8-Month Escapades

A few updates from Lily Land...

We had an unexpected trip to the doctor's yesterday after what we think may have been an allergic reaction to formula. I typically breastfeed Lily 5-6 times per day which means that we are together every 3-4 hours every day. It has been a rare event when we have missed one of these meetings in the 8 months since Lily was born. Even though I do love our time together, I really am ready to start the weaning process. I was hoping to do one formula feeding per day for a couple months, then 2 formula feedings for the final months until she turns 1-year-old. Yesterday was the first day that we tried out this plan, and we ended up with a baby sporting some pretty serious hives around her mouth, on her neck, and back. About 60 seconds after her teachers brought her to me, she also proceeded to throw up the 6 oz. of formula, her applesauce, and her prunes all over me, her, and the floor.

I know that I have mentioned on more than one occasion how I love working downstairs from Lily's doctor's office, so this is the last time I will restate my feelings on the matter. But because of my work locale, Lily drank the formula at 4:10, her teachers brought her out to show me her reaction at 4:15, and Lily was in the doctor's office at 4:30. I feel very fortunate to have this set-up.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a definitive ruling about the reaction. The doctor was baffled about the reaction because if she was allergic to the milk in the formula, this should have shown up sooner. Since I consume dairy products, she has been exposed to dairy from day one. Also, the hives that developed at 4:15 were virtually gone by 5:15 which is atypical for an allergic reaction. So who knows? We are going to try some different options this weekend to see what works best for Lily.

I have been debating (with myself) about the formula/breastfeeding issue for a while now. I felt very pressured (again from myself) to solely breastfeed until Lily turned one. But now I am very comfortable with my decision to use formula as a supplement (as long as we can find one that Lily can tolerate). I think that breastfeeding should be beneficial for both of us, and although it may be a bit selfish, I need a break during the day. I want to be able to go out and not worry that she will need me in order to eat. I also do not want to pump because if I'm going to spend time doing that, I might as well just breastfeed directly. She will still get all the benefits of breastmilk every day, but I won't be required at every single meal - a very welcome relief at this point.

In other news, Lily has been sleeping through the night for a while now. However, we got into a bad habit of having her sleep in our bed so now she protests when we put her in her crib. We will be working on this issue in the upcoming weeks.

Lily is moving all around and often pulls up on anything she can find...the couch, shelves, tables, toys, us...literally anything she can find - stable or not. She also has an uncanny ability to find Terra's toys no matter where we hide them, so she keeps us on top of our game in terms of supervision.

Lily is discovering new games. She enjoys any activities involving taking things out and putting them back in. As we found out in Indiana, plastic drinking cups and measuring cups offer hours of entertainment.

Vocalizations primarily consist of "ba bas" and "da das" with the occasional "aye", but she now varies her tone to convey emotions. There is no doubt when she telling you that she is frustrated or unhappy with the current circumstances, and she doesn't need crying to tell you about it.

Probably the biggest change in Lily's near future is that she is moving to the "Toddfant" room at school. The infant cottage at The Young School consists of an Infant, a Toddfant, and a Toddler room. She will officially be a "Toddfant" on Monday. Fortunately, the teachers will move to the new classroom with her and her entire class (all 6 of them). Transitions to new rooms are done this way to make the adjustment as easy as possible, and I'm glad that Lily will be able to keep the attachments that she has formed with her current teachers. The only major change is that the toys are more suitable for children her age. We have noticed even at home that Lily is less impressed with her "baby" toys. I think that we will be shopping for some new toys this weekend. She seems to like cause and effect toys (like when things pop up when a button is pushed) and things that make noise (like toy pianos).

...And that's all the news for now!