Bumps in the Road

How can a smile with no teeth be so bright? I don't know, really. But Jett has got it down to a T. I woke up this morning to one of those smiles, the ones that light up the cloudy sky peeping in from around the curtains. I hoped today would be a good day.
I had to leave Jett for six hours straight today-something I had never done before. I've left him for four hours in the past, but there is something about that extra two that seems like forever. But my hopes were high. I had his bottle pumped & ready, his little tummy full, & everything in place for him to remain content while I was away.
Henry & Margie arrived around 10:30am (By the way, they are absolutely wonderful! I am so thankful for all they do for us). Shorty after that, I was on my way to class.
Well, this is what I learned today, sometimes babies are just going to have a rough day....& you just have to accept it & pray that the next will be better. Jett refused to take a bottle for the entire six hours. And it definantly wasn’t for lack of trying. They tried it warm, cool, sitting, standing, with oragel, even in two different bottles, & he simply refused. Of course I was torn & heartbroken as I sat in class knowing my baby was very hungry. Jett doesn’t haven’t any teeth showing yet, but I think his teeth are really bothering him. He usually sleeps really well, but the other night he woke up almost every hour-screaming. Something he has never done before. So, there’s one possibility. Here’s another, he’s just not used to it anymore. During the spring, he would take a bottle with ease. But after not having one for most of the summer he may have simply become accustomed to breastfeeding. And the last possibility…the one I’m hoping holds true…Jett just had a bad day. Maybe we just had a grouch ball on our hands today- Jett’s way or the highway. Austin said that he was also refusing to eat sweet potatoes, and he usually gobbles them up. Realistically though, it was probably a combination of all of these things that made his road bumpy today. As I type this, he is asleep-in his crib-peaceful as can be. I’m sure he is tired. Austin & I have a little ritual every night before we go to bed. We tiptoe into Jett’s room, quietly kiss him goodnight & tell him we love him….this is one of my favorite times of the day. Tonight will be no different. But as I look at him tonight, I will be even more thankful for having the time with him that I do. As I look at him, I will be thankful that six hours is a long time. I will be thankful that I have spent the past three months with my son uninterrupted. I will be thankful that my schedule is as flexible as it is. I left him for longer than I ever have today. And yeah, he had a difficult day. But how blessed are we that for the first five months of our sons life, I have never had to leave him for more than a few rare hours a day. After a long day, I step back, put things into perspective. Don’t think that your day was bad; think that your day was good & maybe, tomorrow will be good as well. Or maybe, even better.

My How I Have Grown

I was looking through pictures of Jett today, & I am just amazed how much he has changed in five months. The development of a baby is just incredible. Check out these two photos! The first is from when he was roughly 2 weeks old...the second is around four months. WOW! They really do grow up fast don't they??

Yummy in My Tummy!

Jett is really enjoying his baby food, yay! He has now been introduced to sweet potatoes, peas, & apples. Surprisingly, he seems to like the apples the least. But after I tasted them I could see why-a little on the sour side (nothing like applesauce that has tons of added sugar)! I wanted to buy bananas instead of apples, but the grocery store we go to didn't have them in Earth's Best. I am very happy with this brand, and I think it's important that baby's first foods are organic. He hasn't seemed to have any tummy aches; he actually seems to be going #2 with more ease. He eats sweet potatoes more than anything. It's so funny because he sometimes gets impatient between spoonfuls-still getting used to having to wait for the next bite! At this point, I only give him one can per day. This is usually split up between two feedings (one half in the early afternoon, one half during dinner). The tongue thrust reflex that he still had when we started the rice cereal is now gone, but we are still a little messy...especially when he tries to grab the spoon!



Speaking of spoons, I have really developed a preference for Gerber soft bite infant spoons.
I bought some other spoons that I thought were really cool looking, because they change colors if the food is to hot for baby. But I do not like them at all! The Gerber spoons are a lot flatter, making it MUCH easier for Jett to get the food in his mouth.

Silly Daddy Makes Me Laugh :p

Jett 's first rice cereal

So, I wasn't planning on introducing any solid foods to Jett's diet until he was 6 months old..but...I changed my mind. I felt that he and I were both ready. Now he's enjoying rice cereal once a day.