Fill Us Up & Send Us Out: Levi: Weeks 43 & 44 Summary

Oh boy! What a two weeks this has been! Talk about teething and sickness central in our house. As I sit here, I could literally just fall asleep because of how tired and crappy I feel. But I won't--because this summary needs to be written before it turns into a 3 week summary. Here's what has been goin' on with Levi:

FEEDING
We are still nursing and Levi is doing well. He is doing a lot better with not getting distracted, so that's really encouraging. The few times I've pumped in the past two weeks, I have noticed a dip in my supply. And some nights that Levi has woke, he does seem very hungry--so I'm wondering if he has been getting enough milk. His third feeding of the day he only nurses (no solids after) and most days he becomes super super upset come 4 or 5 PM. I'm pretty sure he wasn't getting enough milk at that feeding to hold him over until dinner time. So yesterday, I decided to start supplementing with formula to increase his liquid intake. And Levi is almost his old self again (his teething pain did still affect him though)! At first, he didn't seem to care for the formula or the bottle, but now he is drinking it without issue. So now, at every feeding, I nurse him for 5-10 minutes, give him a 2 oz bottle of formula, and then offer him his solids for that meal. I would like to continue to nurse him until he is 1 year, not only for the health benefits, but also for the fact that we'll need to buy less formula.

Solid feeding is still going great! Levi is eating 3-4 oz of oatmeal mixed with applesauce for breakfast, and 2 oz veggie-based food plus 2 oz of fruit-based food for both lunch and dinner. I usually give him finger foods of some type after at least one meal each day.

I mentioned last week that he disliked the cantaloupe and strawberry puree I made for him. Well, this week I offered it to him only slightly defrosted--more like a sorbet. He didn't absolutely love it, but he did eat all of it! Especially when I took some small bites of it as well.

NAPS
Still rough on the naps the past two weeks. He woke up very early for almost every one! I'm ready for this teething pain to be over so that he'll be more well rested and happy again.

NIGHTTIME
Also, rough these two weeks! Levi woke anywhere from 1-3 times per night--usually at very random times. This is what makes me think it was due to teething pain. Even though I didn't want to (for fear of creating a habit), usually I would just nurse him to get him to calm down. He would fall back asleep quickly if I did that. Fingers crossed that he isn't affected by that in the coming weeks!

TEETHING
Yep, they are definitely comin'! His snaggletooth (left lateral incisor) is slowly making its way farther down and his right lateral incisor is more visible (through his gum) by the day. I'm praying it cuts through soon--this one seems to be the most painful for Levi yet. He seems to be experiencing a lot more teething symptoms with this tooth than any other so far. Yesterday and today, almost every diaper is a poopy one and its very runny (sorry for TMI). This has also caused a terrible diaper rash, which causes him to scream in pain every time I wipe him. I feel so so bad for him! Some other minor symptoms include him pulling on his right ear (no ear infection--already checked with his doctor), redness on his right cheek, cold-like symptoms, and super grumpiness.

MOTOR SKILLS
Not too much is new in this area! Oh, Levi has almost mastered his pincer grasp, which is especially helpful for picking up his beloved Cheerios. He also will rock back and forth now when he hears music--like he's dancing! I love that.

OUR SCHEDULE
While these past two weeks have been a bit more sporadic than usual, this is our schedule each day (each time listed is give or take 15 minutes):

7:00 am- nurse, 2 oz bottle of formula
7:30 am- breakfast, independent playtime
8:30-9:00 am- nap (this varies based on how well he slept the night before, how he is feeling, etc.)
10:00-10:30 am- bathtime
11:00 am- nurse, 2 oz bottle formula, lunch, playtime
12:00-12:30 pm- nap
2:30 pm- nurse, 2 oz formula, run errands if necessary
4:30-5:00 pm- catnap (usually just 30-45 minutes)
6:00 pm- dinner
7:00 pm- nurse, PJs, family time
7:15 pm- bedtime

OUTINGS/EVENTS
Big boy turned 10 months old on October 1st! So far, this has been one of the worst months of his life, but I know it will start improving soon. Here are some photos from his 10-month photo shoot: