A am a few days behind so let's just say that 2 days ago, you turned 8 months old. This past month has definitely been your most unhappiest. I would use the word fussy, but I really don't want to. I hate that word. It makes you seem like you are unable to be pleased and that is simply not true. I know exactly what you want, I am just not prepared to do it therefore leading to your unhappiness. The root of your unhappiness is two fold:
1. The dreaded wean. Mexico is coming up (7 weeks!) and that my friend meant that it was inevitable that I would have to start weaning you. When you were first born, you took a bottle like a pro. I gave you between 2-3 bottles a week and you never had any difficulty. Somewhere around 4 months of age however, you clued in to the difference and refused the bottle for the most part ever since. You teased us from time to time with glimpses of acceptance but for the most part would go hungry before ever consuming any liquid that didn't come straight from the source.
As soon as our company left at Christmas we started. I read in an article the other day that the reason you wean a baby can be summed up in two reasons. For one, you as the mother are ready or for two, the baby is ready. The article explained that in the perfect world, these two reasons would happen simultaneously. I very much had this with your brother. He pretty much self weaned and I was perfectly happy to be done too so easy peasy, just like that, he was weaned. You my friend were most definitely not ready. I'm sorry for that. I gave you 7 and half months and although I know you would have preferred to go on, my pain threshold from your bites and my upcoming trip made the decision for me. For the first week, I cut out one of your 4 feedings and gave you a bottle. You pretty much never took it but I tried every single day - cue start of your unhappiness. After the first week, you were drinking about an ounce consistently but not a drop more. Week two came and we dropped another of your feedings and stayed with it. I started adding a natural sweetener to your formula to try and entice you but have since given that up since it didn't seem to make a difference. Today, I only nurse you in the morning and at night and you have started to accept the formula without protest. You still don't drink a ton, but I can get about 3-4 ounces in you with each feeding - MAJOR PROGRESS. Your unhappiness is subsiding slightly however I think you are still fairly mad at me. I don't blame you. All I can say is that I am glad your memory is still short.
2. Your never want to be put down. I am pretty sure this root of your unhappiness is also caused by #1. You are simply punishing me. It's like you're saying -"fine, wean me. But as a trade, I would like to be carried all day long". Thank goodness you sleep as much as you do because when you are awake, you are exhausting.
So there it is - my theory on the root of your unhappiness. You are not fussy, you just aren't getting what you want. Let this be the first time of I'm sure thousands where I say to you what my father said to me just as many times - you can't always get what you want.
A few weeks ago on a day your Dad was home, he took your brother to run a few errands. You got up from your afternoon nap and were less than impressed with life. It finally occurred to me that we could do something that we hardly ever get a chance to do - go for a walk. When your brother was your age, we used to walk every day around 4 o'clock to get the mail and also wait out the last hour or two before your Dad got home. So, I bundled you up, grabbed the dog and off we went. I had totally forgotten how nice walking with one contained child is. You did not make a sound the whole time we walked so you must have liked it too. I am sorry that we don't get to do that more often and that you miss out on a lot of the independent things that your brother and I did before you were born. I promise that I will always set aside special time for just you and I and that as time goes on we will have our own adventures too.
Even though this month has seen more tears that normal, there have still been plenty of smiles and laughs. You have started to really laugh at your brother and his crazy antics that he performs in front of you every chance he can get. You two really seem to be hitting it off.
Basically baby, I hope that at some point soon, you forgive me for weaning you and we can go back to being happy all the time. I know I have asked a lot of you over the past 8 months and you can add this to the list. I think this is just one of those stages that seemingly take forever while you're living it, but looked back upon passed in the flash of an eye. Kind of like when you wouldn't sleep anywhere between the hours of 11pm and 5am but on me. When I was living those 2 weeks I thought things would never change, but as they always do, we made it through and are better because of it. I have a feeling that you will be much happier once you can move around a bit and maybe once a tooth or two that's fighting its way in appears. Until then, I will do my best to make you as happy as possible and when I have tried everything and nothing is working I will take a deep breath and trust that this two, as did everything in the past, will pass.
Little girl, you are still the sweetest. You have an infectious smile and a TON of personality already at your young age. I look so forward to what this new year has in store for you and for us. I have a hard time believing that I am already brainstorming ideas for your 1st birthday. It seems like just yesterday that we first laid eyes on you and introduced ourselves. My love for you has grown exponentially since that day and I know that that will never stop. You are my most favorite little lady and every day with you captures another piece of my heart.
Love you to forever and always x8,
Mama
xoxo
Posts
