(Sometimes I just can't help but post new pictures I love.)
Showing posts with label 1 year old. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1 year old. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
The Gap is Narrowing
In the first year of Sam and Anna's life, there were several babies I knew born a few months earlier or later than Sam and Anna were. I loved hearing all about their developmental changes because I either got an insight into what was coming up next or relived those special first moments, or was reassured that whatever Sam and Anna were doing was completely normal and within an acceptable range for their age. ...Or perhaps I may have even fallen into the mommy-trap once or twice and did some comparison (Face it, we all do it.)
Now that Sam and Anna are over a year old, that age gap has really narrowed, or even disappeared in some cases. There's this fuzzy timeline that babies around a year old give or take a few months follow. Little ones (I'm still trying to adjust to not using the term babies anymore) are learning to walk; learning to talk; eating and drinking more and more "real" food. They are developing their own distinct personalities more and more every day. I find there are babies several months older that are in the same place developmentally in some areas as Sam and Anna... but yet there are kids a few months younger in the same place in some areas as well. It's been a long time since I last mentally adjusted a little for Sam and Anna's earlier than their due date arrival into the world.
Sam and Anna aren't walking yet and I promise I won't have a single thought of concern until they are at least 14 months old. My nephew that was born a month earlier was walking at 9 months... but says no words. Sam and Anna each have about 10 words in their vocabulary. Sam and Anna are on 100% whole milk in sippies; no bottles and 100% eating what we eat (and have been for months)... while my nephew will only eat crackers beyond purees and sometimes takes an occasional MOTN bottle of formula in addition to a bedtime bottle. The once gargantuan size difference between the three of them is much smaller now. They seem to be peers now instead of worlds apart like they once were.
This isn't the only comparison I've been noticing. Babies I know born 4 months older seemed ages apart in that first year as well, but now they are standing side by side too. By kindergarten there will be completely no difference between Sam and Anna and babies born either 6 months earlier or 6 months later. (My disclaimer: Those summer birthdays do sometimes act younger than the rest of their classmates though.) The gap will continue to fade and I like that. I like I can relate to some moms more than ever now, too.
Now that Sam and Anna are over a year old, that age gap has really narrowed, or even disappeared in some cases. There's this fuzzy timeline that babies around a year old give or take a few months follow. Little ones (I'm still trying to adjust to not using the term babies anymore) are learning to walk; learning to talk; eating and drinking more and more "real" food. They are developing their own distinct personalities more and more every day. I find there are babies several months older that are in the same place developmentally in some areas as Sam and Anna... but yet there are kids a few months younger in the same place in some areas as well. It's been a long time since I last mentally adjusted a little for Sam and Anna's earlier than their due date arrival into the world.
Sam and Anna aren't walking yet and I promise I won't have a single thought of concern until they are at least 14 months old. My nephew that was born a month earlier was walking at 9 months... but says no words. Sam and Anna each have about 10 words in their vocabulary. Sam and Anna are on 100% whole milk in sippies; no bottles and 100% eating what we eat (and have been for months)... while my nephew will only eat crackers beyond purees and sometimes takes an occasional MOTN bottle of formula in addition to a bedtime bottle. The once gargantuan size difference between the three of them is much smaller now. They seem to be peers now instead of worlds apart like they once were.
This isn't the only comparison I've been noticing. Babies I know born 4 months older seemed ages apart in that first year as well, but now they are standing side by side too. By kindergarten there will be completely no difference between Sam and Anna and babies born either 6 months earlier or 6 months later. (My disclaimer: Those summer birthdays do sometimes act younger than the rest of their classmates though.) The gap will continue to fade and I like that. I like I can relate to some moms more than ever now, too.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
The Rest of Our 1 Year Old Photo Session
I'm a little late in posting these, because a.) our photos were taken after Sam and Anna's birthday b.) I had to contact grandparents to see what they wanted before ordering and then wait to find out and c.) then I had to order them and pick them up. Step C was finally accomplished today!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Houston, We (May) Have a Problem
We started introducing whole milk a week after Sam and Anna's birthday. Truth be told, I was a little nervous to take this step because in Sam and Anna's short history, we've had too much trouble with what they drink and I didn't want history to repeat itself. We had also just weaned Sam and Anna's last reflux med dose the week before successfully and so I was worried that the whole milk would cause a big time reflux flare. I also wanted to talk to our pedi to see if she had any specific recommendations for approaching this because of the GERD background and Sam and Anna's past bottle refusal period. We gave Sam and Anna milk during their meals for three days, but held onto their morning and bedtime bottles of formula until our 1 year well child pedi appointment. Sam and Anna did great. No problems at all- they drank it like it was no big deal.
We didn't get any tips that I didn't already know from our pedi, so since the first few times of whole milk sippies went well, we went semi-cold turkey only 3 days after we first introduced it and dropped the last two bottles. We never mixed formula and whole milk as I know some people do... I was and am a little against offering whole milk in a bottle. (Not that I wouldn't try it if giving it straight at first wasn't working.) I think it is easier for a child to probably drop bottles/formula if the two are only associated together, and the option of whole milk in a bottle doesn't exist. I knew that Sam and Anna wouldn't have attachment issues from losing their bottles, and they seemed to like the milk enough to drink ounces of it at a time, so I thought we were good to go. Friday night we gave them a sippy of whole milk before bed as a "nightcap." I was so pleased that it seemed to be so easy to switch from formula to whole milk for them.
That night a few hours into bedtime, Sam vomited all over himself and his crib. The next day was a big change because he refused most of the whole milk we offered. We were pretty sure that the whole milk HAD triggered a reflux flare and laying down exasperated the problem. (He showed no other signs of possibly being sick.) He hardly drank anything that day and the next.
Two nights later (Sunday night), Anna vomited all over herself and her crib at about 2 am- so badly that she got a bath in the middle of the night, and this momma took a shower because of holding a vomited soaked baby before climbing back into bed (I got up 1 1/2 hours later at 5 am for work the next day). We were even more sure that whole milk was causing stomach issues for both babies, and decided that maybe holding onto a bedtime bottle of formula for a little bit might help their tummies adjust to whole milk.
But then I got sick in the middle of the night Monday night... and we realized that Sam and Anna probably had gotten the flu, not-so-conveniently timed to coicide with the transition to completely on whole milk. This was a good thing for the whole milk issue we thought we had, because it should have been only a temporary problem, but there have still been lingering effects.
Although there has been no more vomit soaked babies or cribs since last weekend, Sam no longer likes to drink whole milk at home. He will drink it at daycare, but not at home. We think he has an association with drinking it here and throwing up that is making him resistant to it now. We have tested several factors (cups, locations in our home, etc.) with the same result. When we went out to eat for dinner the other night, he happily drank it for us at the restaurant- milk from the same carton; same sippy cup. So the only constant is that he will not drink much at home. (We're talking like maybe 1-2 oz total in a day at home, even if he's home all day.)
We've upped his intake of other dairy foods like cheese and yogurt and are banking on the idea that over time as the flu incident is farther from his memory, he'll gradually forget about it and happily drink whole milk again at home. I'm also trying to remember that at this point, milk is not as important as it was, and is now only a complement to a meal rather than a meal itself. He will be fine if he only drinks a little, as long as he gets a lot of other dairy and calcium rich foods. He is a pretty good eater besides this.
Thankfully, so is Anna. And Anna seems to have no association with throwing up and drinking milk as she's been drinking whole milk great for us at home or at daycare. I'm so glad that for her at least, this truly has been an easy change.
We didn't get any tips that I didn't already know from our pedi, so since the first few times of whole milk sippies went well, we went semi-cold turkey only 3 days after we first introduced it and dropped the last two bottles. We never mixed formula and whole milk as I know some people do... I was and am a little against offering whole milk in a bottle. (Not that I wouldn't try it if giving it straight at first wasn't working.) I think it is easier for a child to probably drop bottles/formula if the two are only associated together, and the option of whole milk in a bottle doesn't exist. I knew that Sam and Anna wouldn't have attachment issues from losing their bottles, and they seemed to like the milk enough to drink ounces of it at a time, so I thought we were good to go. Friday night we gave them a sippy of whole milk before bed as a "nightcap." I was so pleased that it seemed to be so easy to switch from formula to whole milk for them.
That night a few hours into bedtime, Sam vomited all over himself and his crib. The next day was a big change because he refused most of the whole milk we offered. We were pretty sure that the whole milk HAD triggered a reflux flare and laying down exasperated the problem. (He showed no other signs of possibly being sick.) He hardly drank anything that day and the next.
Two nights later (Sunday night), Anna vomited all over herself and her crib at about 2 am- so badly that she got a bath in the middle of the night, and this momma took a shower because of holding a vomited soaked baby before climbing back into bed (I got up 1 1/2 hours later at 5 am for work the next day). We were even more sure that whole milk was causing stomach issues for both babies, and decided that maybe holding onto a bedtime bottle of formula for a little bit might help their tummies adjust to whole milk.
But then I got sick in the middle of the night Monday night... and we realized that Sam and Anna probably had gotten the flu, not-so-conveniently timed to coicide with the transition to completely on whole milk. This was a good thing for the whole milk issue we thought we had, because it should have been only a temporary problem, but there have still been lingering effects.
Although there has been no more vomit soaked babies or cribs since last weekend, Sam no longer likes to drink whole milk at home. He will drink it at daycare, but not at home. We think he has an association with drinking it here and throwing up that is making him resistant to it now. We have tested several factors (cups, locations in our home, etc.) with the same result. When we went out to eat for dinner the other night, he happily drank it for us at the restaurant- milk from the same carton; same sippy cup. So the only constant is that he will not drink much at home. (We're talking like maybe 1-2 oz total in a day at home, even if he's home all day.)
We've upped his intake of other dairy foods like cheese and yogurt and are banking on the idea that over time as the flu incident is farther from his memory, he'll gradually forget about it and happily drink whole milk again at home. I'm also trying to remember that at this point, milk is not as important as it was, and is now only a complement to a meal rather than a meal itself. He will be fine if he only drinks a little, as long as he gets a lot of other dairy and calcium rich foods. He is a pretty good eater besides this.
Thankfully, so is Anna. And Anna seems to have no association with throwing up and drinking milk as she's been drinking whole milk great for us at home or at daycare. I'm so glad that for her at least, this truly has been an easy change.
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