Update: The Sippy Cup

Just to let everyone know, Brianna is now taking a sippy cup of FORMULA without any problems! We adjusted the valves to where there is a little hole in them so that she does not have to suck so hard. Since she is using a valve, she is not nearly as messy. The bibs I put on her are damp but not soaked through like they were the first several attempts. She will take about 2.5 oz and she is done. I am very relieved to know that if I am somewhere on vacation where I don't feel comfortable nursing, she will take a sippy cup of formula at room temp!!!! Way to go, Brianna!!!

Where's Brianna?

I sat Brianna down on the floor of her room the other morning so I could take a shower. This is what I found when I got out. Note that she is not in this picture. She was sitting to the left of the pink pig.

This is where I found her!







In this picture you can see how far she scooted. She cannot crawl, or if she can, she has not let us know! She is into everything and she is not even really mobile yet!

The Sippy Cup

As many of you know, Brianna started refusing a bottle at about 8 weeks. We tried various bottles with slow and medium flow nipples. We even tried the Adiri bottle that looks and feels very much like a breast. Still no luck. I had resigned myself to breastfeeding exclusively for all her liquid needs. At about 4 months, her godmother Tina got her a sippy cup, she liked it and I got excited. We have been working with her for the past 2.5 months on getting her to use it. She loves to chew on it and the spout but she only gets mere dripples out of it. So I decided to try some other types of cups. I tied one with a hard spout which she did not like at all. I tried the new NUK learner cup which she took to but still did not get anything out of it. I had also tried the Gerber Transitional 7 oz cup but since it had a valve she could not get anything out. I was getting desperate! We are going on vacation the first of July and I would like her to be able to drink something out of a cup so she does not get dehydrated due to the heat. Yesterday, I decided to pump some breastmilk and put it in the Transitional cup without the valve. There was 3.5 oz in the "bottle" and when she was done there was less than an ounce! Granted she was wet from it drippling out of her mouth but she took it! She eagerly took juice from it last night. She took another "bottle" this morning, though she was not so happy about it (she was tired). I am going to keep working with her and hope and pray that by the time we go on vacation she can drink from it with the valve or without making such a mess!

Put Me to Sleep, Daddy!

Brianna has been having trouble staying asleep for about the last week. She will wake up a few times a night, in about 30 minute to 1 hour intervals. Last night when she woke up the second time, around 10:30, we let her cry for about 5 or so minutes, hoping she would settle herself down, then Bobby went in to check on her. When he walked in she was holding both of her feet. As soon as she saw him, she closed her eyes turned her head and laid all sprawled out as if to say, "Okay Daddy, I am ready to be patted to sleep!" How cute!

What a Day!

Today has been one of those days when you wished you just would have stayed in bed. Brianna has been fussier than normal the past few days (I think her teeth are bothering her). Then I opened the door this afternoon to see not one but two BIG snakes sunning much to close to the house for my comfort. I took these pictures from the safety of the front door.Luckily for me, my wonderful husband, who can kill mice better than a mouse trap, can also kill snakes fairly well. He got one, and he said it was over 4 ft long! The other snake came out later but disappeared before he could get it. Hopefully, it has found it's way to the field and will be very happy there and not venture back up to the house!
Brianna decided that she did not want to eat lunch. I put her down for her nap like I always do. Last week naps were so easy! I really enjoyed naptime for a change! This week has been back to the same old routine..screaming! A least I have gotten over the guilt of not holding her while she is screaming. I realized that it really only makes things worse. So after holding her for about 5 minutes where she was crying and not settling down I put her in her crib and sat in the room with her. After about 10 minutes she was out! That is until I stepped on a loose board on the floor and woke her up. Anyway, after she finally took her nap and woke up, she was fussy. We figured since she did not eat lunch she was hungry, well, she was also rooting too, I guess that really tipped us off. She wanted to nurse, but it was not time. Tried a bottle, did not work. Gave her fruit, it helped a little but she was still fussy. She fussed and cried for a little over a hour...until it was time for her to nurse! Then all was right with her little world and she was happy!
Also, yesterday when Bobby came home for lunch, he found a swarm of what turned out to be termites at our front door. So we called an exterminator who came out today to give us an estimate. First of all, they said they would be here today between 11 to 1. They showed up at 3. Well, lets just say for the next 18 months we will be spending an extra $45 a month. That price is after Bobby talked them down, it was going to be about $65 a month!
And of course while the wonderful gentlemen were here telling us how important it was to treat for the possible infestation the power went out and stayed out for about a hour! Since you cannot cook without electric, we ordered pizza! I stuffed myself with 3 large pieces! So long diet!
By the way the power came back on and stayed on before the pizza even got here!