odds and ends

for those of you who haven't noticed, william posts random pictures of thomas because he wants to see them at work. he likes to admire thomas from all smilie angles (as many dads do). i end up adding text later. :)

it has been so hot - i have had a really hard time sleeping these last couple weeks. as a new parent you all know how precious sleep is. it sucks! thomas sleeps from 9 to 6 and i am awake at 4am, twiddling my thumbs for 30 minutes sometimes longer, until my body will let me go back to sleep. this last week however, thomas has been waking up at 4am for no reason. i think it is because he is too warm and uncomfortable. i have let him cry it out in the past and he does go back to sleep but usually cries for 20-30 minutes. when i feed him, he is back asleep in 10 minutes. so many times i just feed him. i am too tired to listen to him cry for 20 minutes.

i was talking today with another mom about how limiting breastfeeding is. you have no life! (at least not your own) and when you do go out, that baby is tied to your boob. Thomas used to be so good about taking a bottle from william so i could stay out for 3-4 hours. then william went back to school. during finals in May, there was about 2 weeks where we didn't bottlefeed consistently because william was in class, studying, meeting classmates, earning extra points, etc. that week before his finals was the last time Thomas accepted the bottle. ever since then, the little trickster just refuses to feed from the bottle (even though it is the same milk). he feels that silicone and just starts chewing around. then when some dribbles out, he won't swallow - just lets it run out the corners of his mouth. when he realizes that the bottle is not being replaced by boob, he starts crying. and once he winds up, he can really get going. and he cries and cries and cries, until i give in and feed him. i am a wimp!

anyways, we started him on solids on july8th and he was more than ready. besides the rice cereal, he is eating peas, carrots, squash, pears, and potato.... pretty much anything pureed we put on a spoon and move towards his mouth. i have been adding new items every three days and so far, thomas has not had a bad reaction to anything. i have been lazy and jars are so easy so he has been eating all Earth's Best baby food. safeway has them on sale: 8 of the 4 oz size or 10 - 2.5 jars/$4 at least a couple times a month so that is the best time to stock up. another mom friend of mine has been badgering me to make my own food. the last time i told her i still haven't tried, she said, "oh catherine, i am just going to make you some so you can see how easy it is." but i threatened to retaliate with an elaborate thank you gift if she did that. regina also mentioned on her blog how easy it is to make. i guess i started with jars, so i am reluctant to pull out the blender. plus you gotta clean, peel (for some) and steam the veggies, you can't just pull them out of the ground and throw them into a blender/processor... more work!! don't want more work at this stage. so thomas will have to settle for jar food. at least it is only a little while. by the time they are 10-12 months, i figure he will want chunks of what we are eating (along with chicken nuggets, noodles, hotdogs, and juice boxes). seems like most toddlers are pretty picky eaters and tend to want to eat non-healthy options.
the BEST thing about starting solids? william can feed him again so i can leave the house for longer chunks of time. plus it is also really funny watching him open wide for that spoon :)