Snippets from September 2009 (3 months)
I took Jay to the doctor for his monthly check-up on Saturday night. They actually called me in the evening to remind me to bring him in for his vaccination on the Monday. At first I just thought it was a salesperson because they only spoke Chinese, but then I heard Jay’s Chinese name and realized it was them. After I put down the phone I figured that I may as well go in right then. Jay was sleeping and had eaten 15 minutes before (they’re not allowed to eat a half hour before they get the shot). Anyway, it was better this time because he wasn’t so hungry afterward. The doctor measured him and it turns out that he has grown 3 cm in one month! He has also put on a whole kilogram this month and now weighs 6.5kgs. I knew he’d gotten a lot heavier. The nurses gave him the oral dose and then the doctor told me about the pneumonia vaccine. He said he recommended it, but that it was quite expensive. He needs 4 spaced out over a year. I said it was fine. I mean, I’d rather he had them than worry about him getting that. He had to have that shot in the leg, though, and I held him in my arms while the doctor did it. It was over pretty quickly and Jay was such a good boy. I mean, he did belt out a hearty cry as the doctor inserted the needle, but it didn’t last long. The doctor gave me some medicine in a syrup form in case he developed a fever and said to give it to him if he got a temperature over 38, but to bring him in if it reached 39. It never did, thankfully.
So, we had a week of "firsts" this week. Jay gave us his first “real” laugh and jumped properly in his jumperoo this week and funnily enough both things happened on the same day he turned exactly 3 months old. The first laugh occurred while we were just talking to him on the bed. It wasn’t a “normal” laugh and not quite a giggle and, to be honest, at first I thought it was a cry until I saw his huge smile. He kind of sucked air in for longer and it made this weird sound, but you could tell he was happy. We’d noticed that he’d improved a lot in his jumping attempts over the last while in the jumperoo, but it was Greg who first saw him jumping properly. He told me about it, but I never got to see it right then. It was only later that night when he was in it that he suddenly started jumping and when he did, he looked utterly delighted and started making his laughing/shrieking sounds.
Then that night he did another “first” thing. I always put him at the bottom end of the crib so that he can’t move down under the blanket, but when he woke up for his first feeding that night I immediately saw that the blanket was the only thing at the foot of the bed. He’d moved himself up (I guess he just pushed himself backwards with his legs) and was so far up that his head was almost touching the other side. I was glad we hadn’t decided to leave anything just lying in there – like another towel or a blanket or something because I would hate anything to go over his face. I must say, though, that he really doesn’t like anything covering him. He always kicks his blanket off even with the AC on and the room quite cold. Sometimes his little feet will get so cold, like little ice cubes, and I’m just glad it’s summer because those cold little feet and hands touching your tummy and back during feedings can be quite unpleasant and would feel worse in winter. It’s almost like a game with him sometimes. I’ll cover his legs and he’ll kick, kick, kick until they’re off and we’ll start again. I remember even when he was a newborn in the hospital, the nurses would wrap him up tightly and he’d fight his way out every time. Lately he also really wants to “hold” his own bottle., but when I let him, he can’t hold it properly. Mostly he just wants it so he can play with it – jamming it in then pulling it out then shoving it in the side of his mouth. It’s very cute, but not at all conducive to actual feeding.
Then the other day he had another “first” in store for us. Although not quite as pleasant for him, I got to see his first real tears. Greg had already left for work. I was running slightly late and needed to get ready for work. I put him in his swing and showed him the ball and colourful rings. He gave a half-hearted attempt at playing and then decided he wanted out. He started getting niggly and I tried to dress while talking to him, but he was having none of that. Suddenly, he just started crying and out of nowhere the tears fell. Talk about a plucking of the heartstrings! I thought my own heart would break with those tiny sobs. I picked him up and comforted him and then finished doing my make-up with my one free hand. That seems to be a “mommy” thing – learning to do so many things with just one hand!
I’ve also noticed that he now follows you with his eyes more. Like if he is on the bed and I get up and move to the bathroom, his eyes follow me so I always keep talking to him. He also seems to know when you say his name. The other day he was looking in another direction and I called his name and he turned to look at me. And, when I put him in his stroller with the seat slightly raised so he can see out, he really seems to like that. He also likes it when I attach the mobile too and stares at it and reaches for the little fishes.
We were in store for another treat on Friday. It was the afternoon and Greg had just arrived home from work. I was giving Jay some tummy time on the bed. Next minute, he rolled over onto his back!! Wow! He did it twice, but hasn’t done it since. I told Stella and she said she thinks he is developing faster physically than other babies do. I wonder if this means he’ll crawl sooner. I’m hoping not – the sooner he gets mobile – the sooner our “job” gets a lot harder.
I was so upset to discover that my frozen breast milk had gone off. I think that either we had a power failure at some point or someone left the door open a little. Greg mentioned that he thought the freezer smelled a little weird, but although I thought I could smell milk it wasn’t an “off” smell. We don’t use the frozen milk every day - only if I don’t pump enough for some reason or we go out. The other day I hadn’t pumped enough so I took one out and that day he really did seem to spit up more than usual. I went and checked the leftover milk and saw that there were all these white spots that I hadn’t noticed before. I went online and read that it was mostly caused from the fatty part of the milk and nothing to worry about. Of course, I knew I could do the ol’ sniff or taste test which is what I did. I wasn’t sure about the smell so I tasted it. To me it tasted off, but like it had only recently gone off. So then to be sure I tasted the breast milk in the fridge that I’d pumped the day before and it didn’t have that strong a taste so I knew the freezer milk was definitely done for. It was actually pretty sad because it’s such a waste of something so good and I can never get that back, especially now. With working, there is just no way I can get my milk supply back up there. The nipple shields helped with the night and morning feedings, but even so – once he was up he’d still prefer a bottle and would sometimes refuse to breastfeed at all and often when he did breastfeed, he’d still need a little top-up afterward. So as much as I do feel a little sad about stopping breastfeeding, there is a tiny silver lining. Now that I feed him formula at night when he wakes up, his second night sleep is twice as long as it used to be. I think the sucking action lulled him to sleep, but my milk supply had dropped so much that I wasn’t actually filling him. That’s why I could even feed for an hour, but if I offered a bottle straight afterward he’d still drink from it! Now the formula fills him up so that when he drops back to sleep, he sleeps for much longer. I told Katy at work that I had stopped and she was so sweet and said that she thought I’d done really well considering the fact that I have to work and have no time to pump milk. She said it totally makes sense that my milk dried up. She said she stopped at 4 months and she could pump at work AND was able to fill 3 of those bags a day! I’m at the point where I’ll pump for half an hour and only get one ounce! She also said that at 4 months she’d had enough because even though she’d feed and feed and feed, he’d still be hungry. She said she thinks it’s a boy thing, but now that he is on formula he is satisfied for a lot longer. I’m certainly not saying that formula is better, not for one moment. I’m just telling you what she said. I am rather sad about it, but it is impossible for me to continue working and producing enough for him. I haven’t stopped 100% yet. I don’t breastfeed, but when my breasts get too painful I still express till they no longer hurt and just make a bottle for him right away.. Today I got about 100ml for him.
And on that note, let me be off.
Lots of love
Em x
