Relief!

At the Flatirons Fall Fest. Insane, but we had a good time.
Sheldon's new self- happy, satiated and smiling!
Coranelle's new night light. It's a blue moon at night and you set the alarm so that it lights up like the sun when it is okay to wake.
Her new big girl bed! She's done really well in it. (Except last night after trick or treating, when she wouldn't sleep until about 10:45 because she was just too excited!)


Well, things got worse before they got better. But, no matter... things have gotten better! Sheldon proceeded to go on a nursing strike, along with refusing formula and solid foods. Each feeding would take over an hour, as I tried to nurse Sheldon in various dark, quiet places- multiple times. When he pulled away and screamed time after time, I'd give up and try to offer a bottle of formula. He'd refuse that. Then, I'd try solid foods and he'd glue his mouth shut and cry! So, I'd try to pump and typically wouldn't let down. So, hesitantly... I'd have to thaw out some of my quickly dwindling supply of frozen breast milk. At times, he'd take that in a bottle. At that point, I'd be beyond frustrated. Truthfully, I'd be angry at Sheldon- which I am fully aware, makes no sense. It's not rational, as he is an innocent baby and he's not trying to be difficult or defiant. Regardless, I was stressed, mad, and exhausted. To top it off, I was feeling really guilty that I was not spending any quality time with Sheldon- we were just battling about eating. Further, Coranelle was being ignored completely as we went through the hour and a half charade of feeding- 6 times a day.

On Thursday, I told Ryan that if Sheldon refused to nurse 2 more times, I was done nursing. At that point, I felt that the benefits of nursing were not worth the ill effects it was having on our whole family. Sure enough, Sheldon refused the next two feedings and I vowed to be done with the battle.

At this point, here's what is going on;
I nurse Sheldon each morning when he wakes, as this is the only feeding he doesn't resist. For the next 5 feedings, he gets a bottle. Right now, the bottle is 2 ounces of my milk, and 3 ounces of similac formula. Surprisingly, he seems to actually like this mixture and can suck it down in a matter of minutes. To keep up my stores of milk to add to the formula, I am still pumping 2 times a day for now- at nap and after the kids go to bed. This will end as we slowly decrease my milk in his bottle and transition over to all formula. This new routine has helped us all SO much. I just have a huge load off my shoulders. Instead of racing into Sheldon's room before he wakes from a nap to try to nurse him when he is still only semi-conscious and cannot fight me, I can let him sleep. When he wakes, he and I can play and cuddle until he seems hungry and then I make up a bottle. Rather than hiding in a quiet dark room every time I feed, I can feed him a bottle while sitting at the dinner table with my family, or outside while Coranelle and Ryan are raking leaves. I am enjoying feeds SO much more now! The overall mood in our house is so much lighter and happier! This weekend, Sheldon was a really happy kid and he and Coranelle would get into little fits of giggles. Priceless!

For some strange reason, when I quit nursing, Sheldon decided he liked solid foods. I'm not sure if this is coincidental or linked, but Friday, he decided that he loved sweet potatoes. Ever since, he has been eating solids three times a day- like a champ. Bananas, applesauce, squash, sweet potatoes, and more. It makes us SO happy to see our little man eating and wetting diapers and happy again!

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, support and advice through this almost 2 month feeding struggle. Continue praying that we can switch him over to formula and I can be done pumping and washing pump pieces!