I really must get more regular about posting on the blog because it's much more overwhelming to update when I have waited so long. So, here are some little tidbits about what's currently going on with Cort.
Cort still doesn't have any teeth and has seemed to slow down with all the teething symptoms so maybe he'll get them at a little more normal time.
He is perhaps one of the noisiest baby's i have ever known. He babbles and makes noises constantly. He has discovered his voice and apparently loves the sound of it.
Cort and I took our first road trip by ourselves. We went down to Columbia for the day for Jack's(my cousin's little boy) 1 year birthday party. Cort liked the party...hated the drive.
He will be four months old on Thursday( the 11th)
We got our first little cackle of a laugh when Cort was three months old. Since then he has been quite stingy with the laughs. We'd get a few here and there but they were always brief. Well, yesterday he had a full blown laughing fit. It was almost like he was delirious. Chris' parents were here and were telling him by and he just burst out laughing. Everytime Chris' mom would talk to him or touch him he would let out the cutest little giggles. Needless to say, it made it hard for them to leave. Thankkfully, Chris grabbed the video camera and we caught a little of it!!
A few of the things he currently loves:
1. He loves smiling. He does it all the time.
2. He loves playing airplane with his daddy.
3. He still loves his mobile.
4. He loves gettnig lathered up with his lotion( he has horrible dry skin)
5. He loves his new crinkle ball his grandmommie gave him for Easter
6. He loves looking in the mirror
He hates to eat. Yes, eating is still a massive issue. The past three weeks have been very trying. It started up again around 3 months and has all gone down hill from there. We have been going to the doctor for weight checks and he is slowly gaining. He weighs about 11.5 lbs right now. He does not like to eat. He fights it every time. For multiple reasons and through lots of prayer and agonizing we have started the process of putting him on formula. This has been very difficult for me as I was planning to continue to nurse him and so desperatlely want to do what is best for him. We know that formula itself is not better for him and I am having the hardest time with that fact but what we do know is that whether I am nursing him or we or bottle feeding him he does not want to eat and he does not eat enough. The bottle is better because this way we can monitor his intake better and I can have help. I am struggling with wanting to make sure that we don't make this decision too hastely and that it is not at all for selfish reasons. What I do know is that something has to change because feeding times have become quite miserable for me and especially for Cort. He will typically start to eat fine but after an ounce or two( if bottle feeding) or after a few minutes(if nursing) he stops eating and lets us know quite forcefully that he will not have any more. He gets a little more worked up with the bottle because we can force it on him a little more than when nursing. At first we thought it might be a bit of a bottle strike as well and while that might be a small part of the problem, nursing sessions are really no better. This past Friday we took him back to the doctor for yet another weight check - again slow progress but we are greatful that it's progress. My doctor, who I just have to say is wonderful, tried giving him a bottle to see if he would take it from her and so she could get a feel of what was going on. He immediatley took the bottle but seconds later was screaming and would not eat anymore. She then had me nurse him to see if it made a difference - a small one - but not much. She thinks he is reacting because something is making him uncomfortable and believes his reflux is flaring up again so we are increasing his prevacid. He will get it in the morning and at night now. Thankfully, he likes the medicine so this won't be too much of a problem. Unfortunatley, there is no generic so this isn't the cheapest fix. Also, because she doesn't want to just assume anything, we are going on Tuesday morning at 9:00 am for an upper GI. She does not expect anything serious but wants to rule out any other possible problems. While I am not excited about Cort having to have this procedure, I am glad for the peace of mind it might give me that nothing else more serious is wrong. At the same time, if it comes back clear we are just back to waiting it all out and hoping it gets better.
In the meantime, we are praying that God will just take this away from him and give us the wisdom to know what we should be doing as his parents. I am trying to find a peace about weaning Cort and trusting that God is in control of all of this. I try to find some solice in knowing that tomorrow morning we are waking up to an upper GI but that a few years from now this will be past us and I will be waking up on a Tuesday morning to play GI Joes.
3 comments:
I'm praying for y'all, Em!
The new pictures of Cort are so awesome! What a handsome boy!
Hey Emily, the new pictures are adorable. I was wondering if you have thought of pumping and giving him breast milk, instead of going to formula. That is what I have been doing Bauer went on the breast feeding strike in early February. I just passed the 3 month mark of pumping 5x a day, everyday, and giving him the milk from a bottle instead of breast feeding. It was really hard at first to have to keep up with the pumping schedule on top of Bauer's feeding schedule, but I have gotten used to it and the pumping really doesn't take that long. I use a dual electric pump (Purely Yours by Ameda) and it only takes about 10 minutes per session, which I do 5x a day. For a while, I would complain a lot about doing it, but finally I just decided I want to give him the breast milk so I am going to do it and not complain. I try not to really think about it now and I just do it. Some days it is hard to find the time to pump when Bauer is awake and I have to try and entertain him at the same time, but just like everything else, I have gotten used to making it work. I am not trying to tell you this is what you should do...but it's just another idea if you are up for the task...instead of doing the formula. Tons of babies are on formula their whole lives and do fine, so if that is what you decide, then just do it and stick to it wholeheartedly and don't second guess yourself. We cannot control everything that happens and even if we do everything "right," things could still turn out differently than we hoped. So good luck and best wishes. I enjoy reading your blogs so keep posting! Your friend, Ginger
Thanks TJ and Ginger for the words of encouragement. Cort's upper GI came back clear for blockages or any other complication other than reflux. We were able to see the reflux so we are just continuing to try to treat it. Right now I am pumping and he is mainly getting breatmilk through the bottle. We are mixing a little formula to see how he tolerates it and to get him use to it a little. As I have had some milk supply issues we are not sure how long pumping will keep my supply up.
PS we think Cort has some eczema too but not nearly has severe as Bauer's. It doesn't seem to itch him much at all. We use Eucerin and it helps his a lot.
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