I am stressed out

Picking a new health insurance plan the month before your due date is extremely hard. The new plan goes into effect two weeks before I will deliver, so it is extremely important that we pick the right plan. I have been researching and stressing out about every detail of the new plan options. My husband, on the other hand, seems to have completely forgotten about the health insurance. He just wants to go with the cheapest plan and forget about it. I wish I was so naive and carefree.

John's employer hasn't given us much of an option. We basically have two plans to choose from - a PPO with incredibly high premiums or a cheap HSA plan with an incredibly high deductible. Financially, we are going to get screwed either way we go, so I guess I shouldn't be so stressed about it. The part that has me all worked up is that maternity benefits aren't listed in the description of the plans. I am confident that the PPO covers maternity, but I am not so sure about the high deductible plan. I have made my husband email the woman who is in charge of insurance for his company, but she can't seem to comprehend my request. It is actually very simple - I just want something from the insurance company stating the maternity benefits for each plan. But instead, she just keeps emailing my husband to say that maternity benefits are covered. She seems like a nice lady and all, but I want something from the INSURANCE COMPANY. I have been screwed over by health insurance companies too many time to accept a generic statement from a woman in the HR department.

In other news, I am growing! Holy crap, I gained 8 pounds in the last two weeks! I don't know how that is even possible, but my scale keeps insisting that I have gained all that weight. Ugh. I am trying not to stress about it too much, but I really don't understand how I gained that much. I have been eating the same as every other week. I know I have some swelling issues, but I hardly think I am retaining that much water.

I hate hate HATE that I am stressing about my weight. This is my last pregnancy, and I want to enjoy it. My weight has always gone up and down, so if I gain too much with this baby, it is not the end of the world for me. I can lose it. I know that I can. But for some reason, I wake up and weigh myself every morning. It is a sickness, but I can't stop.

Here is a picture of me at 34 weeks 5 days...And just for fun, here is a picture of my lopsided legs. I have lots of swelling on the right side of my body ONLY. Isn't that weird?

Eating

Izzy loves food. Seriously, he will eat almost anything. There is no poking or prodding to encourage him to eat - he devours everything we offer him. Oddly enough, Izzy really enjoys snacking on frozen foods - frozen peas, frozen tater tots, frozen soy beans, and last, but certainly not least, frozen blueberries...




But Porgie? That child will not willingly eat anything. She needs to take a few lessons from her awesome baby brother.

My kid is a nut case

Somebody has to be the bad guy. And today, I am the bad guy. If you remember, my daughter likes to puke. She makes herself vomit if she doesn't want to go to bed, if she doesn't want to eat dinner, if she is really pissed off about something, etc. It started last summer and has been a regular part of our lives for the past year. However the problem has greatly decreased over the past 6 or 7 months. Sometimes she'll go an entire month without forcing herself to vomit. This is AWESOME.

But the problem still exists. She still makes herself puke. And it still makes my blood boil. On Easter Sunday, Porgie made herself puke because she didn't want to eat lunch. She wanted to eat candy instead. I managed to remain fairly calm during her episode, but all of her candy was confiscated, and she was sent to bed early.

Fast forward to today. When lunch time rolled around, she told me she wanted soup. I prepared the lunch she had REQUESTED and put her in the highchair. After two bites, she asked to get down. I told her no, so she started gagging herself. Knowing that she was getting ready to vomit, I ran to the linen closet to get a towel. I tried to stay calm. Truly I did. But as she vomited onto her tray, I lost it. I SCREAMED at her. I screamed LOUD. But she seemed unfazed by my rage, so I made a brash decision. I took away her night-night (aka her most prized, beloved blanket).

She started crying. I told her that she could have night-night back after she woke up from her nap. She cried harder. I put her to bed. And she cried for the entire 2 hours. I felt like shit. Why did I take away her favorite thing in the whole wide world? I almost caved and gave her the damn blanket, but I didn't. I am hoping that she learned a valuable lesson today. I know I did.

Hello friends

We had a break-through last night. Porgie ate dinner! She ate an entire plate of food. We had soy ravioli, which tasted fabulous apparently. So, that was great. We have also been working on getting Izzy to eat table food, and he scarfed down his ravioli too. So, I highly recommend this product.Sorry I have been such a downer lately. I don't know what is wrong with me. I seem to be swinging between highs and lows. I think my mood swings stem from the fact that Izzy just dropped another nursing session. I think my hormones have gone completely wacky. My baby boy is a freaking toddler. He is 14 months old. I just want to freeze time and stay in this phase for a few years. My kids are such great little people. I love them to pieces.

I think I am also a little off kilter because I haven't been leaving the house much lately. Between being fiscally responsible, having icy/snowy weather, and being sick, I haven't had the opportunity to interact with people. And it is kind of depressing. But we are going to the Children's Museum this afternoon, so hopefully that will lighten the mood around here.

To recap, happiness is soy ravioli, nursing your baby, and getting out of the damn house.

Thank you

Thank you for all of your kind words and support. I really needed to hear your encouraging words, because yesterday was really tough. When I was at my breaking point, ready to chase Porgie around with a spoonful of food, Amanda wrote this, "oh how i wish my mom would have heard that quote...i could go on and on with details - her weighing me in the morning before school, having the lunch ladies check my tray before i could get up from my seat, the timer at dinner, the hidden veggies, the eating disorder...instead i will just say thank you and good luck. you can do it! and you both will be much happier." I cried just a little when I read her comment. Because if I don't get myself in check now, I can easily see myself in her mother's role.

We started the day with a bowl of Cheerios. Porgie didn't eat any of her cereal. Not even one bite. She cried most of the morning, and begged for Crunchies. When lunch rolled around, I was positive that she would eat. I made her peas, pasta, and tofu. She ate 1 single pea and a two bites of tofu. And then she asked to get down. It killed my soul, but I let her down. She then promptly asked for some graham crackers. At that point, I made the desicion that snacks had to be offered at a set time and that she had to eat them in her highchair. Otherwise, she was going to refuse her meals and gorge herself on snacks. When I refused her the crackers and offered her more tofu, she cried and then I cried. When naptime rolled around, Porgie was rattling on and on about cheese and bread, and I wanted to cry again. When she woke, I gave her a snack in her highchair. For an hour or two afterward, everything seemed like it would be okay. Porgie was in good spirits, playing and singing. Then we had dinner, and our good vibe promptly ended. Porgie ate a handful of frech fries and three nibbles of her veggie burger. She asked to get down and I grudgingly obliged.

It was a tough day my friends. A really tough day. If I had taken over the reins and started spoon feeding her, I am positive that I could have made her eat most of her breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But I did not resume my bullying role. Instead, I let Porgie decide what and how much she wanted to eat. I know that she didn't eat enough. I know that she went to bed hungry. But I also know that I cannot continue to control Porgie's diet. I need to let her feed herself, listen to her own body, and make her own decisions about food.

I have feeding issues

I have been doing a lot of soul searching these last few days. Why do I feel responsible for MAKING Porgie eat? How did I let her eating habits get so out of control? How am I going to change our situation?

I like being in control. I set mealtimes, bedtimes, and bath times. I decide what the kids will eat, which clothes they will wear, and which play dates we will attend. I keep close tabs on what the kids watch on TV, which books they read at home, and which music we listen to in the car. I call all the shots around here. So naturally, I thought it was my responsibility to control the type and amount of food that my children ate. As a result, I dread mealtimes because Porgie is always defying me. She spits out food, refuses to swallow the food in her mouth, and sometimes she refuses to even touch her meal. At first, I thought that this was just typical toddler behavior. But I think we are crossing into a whole new area of defiance. My child would rather not eat, than deal with my bossy and controlling attitude. I said it before, and I'll say it again - I SUCK.

Although this issue might seem trivial to you, it has consumed my thoughts for months. How do I change our habits? Do I have the willpower to let her refuse dinner and go to bed hungry? And for a while, I didn't have the willpower. She would refuse to eat, and I would push harder. But I am done. I don't want to distort Porgie's ideas about food. I want her to listen to her body's hunger signals. I want her to have healthy eating habits. But really, I just want her to be a happy and healthy little girl.

On the way to the grocery store this afternoon, I stopped at Borders. I was flipping through a book, when I saw this quote, "Parents are responsible for what is presented to eat and the manner in which it is presented. Children are responsible for how much or even whether they eat." I am making a poster of this quote, and I am hanging it in my kitchen. Every time I feel the urge to be a food bully, I am going to read these wise words. Thank you Ellyn Satter.

Stream of Consciousness: Part 21

I got my hair cut and dyed this weekend. I look fabulous. Seriously.
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Izzy has decided that he no longer wants to eat pureed foods AGAIN. This seems to be an ongoing battle with my little guy. He is currently eating lots of pasta, mixed veggies, and beans.
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We had a new front door installed last week. Our new door is super spiffy. Be on the lookout for before and after pictures.
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I have developed a serious addiction to these cookies. I bought them for Porgie, but she has only gotten to eat a few. Mommy, on the other hand, has eaten nearly an entire box. Ugh.
__________

Porgie has turned into a little parrot. She repeats nearly everything we say. One morning I was trying to pull our stroller out of the van. After several failed attempts, I said, "Fuck it!" And then Porgie said, "Fuck it!" I was so proud.
__________

I think we have fleas. I have numerous bite marks on my ankles. Porgie has a few too. My husband thinks I am insane, because he hasn't been bitten even one time. I put Frontline on the animals last month. What else can a girl do?
__________

I have come to the conclusion that we are not going to get our swing set this summer. We just have too many things to do to the house first. This Fall, we are planning on having the landscaping ripped out of the front flower beds, and building a new shed in the backyard. Next Spring, we will plant new shrubbery, and get a privacy fence for the yard. And hopefully we'll have enough money for the swing set by the end of next summer.
__________

Because laziness has gotten the best of me, I have decided not to have my yard sale. Instead, I am going to list all of the good stuff on Craig's List. Anyone looking for a 75 gallon aquarium with a solid oak stand and canopy?
__________

Izzy keeps crying for attention, so I guess that is my cue to get off the internet. See you later alligators!

Stream of Consciousness: Part 18

So, I got a new bloggy look. Very summery and fresh! I went to Simply Fabulous Blogger Templates - and Lena IS fabulous! I have a link to her on the left sidebar, if you are interested.
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I really want patio furniture for our deck. Porgie loves playing out there, and I end up sitting on kiddie chairs. We almost bought a patio set this past weekend, but my husband is a picky ASSHOLE. We seen a 5 piece set for about $300, but John whined and cried about the chairs, so we didn't buy it. So, while he is at work all day, I'll be sitting on kiddie chairs in the sweltering heat. Thanks John!
__________

Did you know that your children can have different personalities? And napping schedules? And food preferences? You did? Well, why didn't anyone tell me? Since the day Izzy was born, I have expected him to be exactly like Porgie. I was shocked when he didn't look like her at birth. I was amazed when he actually wanted to nurse. And I was astonished when he gobbled up a bowl of pureed peas this weekend. In summary, my children are actually two DIFFERENT people.
__________

I have to get Izzy on a better napping schedule. Although I have been putting Izzy to bed around 7:00 pm every night, he still wants to sleep until 8:30 or 9:00 the next morning. Then his nap schedule does not coincide with Porgie's nap schedule. And this means that mama doesn't get a break. And this means that mama is cranky. And this means that the babies are cranky. And this means that life sucks ass.
__________

Last night Porgie took her baby doll for a walk around the block. It was too freaking cute. She was being very nurturing and loving, stopping periodically to check on her baby. I would show you a picture, but I am the jackass mother who NEVER remembers to bring her camera.
__________

I really want to go to the beach this summer, but it is probably not going to happen. The nearest beach is about an hour away, and with our current nap schedule, we would never be able to make it home in time for bed. We thought about renting a house for a week, but where would the babies sleep? I don't own a Pack n' Play or a portable crib. So, I guess we are not going to the shore this summer. I am very sad.
__________

We have several rooms in our basement. One of the rooms is our office. John and I rarely go down there, because we both use laptops. Anyways, I was searching the house for Izzy's scrapbook (it has been missing for approximately 8 months). I decided to check the office. I opened the door, and was greeted by one of my cats. He frantically ran out of the office and started gulping water from his dish. He had been locked in the office for TWO days. We are horrible, horrible owners. I am so thankful that I went down there. And in case you were wondering, I did not find the scrapbook. I am convinced that someone has stolen my scrapbook.
__________

Speaking of stolen things, I think someone stole my new pair of flip flops too. I could swear that I put them in the closet, but they are nowhere to be found. Why do people keep stealing all of my stuff?
__________

I almost forgot - Danielle won the "what is Izzy eating?" game. He was chomping on sand. I think I need to make a new rule - If I post a picture of Izzy eating something, it is NOT food.

Stream of Consciousness: Part 17

We have been having some napping issues lately. My darling daughter doesn't want to take a nap anymore. I put her to bed around noon, and she plays and laughs and rolls around in her crib for hours. Some days she completely refuses to nap. Other days, she won't fall asleep until 2 pm. When she won't fall asleep until 2 pm, she doesn't want to go to sleep at night until 9 or 10 pm. I am a selfish mommy, who likes to have some baby free time, so I want her to go to sleep around 7:30 pm. I am confident that she still needs her nap, so I am not really sure how to remedy this problem.
__________

I don't understand why some bloggers use comment moderation. What is the point? Even if someone leaves a comment that I don't agree with, I never delete it. Maybe you could explain its benefits to me?
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I also don't understand why so many people have that stupid word verification activated on their blogs. I understand that it prevents spam comments, but seriously, how many of you have been getting lots of spam comments?
__________

I am convinced that Izzy hates all pureed foods. In the past month or two we have tried rice cereal, sweet potatoes, carrots, bananas, pears, sweet peas, and squash. And Izzy disliked all of them. After about 2 bites, he clamps his mouth shut. If you keep pestering him to eat, he will cry. But give the kid some cheerios or crackers, and he excitedly craves them in his mouth. This would be fine, except I am starting to suspect that Izzy is allergic to wheat.
__________

Now that Porgie's hair is getting a little longer, I had been getting that overwhelming urge to put bows and ribbons in her hair. I purchased a few clips from Target, but they kept falling out of Porgie's hair. One day I was reading Cagey's blog, and she mentioned that she uses No Slippy Hair Clippys in her baby girl's hair. According to her, they actually STAY in wispy baby hair. So, I bought Porgie a bow...
And Cagey was right - these bows actually stay put. I decided that Porgie needed a few more bows to accommodate her wardrobe. So, I ordered these bows this past weekend...
Although these bows are fabulous, I must warn you that they are INSANELY expensive. I bought the first bow at a baby boutique for $12. I bought the second two bows from the No Slippy website for $8 a piece.
_________

I already have a farmer's tan.Okay, maybe it is not as bad as that guy's, but I still look silly.
__________

I gots to go. Peace out homies.

Oh the cuteness!

Look at my precious and adorable little guy. I know I am bias, but he has got to be the cutest baby in the whole world. Seriously! Isn't he gorgeous?
So, I think Izzy is allergic to carrots. Isn't that strange? I attempted to feed him some carrots last week. That night he developed a rash on his cheek and neck. The next day the rash was gone. I didn't feed him solids for a few days, and he seemed fine. On Monday I fed him carrots again. That night he developed a rash on his forehead. But this time, the rash didn't go away. My poor little guy still has a nasty little rash on his forehead.

In addition to the rash, Izzy also woke up many times on Monday night. Each time he woke up, he SCREAMED and SCREAMED. Although I hurried into his room at the slightest peep, he was obviously very distressed. Poor little guy.

So, has your child experienced allergies to specific foods? If so, what were the symptoms?

Stream of Consciousness: Part 16

Porgie will be going to the pediatric cardiologist tomorrow. Because our health insurance sucks ass, we only had two options for doctors - one was about 10 minutes from my house and the other was about an hour away from my house. I had originally made her appointment with the doctor who is located 10 minutes from our house. But it turned out that they were incompetent assholes, so we are making the hour long trek tomorrow. The appointment is going to screw up lunch time and nap time. Ugh.
__________

For the past few days, I have been eating non stop. I am always hungry. I think I have worms. On second thought, maybe I am just fat.
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It turns out that Izzy hates pureed foods, but loves actual solid foods. So far he has eaten pasta, tortillas, rice, star puffs, and wagon wheels. I am kind of baffled. Should I just skip pureed foods? I know baby-led weaning is an option. Maybe I need to do a little reading on the topic.
__________

I took the kids to the Aquarium last Friday. It was such an awesome day. Instead of putting her in the stroller, I let Porgie walk around with me. She was sooooooo good. And I never heard a peep out of little Izzy. It was one of those days, where I felt like an awesome mother. I wish everyday felt like that.
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My little Izzy Whizzy Woo slept through the night for the first time on Friday, June 6, 2008. I was so proud of him. I put him to bed at 7:30 pm and he slept until 7:30 am. Isn't that amazing? Unfortunately, it has not happened since. In fact, he woke up 4 times last night. I think his tummy was bothering him, because woke up screaming bloody murder.
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We are in the middle of a heat wave here in New Jersey. For the past three day, the temperatures have come dangerously close to 100 degrees. I am not ready for summer yet. It has been so damn hot, I don't even want to take the babies outside. Damn stupid global warming.
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I am considering enrolling Porgie in a preschool program this fall. Every time I think about it, I get a little teary eyed. Is my baby actually old enough to go to preschool?

Baby Izzy

Izzy will be 6 months old on Friday. Although it feels like he has been in my life forever, I am still shocked at how quickly he is growing and changing. He seems to be forever etched in my mind as a newborn.

This past weekend, Izzy sprouted two new teeth! The only thing that sinks about this situation, is that I now have two children who are teething. Porgie only has 4 more molars to cut, and I think she is working on a few of these as we speak.

Last week we started Izzy on rice cereal. He really seemed indifferent to the whole thing. A few days later, John decided to give him some sweet peas. He really seemed indifferent to the peas too. However, the introduction of solids has really thickened Izzy's poo. I am pretty excited about that.

Speaking of poo, the GI doctor called last week with the results of Izzy's latest round of stool testing. His poo is no longer acidic, but he is spilling even MORE sugars. I was very frustrated when I got the results. I have eliminated dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, citrus fruits, and tomatoes from my diet, yet he is still allergic to something in my diet. AHHHHH! This guessing game drives me INSANE. But, I will continue eliminating foods, and we will continue the testing.

I think some of you misunderstood me in my last post on sleep. We are not using the cry-it-out method with Izzy yet. I respond to him every time he cries at night. EVERY TIME. I was just saying that if he doesn't fall back to sleep after nursing or rocking, I am putting him in his crib. 99% of the time, he falls asleep while nursing. He has only cried one time, and it only lasted for 20 to 30 minues. Trust me, this is a far cry from CIO.

So, that is the latest with Izzy Whizzy Woo.

Mmmm...washcloth

Since writing this post, we have dabbled with solids a few times. Izzy has eaten some banana from a mesh feeder and has had a few spoonfuls of applesauce. Although he enjoyed the banana, he could have lived without the applesauce.

Tonight we tried a teething biscuit. Izzy was in heaven. He excitedly crammed the biscuit into his mouth and smiled. Here is some photographic evidence...
When he finished the biscuit, I attempted to clean him up. Turns out that washcloths are just as scrumptious as teething biscuits...
Contrary to what you might be thinking, the washcloth was soaked in water - not whiskey...

To feed a baby

I am really on the fence about starting Izzy on solids. I have composed a list of pros and cons that effectively highlights the conflict ensuing in my head.

Pros
1. Since Izzy only wants to nurse when he is swaddled and in a dark, quiet room, solids would be a great option when we are on the go.

2. Izzy would be able to go for longer stretches without nursing. Porgie would think this is delightful. She still gets upset when I nurse Izzy in his bedroom.

3. I know that all the experts say it doesn't really help, but maybe starting solids would allow Izzy to sleep for longer stretches.

Cons
1. If I start solids, my milk supply will go down. This means that my period will return. Ugh.

2. If my milk supply goes down, I might turn into an emotional baskets. Those darn hormones!

3. Izzy has food allergies, but I don't know what he is allergic too. Therefore, I might be feeding him a food he is allergic too.

4. Starting Izzy on solids means more work for me.

I am sick of being a responsible parent. From now on, I am going to let the internet make all important decisions for me. What should I do???

Full Circle

Growing up, everyone I knew fed their babies formula. EVERYONE. I never questioned this practice. It was just a normal part of life - babies take formula from a bottle. I never really considered how I would feed my own babies, until I met John. When we talked about having children, he insisted that I breastfeed them (he was one of six children, who were all breastfed). I agreed, but didn't feel very passionate about the subject. Bottle or breast - who cares?

In the summer of 2005, the baby bug bit me. I wanted to have a baby so badly. After several months of trying, we got pregnant with Porgie. I instantly knew that I wanted to breastfeed her. I wanted my body to nourish and support her little body.

Because I had never actually seen anyone breastfeed a baby, I took a class at our hospital. After learning more about breastfeeding, I was convinced that formula was the devil and breastfeeding was the ONLY way.

After Porgie was born, breastfeeding proved to be much harder than I had anticipated. Porgie demanded to nurse all the time, but as soon as she started nursing, she would fall asleep. I would put her down, and she would instantly wake up screaming and mouthing her hands again. So, I would breastfeed her again. This vicious cycle went on all day, everyday. After nearly a month of this crazy routine, Porgie had still not regained her birth weight. I was devastated. Breastfeeding was hard and confusing and overwhelming. This is what ultimately led me to pumping for 6 months.

When I got pregnant with Izzy, my biggest fear was regarding breastfeeding. But by the time Izzy arrived, I had made peace with the fact that breastfeeding might not work out. Fortunately, my little guy LOVED breastfeeding. He nursed frequently and gained lots of weight. I was relieved that nursing was so easy and painless this time around.

Then I discovered that he has food allergies. And now everything is hard and confusing and overwhelming again.

Poop problems

I think I have mentioned this before, but Izzy has really weird poop. It is bright green, and very runny. It has the consistency of water. Every time I change his diaper, I am a little disturbed.

About a month ago, I called and talked to one the nurses at my pediatrician's office about his strange poop. She said that there was a wide spectrum of what is considered normal for newborn poop and that Izzy sounded pretty normal. So, I tried to let go of my fears and accept his runny poop.

Over the past few weeks, I began worrying more and more about his poop. On more than one occasion, his poop was actually slimy. I decided that it was not normal and called to make an appointment this morning.

Izzy's doctor agreed that his poop is not normal. She said that it sounds like he definitely has food allergies, and that I need to start an elimination diet. I have already stopped eating dairy. Now I need to eliminate soy, eggs, and peanuts. Oh crap people, I am a vegetarian. Do you know how hard it is going to be to stop eating soy?

In addition to altering my diet, Izzy needs to be seen by a GI specialist. Apparently, the GI doctors in this area have a pretty long waiting list, so it could be months before Izzy even goes to the GI specialist. Sigh.

I knew something wasn't right. Izzy seems so uncomfortable and restless after eating. He can't seem to settle down and get any rest. He takes little catnaps during the day and wakes every hour or two at night. My poor little guy doesn't feel good.

The Black Beans

We took Porgie to a birthday party on Saturday. She had a fabulous time playing and eating cake. After the party, we stopped by Whole Foods and did our weekly grocery shopping. Being the lazy people that we are, we bought Porgie some black bean salad from the food bar for dinner.

Overall, it seemed like a really great day. Unfortunately, the good vibe did not last long. After eating about half of the black bean salad, Porgie started puking. It was very sad to see her little body bent over heaving. Black beans and soy milk were everywhere. Poor baby.

After we cleaned her up, she seemed like her normal self. She ran around playing with her toys, and she even ate a little more before bed.

Around 9:30, I heard Porgie gagging. I went into her room and found her curled up in a puddle of puke. She was soaked in vomit. It was on her pajamas, her hair, and her lovey. John and I worked together to clean the mess. Although Porgie whimpered while I cleaned her up, she didn't seem terribly upset. I read her a few stories and put her back to bed.

Today she is her normal self again. This makes me wonder whether Porgie was sick or the black bean salad was bad. Either way, I am steering clear of the food bar for a while.

Because I have no brain

For the last two months, Porgie has been extremely difficult at meal times. As soon as I strap her into her booster seat, she starts fussing and whining. She repeatedly says, "down," while pointing to the floor. Being the obsessive mother that I am, I refused to let her down without eating.

How do I get her to eat? Toys. Yes, toys. I started giving Porgie various little trinkets to play with - Pez dispensers, crayons, ink pens, books, etc. At first, it seemed like a fabulous idea. Porgie would eat whatever I placed in her mouth, with nary a peep. Life was good.

But somewhere over the past few weeks, things have gotten a little hairy. Porgie is now refusing to feed herself, which is fairly annoying. She is also requiring more and more toys at every meal, which is also fairly annoying. Additionally, she has started spitting out most of the food we place in her little mouth, which is incredibly annoying.

I know that her horrible eating habits are directly related to my behavior, but I am having a very difficult time reversing this tend. I want her to eat, so I end up catering to her. I seem to have forgotten that meal time should be about offering her food to eat, and not about tricking her into eating.

Honestly, I think most of our meal times problems would be solved if we ate dinner as a family. Porgie is usually always interested in eating whatever John and I are eating. However, John has an unpredictable work schedule, so a family dinner isn't a realistic option. Additionally, Porgie usually eats around 5:00 pm, and I am usually not hungry that early in the evening.

So, is anyone else having eating issues?

Sick baby

In case you were wondering, I am feeling a lot better today. Porgie, on the other hand, isn't doing so well. She has a cough and very runny nose. My poor little girl walks around the house whining and crying approximately 90% of the day. I feel bad for her.

Due to her illness, it appears that Porgie has completely lost her appetite. Today she ate a cup of yogurt and 12 french fries. I offered her 3 or 4 different options for both dinner and lunch, but she only wanted french fries. Of course, this is driving me INSANE. At first, she eagerly accepted the food that I offered. She shoved the food in her mouth, chewed it up, and spit it out. She did this with honey dew melon, tofu hot dogs, vegetarian meatballs, pasta noodles, and veggie pot pie.

I am still a complete amateur when it comes to caring for a sick baby. Porgie has only been sick a few times, and most of them were relatively minor. I feel so helpless and unsure of how to help her. She cries when she coughs. She cries when I wipe her nose. She cries when I offer her food. She is just so miserable, and I am just so miserable.

Tomorrow is the Halloween parade at Story time. I have been looking forward to this parade for weeks. Now, I am not even sure Porgie should go. Yet at the same time, I feel like she might enjoy herself if we get out of the house. But then again, she might get all the other kids sick. Ugh.

So, wise Internet people, what do sick babies like to eat? And should sick babies be isolated to the house?

Weaning part 2

Porgie is officially weaned from the bottle. The process was much, much easier than I had anticipated. For moms and dads who are dreading the process, I am going to share the techniques I used with Porgie.

Week # 1 - I started the first week by replacing her morning bottle with a cup. Porgie eagerly accepted this substitute, without any whining or fussing. For the first several days, she drank her milk very slowly. However, by the 4th or 5th day, she was finishing the entire cup within an hour. After a full week of drinking out of a cup in the morning, we moved on to the nighttime bottle.

Week # 2 - Although I was hesitant to give up the nighttime bottle, Porgie didn't seem to mind one little bit. I started giving her a cup of milk with dinner at 5:30. I have been letting her drink from the cup until bedtime, to ensure that she goes to bed at 7:00 with a full tummy. I thought Porgie would be restless without her nighttime bottle, but to my surprise she didn't seem to care at all. I was planning on giving Porgie her nighttime bottle for a full week before moving on to the nap time bottle, but Porgie had other ideas...

End of week # 2 - Porgie suddenly started refusing her nap time bottle. She still wanted milk, but she wanted it in her cup - NOT HER BOTTLE!!! How lucky am I?

Overall, weaning was fairly easy. I high recommend giving it a try. The only problem we encountered was finding a cup that she liked to drink milk from. This is the cup she has been using for milk. We continue to use this cup for water. Using different cups for milk and water has really helped Porgie in this process.