Weaning

I haven't taken the time to post too much and I thought I should update everyone on how Jack is doing, specifically with regards to weaning off of breast milk. I was pumping 4 times a day and couldn't wait to be done. Last Wednesday was the last day I pumped at work. I had planned to pump at home in the morning at least twice over the holiday weekend. Well, I didn't. So it's been 8 days since I last pumped at all and it has been wonderful!! My work day is running much more smoothly and my mornings with Jack are so much better!

I had planned on breastfeeding Jack on his birthday (during the day) and start giving him whole milk on Christmas Eve. I'm still breastfeeding him in the morning and at night. The problem we have is that he almost never goes down for his morning nap without nursing. 99% of the time he'll nurse to sleep, I move him to his crib, and he sleeps for about an hour. And he almost never takes an afternoon nap. He doesn't even fall asleep in the car anymore! I know he needs his sleep, so I usually end up giving in and I nurse him to sleep. On Sunday I gave him a bottle, which he drank some of, and I put him down in his crib. He was really mad at me! Eventually, I gave in and nursed him to sleep. It's bad, I know!!

Monday I sent him to daycare with 2 bottles, each with half breast milk and half whole milk. That used up the last of my stored milk. He hesitantly drank them, but he did finish them. On Tuesday, he only went to daycare in the morning. He drank a full 5 ounces of whole milk in the morning and then took a nap. He was sleeping when I picked him up, and she told me that she plays music and puts him down and he goes to sleep on his own without any problems. So I know he can do it!! After we got home from the doctor's, I gave him another 5 ounce bottle of milk and he guzzled it down! He even seemed like he wanted more. He has continued to get bottles of whole milk this week and he's doing great with them.

In the mornings, Jack usually wakes me up earlier than I'd like and I'll bring him into bed with me and nurse him lying down. I don't want him to assosiate nursing with sleep anymore, so yesterday I got him up, turned on the lights, got him dressed, and then nursed him sitting up. We went down for breakfast and he wasn't too interested in his food because he had a belly full of milk. Today he woke up at 4:30, I nursed him, put him back in his crib, and we woke up for the day at 7. We got ready and I gave him breakfast with a sippy cup of milk. He ate his whole breakfast! Starting next week I'm not going to breastfeed him in the morning anymore. It's going to be hard not nursing him when he wakes up really early. It's the easiest (and quickest) way to get us both a little more sleep. But we'll just have to make it work!

He's been doing great going to sleep at night. If I put him down awake, I quickly leave and he falls asleep without any problem. Last night I nursed him, but I shortened it and made sure he didn't fall asleep. I put him down awake and he didn't make a peep! So now I just need to figure out these darn naps. I have the next 3 days to work on it and I am definitely done nursing him during the day. I'm going to continue giving him a bottle before his morning nap and start giving him a cup of milk in the afternoons. I'm trying to transition him slowly. There are a lot of changes happening all at once and I want it to be as easy on both of us as possible.

In just one week he went from breast milk to straight whole milk during the day and he's done great!! Like I said, I just need to work on these naps. I know he can put himself to sleep and I do not want to let him cry. I wouldn't mind if he was just whining or fussing, but he starts getting really hysterical and I know he would go on like that for over an hour. I'm not comfortable letting him cry like that for that long. It's going to take some time and a lot of patience. I just need to be consistent!! Once we have the naps figured out, I'll start thinking about weaning him at night. It's hard on me because I enjoy having that closeness with him. I know he enjoys it too! If I could stay at home, I'd continue nursing him and do a more gradual wean, but I think it's going well so far. He does great at daycare and has never cried. Every day this week after I hand him over, he puts his arms out and reaches for me and gets a little fussy. I don't know if it's just his age or if it has something to do with the weaning process. It breaks my heart, but I just give him a couple quick kisses, tell him I love him, and leave quickly. I know he is fine and lingering wouldn't do anyone any good. There are a lot of big changes happening and it'll take some time to adjust to everything. I'm just happy he's drinking the whole milk without any issues!! He's turning into such a big boy!!

If you're still reading after all that, thank you!! It's a lot of information but I'm glad I wrote it all out. It'll be forgotten as soon as we move on to the next thing! Some of you asked where I got my card tree and to be honest, I have no idea! It was a gift given to me 4 years ago. As for Jack's slippers, I found those at Old Navy. They are too cute!

I hope everyone has a wondrful New Years. We'll be home, working on these naps! And I have a lot of cleaning up and organzing to do now that Jack has so many new toys!  I'll also be playing with my own new toy- my new camera! I tested it out last night. I can't wait to play with it some more and figure out all the settings. I also have a second lens that I need to try out. It's so awesome!! All of his baby pictures are going to pale in comparison to his toddler photos.



Here's a preview:

I love it!!