Milk Strike

My mom thinks I'm the greatest!

We've had a whirlwind of a week with this boy named Micah! He was doing so great on his four hour eating schedule and then BAM, a week ago Friday he stops drinking milk. I'd been slowly introducing formula into his diet since he was six months old. He's a small guy (16 pounds, 5 ounces at 8 months), so I thought the formula might help him gain weight. Well, he'd been on it almost exclusively for about a week when he stopped taking it. I almost lost my mind. We went to the doctor twice, including a trip to the night clinic. I've tried nearly everything short of starving him (he takes baby food just fine) when finally my mom suggested that maybe he no longer likes the taste of soy. He was on soy because it was easier for him to digest, but when I switched to the milk based formula, he started taking it again. He's still not eating like before, but I'm managing to get around 14 ounces a day into him.

So, now I think he's going to need more frequent, smaller meals. He seems to do better if he gets solids and then a couple hours later, milk. He basically said, "screw you" to the lovely little schedule I had him on :-) But I hear that's "normal" for his age...whatever normal is.

Oh, and by the way, I always thought that bottle feeding would be easier than breastfeeding. The only thing easier about it is that I don't feel self conscious doing it in public. Other than that, breastfeeding is soooo much easier - always the right temperature, always readily available, no tools (bottles, liners, etc.) required, no wasting, and I don't fret so much about how much he's getting because I don't know. He just eats until he's full. I truly regret giving it up so soon.

UPDATE: Milk strike finally ended this week. We tried him on Similac, and he LOVES it. Of course, it's the most expensive formula on the market, so he would love it. Here's the schedule that seems to work best now. I'm posting this so that if our second child goes on a milk strike around 8 months, I'll be more prepared. These times are all "ish":

6:30 am - 4 oz. bottle + breakfast
8:30/9 am - nap #1
11 am - 4 oz. bottle + lunch
2 pm - 4 oz. bottle
2:30 pm - nap #2
4:30 pm - snack (yogurt?)
6:30 pm - dinner
7 pm - 4 oz. bottle and bed

8 on 8 (or some variation thereof)

I found this cute little do-dad on another blog and thought it would be fun to play along. I tag you all!

8 TV Shows I Like to Watch
1. House
2. American Idol
3. The Office
4. 19 Kids and Counting
5. Say Yes to the Dress
6. The Cake Boss
7. Hoarding...Buried Alive
8. What Not to Wear

8 Favorite Places to Eat and Drink

1. California Pizza Kitchen
2. Bonefish
3. Bojangles
4. Chick-fil-A
5. K&W Cafeteria
6. Any Japanese steakhouse
7. Any Mexican restaurant
8. My mom's kitchen

8 Things I Look Forward To

1. Taking Micah to the zoo and Disney
2. Having a second child
3. When my family stops giving me childrearing advice (one can hope...lol)
4. Beach trip in June with the Dickens
5. Micah's next year, and the year after, and the year after...
6. Retiring with Jamie, buying an RV and traveling around the US
7. Rafting down the Colorado River at the Grand Canyon
8. When Micah meets Jesus

6 Things that Happened to me Yesterday (I have a bad memory)
1. Celebrated my first Mother's Day
2. Micah said dadadadadadada (ok, maybe that was today)
3. Ate lunch at California Pizza Kitchen
4. Let Micah sleep in our bed part of the night...in our hotel...he was sick
5. Got my first Mother's Day gift, a ceramic plate from The Accidental Artist with Micah's footprints
6. Cried only once

6 Things I am Passionate about...because I can only think of 6
1. My marriage
2. Being a good mom...also the thing I'm most insecure about
3. Taking care of my home
4. Just saying no to clutter
5. Protecting Micah
6. My faith

7 Words or Phrases I Use Often
1. Mr. Llama! (to Micah)

2. I love you!

3. Mind your own business, please (to my family mostly)
4. He's actually a boy...
5. Gotta go, Micah's crying
6. Hey (also Micah's first word)
7. It's night night time!

3 Things I Have Learned From the Past (there's more, but a certain someone doesn't give me much time to get philosophical)
1. God is the Great Redeemer!
2. Sometimes I just need to relax
3. God is pleased to give me the desires of my heart when my heart is focused on Him

3 Places I Would Like to Visit/See
1. The Grand Canyon
2. Hwy 1 in California (again)
3. Martha's Vineyard

4 Things I Currently Want/Need...
1. A housekeeper
2. A chef
3. Someone to iron my laundry
4. For my child to drink milk again...yes, he's on a milk strike

Hypocrite

Now that I'm a mother, I've become one. Doing all the things I said I'd never do. This post really got me thinking. Actually, I've been thinking about it since Micah was born, but after reading MckMama's post, I realized that I share some of her reasons. This is really ironic because two of my best friends are teachers, and I have always been very against homeschooling. I figured, and they concurred, that if it takes four years to get a teaching degree and be qualified to teach in public school, then what makes me think I can do it? But now I don't think it's as black and white as that. So Jamie and I are thinking about it...praying about it...not really sure we will but not really sure we won't. Just thought you'd like to know.

April Photoshoot With Grandpa Orr

Jamie's dad was in town this month and (of course) took some pictures of Micah. Photography for him is more than a hobby but less than a job. He always gets great shots of Micah in his "natural" setting - nothing posed, just playing and hanging out. We're having family pictures done in May with Angela. I can't wait!

His poor toys don't stand a chance!

Kissy face!

His laughter is the sweetest sound we have ever heard!

Happy baby!

Snuggling with Daddy

The Grass Is Not Greener

Here's a little wisdom I gleaned last weekend. I follow a few of my favorite celebs via Twitter (yes, I know...), and sometimes I start wondering if the grass is greener on the other side. They seem to have really cool lives that I sometimes envy. Only my very old friends will know this, but there was a time early in my college career when I was poised to pursue a career in acting. I'd done community theater, some extra work on Dawson's Creek and was already taking classes in ECU's theater program, but I chose instead to transfer to UNC and pursue journalism. I don't necessarily regret that decision, but sometimes I wonder, What if? I obviously wouldn't change where I am today in my personal life, but professionally speaking, I often wonder about the road not taken.

So anyway...I'm following my celeb friends on Twitter, and checking out some of the people who they follow, and one person who I think has a pretty cool job (casting director) is recounting an experience she had on a plane when another couple got engaged. This obviously made her quite jealous, and then it dawned on me. I have what she wants. I have a wonderful husband and the most adorable baby at home. And no matter what kind of job you have, I think the most famous person in the world still wants someone to come home to at the end of the day, a family to love. Then I felt very convicted for my envy and also extremely thankful for the family that I have. God has truly spared me no good gifts, and I'm just sorry I have to be reminded of that from time to time.

7 Months and 2 Weeks

I'm a few weeks behind on Micah's 7-month post, but running late has just become a way of life for me now :-) Six months was a big turning point for us - everything seemed to stabilize - and seven is even better. Here's what Micah's up to:

- Got his first tooth last week.

- Behaves in restaurants (finally) as long as he eats when we do (can't feed him beforehand or he'll cut up).

- Has the cutest personality! He loves to make different sounds and then waits for me to repeat them back to him. Loves being tossed in the air, peek-a-boo, and has several tickle spots.

- Flashes HUGE grins when he swings at the park.

- Will lay perfectly still and just let me kiss all over his face. I know this won't last forever, so I'm enjoying it!

- Separation anxiety is getting better. We've found that as long as Jamie and I stick around for a few minutes while he adjusts to new faces, then he usually warms up quickly.

- Can sit for several seconds unsupported.

- Eats stage 3 baby food...lots of it! Has 5 liquid feedings a day (some formula and some mommy milk). Update: Moved to a 4-hour schedule at 7.5 months. Now eats 4 meals a day, usually 6:30, 10:30, 2:30, solids at 6 and a bottle at 7 (we split up this last feeding so that he'll eat more).

- Wears 9-12 month clothes.

- We love him so much! Gotta run because I miss him!

MckMama's iPad Giveaway

For those of you who read MckMama's blog (and those who don't, you should check her out!), she's giving away an iPad to one lucky person who donates at least $5 to Compassion International's Child Sponsorship Program. Click here for more. The contest ends tonight!