Only eight months

It looks like my breastfeeding career is over. Evan has been on a nursing strike for more than a week now. It started because he caught the dreadful cold that swept through our household. He became congested and was not able to nurse. I think he couldn't breathe and it was such a horrible experience that he has since been agitated the minute I try to nurse him. I pumped for a week, and even went to rent a hospital pump yesterday. I figured I can ride this one out too. Then, today, this afternoon, after yet another dismal output, I decided to throw in the towel. Eight months (or seven months and three weeks some) is all the nursing Evan is going to get. Funnily enough, the last day he nursed was the Monday morning after Mother's Day. Zoe's last nurse was on Mother's Day morning. I'm going to have to work hard to get him the nutrition he needs. The boy's diapers have been awfully dry. He refuses to take any liquids from sippy cups. I'm forced to get liquid into him by mixing it with rice cereal or by feeding him sip by sip.

Teeth!!

Evan's first tooth has broken through his gums. I felt it for the first time a couple of days ago (Saturday, March 19). It was right after his first morning feed. Evan grabbed my finger and shoved it into his mouth. He was gnawing at my finger when I felt the sharp edge of a tooth. It was very exciting. Dennis missed it as he was so tired he slept through my "Yobo, Yobo, I just felt Evan's teeth!"

Solids

We started Evan on solids this past Sunday (March 13). So far, the boy is delighted with the upgrade. He giggles and smiles whenever he is presented with the rice porridge. There was some hesitancy at first, but he embraced this new experience pretty quickly.

 A mix of curiosity and anxiety.

 After a few spoonfuls, Evan decided he liked it.

Roll Over

Evan has mastered rolling over. He managed rolling over once in a while before, but started doing it in earnest last week. He is quite an expert with it by now. Since Evan can't speak yet, I can only speculate that he is very anxious to get moving. He would roll himself onto his belly and start shaking all four as if trying to move. Then he would grunt and then whine - I believe - in frustration for not achieving his goal. Or, I should say, for not achieving his goal consistently. He moves. Mostly, he rotates in place. A few days ago, I suspect he even managed to crawl. I say I suspect because he was not where I placed him down on when I walked away. And his new location tells me that he didn't get there by rolling over many times.

I think he is on the cusp of some major development. Evan has been sleeping very badly - at night and in the day. He keeps turning himself over and looks like he is trying to crawl. We'll see, we'll see. I sense a lot of frustration. The boy is keen to be like his sister!

Much to Update About

I haven't been very good at recording much (if any) of Zoe's latest antics and Evan's developmental milestones. I don't feel so bad about the former, though I'm sure I'd regret it later. I do feel bad about not documenting more of Evan however. I'm sure I'd look back later and wish I know how heavy Evan was at four months old and bemoan that we have so much more of this and that about Zoe. We have fallen - as predicted - into the classic second child syndrome. There is less time to obsess over little details, less time to think and ponder parenthood and so on and so forth.

All that said, I am very pleased to report two very important milestones in our lives. I'll start with Evan. He uttered his first recognizable word yesterday. The three of us were on our bed. Dennis had brought Evan in for me to feed and after placing him next to me, Dennis lied down next to Evan and promptly fell asleep. Evan fed a little, turned his entire body towards Dennis. He cooed and made a few sounds. His hands reached out and touched Dennis' shoulders, clearly trying to wake him. Then, he made some sounds followed by a very loud and clear "PA!"

The other huge milestone is that Zoe has gone successfully on her potty for the last two days (7 times for pee and once for poo). It's a huge, huge step and I am still amazed we have finally made the leap. For a while, I thought we are never going to get there (or at least not till Zoe is six or something). Zoe was so resistant and I wasn't sure how much to push her since all the books said to back off when the child resists. Let's just say that I was practically a "Tiger Mom" last Saturday over this. While I was snarling and roaring, insisting that she "sits on the potty till pee pee comes out," I was wrecked by worry and fear. I was terribly worried that I was doing Zoe great wrong by insisting, part of me worried that she was just lazy and wanted to stay infantile by having me change her all the time, part of me worried that she would feel bad when other kids or parents ask her about her lateness in potty training. The part that kept me insisting this time was because I was sure that once Zoe figured out that she can do it, she would do it, that it was fear of failure that kept her from potty training. I'm not sure if my theories are accurate, and how much the proffered punishment of "no desserts till potty trained," and reward of "a trip to Disneyland" helped. No matter. So far, right now, we are officially in Day 2. And we are all proud we are here!! Zoe was so jubilant! That alone made me happy.

Eight Weeks Stats

Evan had his eight weeks Well Child checkup yesterday. He is now 23" long, 11 lb 4.1 oz (5.105 Kg), and has a head that is 15.55" (39.5 cm) in circumference. Pretty good!