Sleeping Patterns: Seth has had an ear infection for for about three weeks now, so his sleep has been disrupted. Unlike Cora, who used to wake every 2.5 - 3 hours with an ear infection, Seth only wakes once a night. Anyway, we are on our third antibiotic in an attempt to get rid of the infection. I'm really hoping this one does the trick because I'm tired of interrupted sleep, worrying about hearing and speech development, and changing dirty diapers a hundred times a day (courtesy of antibiotics).
Eating Habits: Seth has milk about five times a day, but he has had no interest in baby food for a month now. Foods that he used to like now have no appeal for him. In fact, when I come at his mouth with a spoon, he clamps his mouth shut and refuses to eat. It is upsetting and disturbing for me as his mom, even though I know that baby food for the first year is just "practice" and not a main source of nutrition or calories. We don't know if this change in appetite is due to the ear infections and just feeling bad, or if there is something else going on. For right now, my doctor said to just keep offering the food and we'll focus on getting rid of the infection before we tackle the food. (I will say that last night I got Seth to eat 3/4 of a container of carrots, so I am very hopeful that the new antibiotic is taking away ear pain and he'll start wanting food again.)
Baby's Weight Gain: This is a real area of concern. Not eating baby food is a worry because we don't understand why he doesn't want it, but milk is an even bigger issue. My body just isn't making enough, probably because Seth doesn't demand it. In other words, when I only have three ounces to give him, he happily stops eating and waits until the next feeding, which has taught my body to scale way back. At birth, Seth was in the 75th percentile for weight. At his three month appointment, he was in the 50th percentile, and at the six month appointment, he was in the 25th. When I brought him in for his ear infection after the sixth month, the downward trend had continued. Since then I have started supplementing with formula once a day, and this past weekend our pediatrician told me that I successfully stopped the downward trend, but now we need to work on trending back up. So, I need to give Seth formula 2 - 3 times a day. I am sad about it because I have actually enjoyed nursing this time around, and I could pump every few hours, drink water like a fish, and even take some herbs to try to build my supply back up, but honestly, I don't have it in me. If I can continue to give Seth some breast milk for a couple more weeks, I will have lasted for eight plus months, and I feel really good about that. Right now all I care about is making sure my baby is healthy, strong, and gaining weight, and I will do whatever it takes to make that happen.
Accomplishments: Last night Seth army crawled / face planted his way across the floor a few feet to get a toy that he wanted. He is now up on his hands and knees, rocking back and forth before thrusting himself forward onto his face. It won't be long before he is all over the house, and it scares me! It is so convenient to set him down and know that I can walk away, but all of that is about to change!
Places We Went: We went on vacation to Gatlinburg / Pigeon Forge.
Memorable Events or Holidays: We celebrated Halloween, and Seth had several cute outfits to wear in the days leading up to Candy Day. Other than that, it was like any other day for him since he is too little to partake.
It is fun to see Seth coming into his own. He is smiling more spontaneously, reaching for everything around him, and showing some independence. He is still crazy laid back, but that just may be who God designed him to be. If I could describe Seth in one word, it would be patient. (It will be fun to read this post again in five, ten, and twenty years and see if that is still the case.) He is such a love.
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