Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Eighth Wedding Anniversary!!!

That's right! Dan and I are celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary. I can't believe it that much time has gone by. This year is extra special because we have someone else to celebrate with. Unfortunately, I'm sick. I had to leave work early because of this horrible headache and body ache I have. I even got a fever reaching 102 F.

That's fine though, I'll survive. Besides, Dan surprised me last night by having a nice dinner cooked for us and got us an ice cream cake, too. We weren't able to eat as adults due to a little guy who now stands up and tries to grab our food, but it was still very nice.

Happy Anniversary Dan! I hope to celebrate many, many more with you.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Marketing That Annoys Me

A few weeks ago, I received a big envelope from Enfamil. I opened it up to see what it was all about. As soon as I open this oversized envelope, I get smacked with the ingredients of whole milk. I open the other side of the envelope and the ingredients to their Next Step Lipil is shown. In this envelope, there is also a check for $10 to use on this product.

I was annoyed when I finished reading all the information. If I haven't used formula at all, which I guess they wouldn't know, why would I use it now? I have contemplated mixing breast milk with formula because my supply is dwindling. I still have enough milk in the freezer to last me a bit and he'll be one soon. My plan is that once he turns one, I'll start mixing breast milk with regular whole milk.

The reason I'm annoyed is because this is not the first time I get formula shoved down my throat. I have three ready to serve bottles of formula plus one can to mix that I got from the hospital. Now, I have never been tempted to stop nursing and give Will formula. It's not like nursing him has been a piece of cake. He never really liked it. I actually had stopped nursing him for three weeks and gave him pumped milk. Slowly, I restarted nursing him. I've only successfully nursed him twice outdoors. He's very fidgety and gets distracted easily. With the nice weather going on, we've been out a lot on the weekends, which I've basically given him pumped milk. The only time of the day that he will nurse without any problems is first thing in the morning (and even that is beginning to change).

As you can see, nursing has not been a piece of cake for me. Maybe if my determination to nurse him had not completely been there or I had given up because of the hard time he's given me, I would have turned to those bottles of formula sitting in my closet. Listen, I don't have anything against formula. It's an alternative to breast milk and it has tons of vitamins and minerals. I just don't agree with it being shoved into my face and undermining nursing.

So guess what I received in the mail today? A sample of this toddler formula with checks to be used to buy this product. Do you know how freaking pissed I was when I saw this and still am? When I'm thinking of giving regular cow milk, I have to worry about it not being adequate enough for Will. First, you get formula in the hospital just in case you can't nurse. A year later, don't go out buying regular whole milk. There's not enough vitamins. Give your child formula.

What this makes me want to do is continue breastfeeding for another year instead of stopping on his birthday. Breast milk is better than cow's milk or formula. And guess what? It doesn't cost a thing! The can of formula costs around $24 for 24 oz of powder. With the amount of milk Will drinks, this can would last about 9 to 10 days. I would be spending about $75 a month on this! It's insane. Besides, Will takes vitamins. I'm sure he'll be fine with whole milk.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Coxsackie Virus

That's what Will has. Yup, his little throat is full of sores, which explains why he's refusing to eat. Luckily, he hasn't had anymore fever and it should be clearing up within the next few days. Unfortunately for him, there's nothing we could give him since it's a virus.

Last night was especially rough for him. He spent most of the night screaming. He slept on top of me and whenever I tried moving him, he would wake up. I hate seeing him like this. It's heartbreaking.

Hopefully, it'll be over soon. Wish him luck.

Will's Update

Although his fever has gone down, he's still not feeling well. I've spent the entire weekend comforting him. He's been happy at times willing to play, but he just wants to sleep on me. Once his medicine wears out, his temperature begins to rise. So, I'm taking him to the doctor depending on how he spends the night. We shall see....

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Will has His First Fever...

My little guy is not feeling all to well. It's not so bad. He's sitting in his playpen playing with his piano and watching Blues Clues. He just has those droopy eyes you get when you're not feeling well. We gave him Tylenol about an hour ago, but his fever has only gone from 101.3 to 101.1.

I'll keep you updated....

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

What? Time?

The baby is asleep, Dan is not home, and I actually have a minute to blog. Wow! I'm pretty surprised about this. As usual, things around here are hectic. But, what's new? I won't bore with the same song and dance about not having time.

I will bore you about nursing. It's seems as if the little guy is weaning himself off. I'm down to nursing him only in the mornings when he first wakes up. The rest of the time, he becomes too distracted. I think (maybe I'm wrong) he'll be dropping off that morning nursing. This week so far he's seems less interested.

As much as I want to stop, I feel guilty. Then again, what don't I feel guilty about? He will be 10 months old on Friday, which means eight more weeks of breast milk. My goal has always been to nurse for a year. I still have plenty of milk in the freezer, but my supply is dwindling. I'll keep the morning feeding until he decides he's had enough. Nursing him has not been easy for the two of us. The first three weeks I nursed him exclusively and he gave me a really hard time about it. Maybe if I would have been able to stay home longer than the five weeks, things would have been different. He really just didn't like it. The only nursing he truly enjoys is the one first thing in the morning.

My pumping supply use to be anywhere from 6 to 7 ounces of milk every three hours. I'm down to 2 1/2 to 4 ounces every four to five hours. It's a bittersweet relief that I am pumping less. Sweet because that means I won't have to lug the pump around. Bitter because I won't be providing for him like I have been this past year. This makes me sad.

Well, I have to cut this off. Dan just got home. We need some "we" time before we fall asleep in about an hour. There will be more rantings some other day.