leon doesn't wear too much clothing nowadays. one of the beautiful things about being a baby is that it's ok to not wear pants.
he had his 15 month check-up (at 16 months), and we learned that he remains firmly in the 75th percentile for height and 5th percentile for weight. since he still refuses to drink whole milk--he still nurses 6-10 times per 24 hour cycle--i've been trying to sneak in food through other means. for instance, his favorite dish is a beef soboro bowl with fried egg and a few chopped up veggies added surreptitiously. sometimes he'll eat whole milk greek yogurt with honey and granola, but food continues to be a struggle. he has also been indifferent to his sippy cup, so i've started filling it with coconut water instead of less delicious regular water.
as for sleep, it's still less than reasonable. he has yet to sleep more than 3.5 hours without waking. on the upside, leon will take a 2-3 hour nap (this includes wakings and nursing), so i am now able to get a little work done during the day (along with making lunch, starting dinner, cleaning out the cat litter, etc.). he goes down at 8.30 or 9 pm (trying to move the bedtime earlier), and then wakes around 11.30 to nurse. usually i give in and go to bed at this time. if i don't, i can do a little more work or read a novel until about 1.30 am. at this point i throw in the towel for good and join him for bed. between 1.30 and 7.30, he usually nurses 3-4 times for less than 2 minutes each. i still have to switch sides or drag him back from the edge of the mattress, so i do wake up to some extent.
a lot of people have asked me if i'm planning on weaning leon. they seem to think it'll help with his sleep. i'm afraid of the vomiting and screaming. in the past month, he's thrown up 3 times because i refused to go in and comfort him before 11.30 pm. sometimes i get really frustrated and feel like i'd rather not have anything to do with being his parent. i guess sleep deprivation and watching him from 9 am until 7 pm has really taken a toll on me. i need a break, but it doesn't look like i'll have the funds for another babysitter until september. until then, i need to finish a draft of the dissertation and hold down the fort.
things that make me happy include leon's spontaneous displays of affection. i love that he really interacts with his books and is finally swaying to music and trying to sing. i know that he's been busy with physical activities, but life is more bearable when he's able to interact with me in a meaningful way. the sleep and food issues will pass. the tantrums are becoming more challenging, too. all in all, leon has a remarkably laid-back temperament when he isn't being intense, needy, or demanding. i guess you could say that he takes after me. another way of putting it is that i have the temperament of a toddler.
5 comments:
he's really looking like a little boy. adorable. lil hugh came back from day care the other day with no pants on because they kept falling off (at his 12-month check-up was not even on the chart for his weight -- 0 percentile!). it is a challenge figuring out what to feed them and how to vary their diets. luckily hugh eats a lot, yet somehow i don't think i give him enough variety. his staples include cheese, yogurt, turkey, avocado, edamame, banana, crackers, bread, hummus... and he is crazy for strawberries and blueberries. i bet he would love some beef soboro, though.
hugh doesn't like whole milk either, but he drinks soy milk daily. it's a little sweeter, i guess. have you tried that?
good luck with everything, one of these days i hope the sleep stuff clicks and he is able to give you more of a break. or at the very least i hope it continues to improve.
i find it very difficult to be the solo childcare provider even for a day, much less EVERY day and most of the night. you're doing an amazing job.
I know that all kids are different so take this for what you will, but having just finally weaned Sadie (who was only nursing at bedtime/night) we've all but stopped night wakings.
There's still a little toss and turn when she used to nurse but a shhhh and a pat is usually all it takes to make her sleep again (in her side-car crib).
It did take a week of crying (our poor usptairs neighbors - I wonder if that's why they moved out) and giving her water instead of me, but since Leon isn't down with the sippy cups, maybe not such a useful trick. Keeping her hand on my breast seemed to also comfort her a bit.
Of course all of that was after carefully eliminating one night feed after another over a series of weeks (or months, I suppose) until we were down to one plus bedtime.
Sadie still doesn't drink much milk either, though she likes cereal with milk in the morning.
Good luck, Erica, whatever you (and Leon) decide to do.
It's difficult huh? Audrey was sleeping through (7pm - 6am) but when she got croup I nursed her on demand during the night as her difficulty in breathing scared the daylights out of me, and this seemed to calm her down. Of course this got her wanting midnight snacks again. It's pretty random now, sometimes she'll go right through other times she'll wake. You need to have a strong resolve to follow through with any sleep-changing plans - one's mindset in the wee hours gets very distorted and weak.
I do find with Audrey that when she takes a good sleep during the day (anything over 2-2.5 hrs) it affects her night sleep (she wakes and sings and calls out). Did I ever send you that info on 'milkaholics' in the Save Our Sleep book?
I get ratty now when Audrey wakes up once every other night, so I can only imagine how you feel. As for weaning, don't listen to others on what you should be doing. I nurse Audrey twice during the day now (I cut out the midday drink a month or so ago). It gives me a lot more freedom plus I don't think she really needs three milk feeds at 17 months, but that's just how I feel.
You must be happy with what you are doing. Try not to be swayed by well-meaning others. Melissa is right, you are doing an incredible job!
I will third that you are doing an incredible job! Leon looks like an amazing and healthy little boy. I won't give you any advice except do what feels right for you, what I am finding as a mom is that our gut instinct is usually the best one, and with any change in schedule (especially sleep) in takes time to transition. Keep doing what you're doing mama, and know that I appreciate your always honest updates.
i love your honesty about all the sleep business. its rough work. and i only 'worked' it for 5 months before i gave up.
go you!
leon is looking sooooooooo big!!! he is so sweet. and oban is falling in that 5% weight category too. just not as long. his head is hugemongo. haaaaa.
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