'll post more about it later but I learned of this through the massive genealogy project I started last year. It's one of those things that I didn't realize what a big undertaking it would be till I got into it, but am really enjoying learning about my roots. So far I have several Revolutionary War patriots, soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, and on Kevin's side, he is directly descended from Pocahantas. Really cool to learn about it all, and I hope it'll make a great gift for Daniel someday to learn more about his roots.
Captain Morgan, The Fonz, and Michael Jackson...and teething
As usual when I sit down to blog I feel like a ton has happened since my last post. I'll save my "monthly report" on sleep, feeding, etc for after his 6 month checkup in a few days but I have some cute stories, pictures and a video to share in the meantime.
Bath-time!
Daniel's favorite time of day continues to be bathtime. A baby his age doesn't really need a bath every day but he loves his so much we do one just about every day anyway (only soaping every other day so we don't dry out his skin).
While Kevin gets the bath ready I take Daniel to his room to change and take off his clothes. He smiles when he realizes it's "naked boy time" and I sing the bath time song, which is the old Batman tv theme except "Bath-time" instead of Batman...yes, clever I know ;)
When I take him to the bathroom he likes to lay on his hooded towel on the bathmat and play and smile at us for a while. This is where Captain Morgan and Michael Jackson come in. He kicks his legs a lot and we joke that he's Michael Flatley, Lord of the (No-Pants) Dance, but then he'll often settle into a pose with his hands on his hips and one leg up, ala Captain Morgan:
Bath-time!
Daniel's favorite time of day continues to be bathtime. A baby his age doesn't really need a bath every day but he loves his so much we do one just about every day anyway (only soaping every other day so we don't dry out his skin).
While Kevin gets the bath ready I take Daniel to his room to change and take off his clothes. He smiles when he realizes it's "naked boy time" and I sing the bath time song, which is the old Batman tv theme except "Bath-time" instead of Batman...yes, clever I know ;)
When I take him to the bathroom he likes to lay on his hooded towel on the bathmat and play and smile at us for a while. This is where Captain Morgan and Michael Jackson come in. He kicks his legs a lot and we joke that he's Michael Flatley, Lord of the (No-Pants) Dance, but then he'll often settle into a pose with his hands on his hips and one leg up, ala Captain Morgan:
He's not quite doing it in this picture but it's the best one I could get where he's decent:
Usually when he's doing this there's no burp cloth or diaper in his way. Last month he was pleased to discover that he had feet and enjoyed grabbing them. He'd probably be a bit embarassed that I'm sharing this, but lately he has discovered his boy parts, so when his diaper is off he'll reach down to explore this new find, reminding us of a certain pop singer who used to grab himself during performances.
After some playtime on dry land we get him in the tub and clean him up, then it's more playtime with Daddy till he's ready to get out. Kevin's got him well trained so he'll sit with his back against Kevin's knees and his feet on Kevin's chest. Then Kevin will say "give me fingers" and hold his hands out for Daniel to grab, then pull him up to a standing position. While he's standing up he'll dance, do his victory and flasher poses, do the twist, and headbang. Most days one or both of the latter two will get a good laugh out of him, as in this video:
Finally after all that, it's time to get out, dry off in his snuggly towel, and get dressed for dinner and bed. It's a fun night-time routine that we all enjoy and a good way to transition him from playtime to bedtime.
Eeehhh!
He's been babbling the past few weeks and becoming more vocal. Lately he's taken to making an "eh!" noise like The Fonz from Happy Days. Haven't caught it on video yet but it sure is cute!
Houston, we have a tooth
He had been a little on the fussier side last week and we could feel swelling in his gums so we knew he was working on a tooth, but yesterday morning in church I put my finger in his mouth and could actually feel the top of the tooth, which had cut through the gums. It looks like the tooth next to it is coming along too so he may soon have two little pearly whites. So far teething hasn't been too bad for him. He's been harder to get down at night and today fought his nap off for a long time, but compared to some of the horror stories I've heard it doesn't seem like we have it too bad.
Here's one more video of him showing off his gummy smile. He's recently started to open and close his mouth and smack his lips. He doesn't do it often but it's really cute to see when he does. Naturally I had the camera turned vertically when I took the video so it's sideways, but still cute I think ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)