Dear Big B,
I am sitting here watching you nap as I write this letter and can't help but smile at how sweet and peaceful you look while you are sleeping. I just want to tell you thank you for the most amazing 13 weeks that we got to spend hanging out together while I was on maternity leave. It has been such an amazing experience getting to know you and watching your sweet personality develop. We've gone through a lot in these past three months together haven't we? When I think back to the tiny 6 pound baby I brought home from the hospital I can't believe how much has changed in such a short period of time.
You have shown me the world through your eyes and honestly changed me for the better. I so admire your laid back, happy personality and love that you so easily smile and laugh. I will never forget the days of snuggling, sleeping, blowing bubbles and belly laughing that we did together. You were my cuddle buddy through those cold winter days and rainy spring ones. I know some day in the not so distant future, you will be too big for cuddling, not to mention the fact that cuddling with mom will be so NOT cool. :) That's why I am cherishing every minute I have with you now because time really does fly when you are having fun and gosh I am sure having fun with you.
So many nights and early mornings, I have felt oh so tired as I climb out of bed to come to you and the second I peek into your crib and see your eyes light up and your face break into a smile, its like none of that matters and I could never sleep again and it would be okay because I have you and that's worth everything. I wouldn't trade our midnight rocking sessions or those early days of snuggling with you in my bed for anything.
I have to go back to work now for a little while and I'm going to miss you pretty badly little man. You are my best buddy and it won't be the same without you by my side every day. You are such a good little guy and I know you will do just great with Granny Pat and it will be fun for you to be with your sister and your new friends. I promise you, even though I won't be with you all the time, you can bet that I will be thinking of you every second and counting the minutes until I can come see your sweet face again. We just have to remember to not take for granted any minute that we have together and make sure we do lots of cuddling and giggling after school and on the weekends okay?
So thank you, Brody, for this time we have had together. I am so lucky and so thankful that God chose me to be your Mommy. You are the best little guy I know and I love you with all my heart.
Love,
Mom
Friday, April 29, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
3 Months and Big Time Blog Slacking!
I know, I know- I am WAY behind on updating this blog. I have no excuse other than I have been busy playing with two cute little kiddos and have been lazy about updates. But I really do enjoy having this as a place to record memories that I can look back on so I have promised myself I am going to try to be better about updating. :)
Its hard to believe but my little man is going to be THREE MONTHS old tomorrow. Where on earth did the time go? He is such a happy little guy and just the sweetest thing ever. I love him to pieces and we are having so much fun together. Since I last updated the blog at 4 weeks a lot has changed. We had been struggling with Brody having constant vomiting episodes, excessive spitup, chronic congestion, difficulty sleeping and rashes. We had him on Zantac for acid reflux but it was not helping much at all. We took him to the pediatrician at around 4 weeks after he vomited every feeding for 24 hours straight and they thought maybe it was just a virus but things just didn't get better. The other suggestion was that he was possibly sensitive to dairy so I was advised to cut out obvious dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.) since I was nursing and what I eat affects him. I tried that and it did seem to help a little but he was still having random vomiting episodes every day. It is so heartbreaking to see your helpless baby throw up so much and know you are making him sick but not know how to stop it. This was a really hard time for me.
At his two month appointment we discussed the issue again with the pedi and he suggested a few things. First, we switched his acid reflux medication from Zantac to Prevacid which was the same medicine that Ella was on. Secondly, he suggested that since the elimination diet was not working, we could trial a special formula called Alimentum that has the milk proteins already broken down since it seems as though Brody is unable to digest them. Apparently this intolerance is becoming more and more common in infants as well as an intolerance to soy and is called MPSI. Most babies grow out of it by the time they are a year old- some even sooner. So we agreed to change the meds and try the formula and see how things went.
For the next few days, we alternated feeding formula with nursing and I pumped in between to keep my supply up. He seemed to tolerate the formula very well and did not vomit at all after eating it. However, after nursing, he would become fussy and spit up or vomit most of the time. Talk about feeling horrible. It was clear my milk was causing him these problems. So we decided to go to 100% formula feeding while I still pumped as we decided what we were going to do. I was SO set on breastfeeding until the fall that this was a really hard decision for me- not to mention that the formula is incredibly expensive and was going to cost us $350 a month! We decided to call our insurance company on the off chance that they might cover some of the cost of the formula and were pleasantly surprised in that it is 100% COVERED! They even cover the more costly, ready to feed kind and deliver a month's supply to our doorstep. What a blessing! So after a lot of talk and a lot of tears (on my part) I decided to stop nursing. It wasn't in my plan but seeing the postive changes in Brody sealed the deal for me. He is like a different baby now. Takes the bottle SO well, burps easily, NO MORE vomiting, very little spit up, skin cleared up and less congestion. I can just tell he feels so much better, bless his heart. I have several hundred ounces of breastmilk frozen in the hopes that he can tolerate it when he gets a bit older but we will just have to see. For now, the formula is working fabulously and that makes me happy and I am at peace with the decision.
As B man approaches the three month mark he is getting to be such a big boy. He is in all 3-6 month clothing now and has tons of little rolls which I love. He is about 13.5 pounds now- which is what Ella weighed at 6 months! Brody is such a happy baby and full of smiles and giggles all day long. He is very ticklish so we can get lots of belly laughs out of him. He loves to sit in his Bumbo and watch me cook or watch his sister play and also loves to stretch out on the floor and kick his legs. We couldnt' be more blessed and are just loving life! :)
Its hard to believe but my little man is going to be THREE MONTHS old tomorrow. Where on earth did the time go? He is such a happy little guy and just the sweetest thing ever. I love him to pieces and we are having so much fun together. Since I last updated the blog at 4 weeks a lot has changed. We had been struggling with Brody having constant vomiting episodes, excessive spitup, chronic congestion, difficulty sleeping and rashes. We had him on Zantac for acid reflux but it was not helping much at all. We took him to the pediatrician at around 4 weeks after he vomited every feeding for 24 hours straight and they thought maybe it was just a virus but things just didn't get better. The other suggestion was that he was possibly sensitive to dairy so I was advised to cut out obvious dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.) since I was nursing and what I eat affects him. I tried that and it did seem to help a little but he was still having random vomiting episodes every day. It is so heartbreaking to see your helpless baby throw up so much and know you are making him sick but not know how to stop it. This was a really hard time for me.
At his two month appointment we discussed the issue again with the pedi and he suggested a few things. First, we switched his acid reflux medication from Zantac to Prevacid which was the same medicine that Ella was on. Secondly, he suggested that since the elimination diet was not working, we could trial a special formula called Alimentum that has the milk proteins already broken down since it seems as though Brody is unable to digest them. Apparently this intolerance is becoming more and more common in infants as well as an intolerance to soy and is called MPSI. Most babies grow out of it by the time they are a year old- some even sooner. So we agreed to change the meds and try the formula and see how things went.
For the next few days, we alternated feeding formula with nursing and I pumped in between to keep my supply up. He seemed to tolerate the formula very well and did not vomit at all after eating it. However, after nursing, he would become fussy and spit up or vomit most of the time. Talk about feeling horrible. It was clear my milk was causing him these problems. So we decided to go to 100% formula feeding while I still pumped as we decided what we were going to do. I was SO set on breastfeeding until the fall that this was a really hard decision for me- not to mention that the formula is incredibly expensive and was going to cost us $350 a month! We decided to call our insurance company on the off chance that they might cover some of the cost of the formula and were pleasantly surprised in that it is 100% COVERED! They even cover the more costly, ready to feed kind and deliver a month's supply to our doorstep. What a blessing! So after a lot of talk and a lot of tears (on my part) I decided to stop nursing. It wasn't in my plan but seeing the postive changes in Brody sealed the deal for me. He is like a different baby now. Takes the bottle SO well, burps easily, NO MORE vomiting, very little spit up, skin cleared up and less congestion. I can just tell he feels so much better, bless his heart. I have several hundred ounces of breastmilk frozen in the hopes that he can tolerate it when he gets a bit older but we will just have to see. For now, the formula is working fabulously and that makes me happy and I am at peace with the decision.
As B man approaches the three month mark he is getting to be such a big boy. He is in all 3-6 month clothing now and has tons of little rolls which I love. He is about 13.5 pounds now- which is what Ella weighed at 6 months! Brody is such a happy baby and full of smiles and giggles all day long. He is very ticklish so we can get lots of belly laughs out of him. He loves to sit in his Bumbo and watch me cook or watch his sister play and also loves to stretch out on the floor and kick his legs. We couldnt' be more blessed and are just loving life! :)
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