Monday, September 11, 2006

The green Osh Kosh overalls got raves at daycare this morning, even if John was a bit skeptical. John himself favors a much more subtle color palate--anything other than khakis or jeans with a button-down shirt is a bit exotic. Maybe if we start early, Edward will have a more open mind. Then again, maybe John's fashion sense is a strong reaction against the 70s-era photos in the family albums and these photos of Ed will start the cycle all over.

We had a quiet weekend except for Saturday night when we thought another ear infection was flaring up. Edward was screaming, only comfortable rocking upright in our arms. This has previously been a sign of ear pain. So we called our friend to say we would miss her going away party (we'd been planning to attend in a split shift as the departure as well as the party came with too little advance notice for securing a babysitter) and got ready to head to the ER around 8:30. That early in the evening we thought we'd be safe from the drunks. As we were getting ready, Edward let out an enormous burp followed by some gas and was suddenly a new man--er, baby. We got him settled back in bed, waited to see if it would take, and then I headed over to the party. After an hour or so, I came home and John went. So all's well that ends well. Ed did wake up two more times in the night, but he's been fine since then so we think we're in the clear for now. Thank goodness we didn't schlep all the way to the ER only to have him burp himself to sleep!

This week's mystery: Why does Edward eat more at daycare than at home? On weekends, Ed usually nurses between 9 and 9:30 a.m. and then takes a nap for about an hour. When he wakes up he doesn't demand another meal until noon or later. At daycare, he eats at about that same time, sleeps at some point in the morning for 20-30 minutes, and then has a second bottle between 11 and 11:45 or so. I thought maybe I could leave a larger volume bottle for his first meal and that would carry him through the morning, but he didn't finish it. Might keep trying this approach, though I cringe at the thought of sending milk down the drain given how hard I work to produce it!

Another potential remedy will be introducing a third "solid" meal at midday. I'm hoping to make this a meal of finger foods (rather than another spoonfed meal) so I've been introducing some different items that he can pick up. Blog readers saw how the watermelon went over like a lead balloon last week. Today we tried "veggie puffs" and he loved those. Still, it's hard to see how anyone, even a baby, could get full on air-puffed pieces. I am also thinking of trying some cheese shreds this week. But just one new thing every three days or so to ensure he doesn't have a bad reaction. It all seems so bland, but I guess you can't be too cautious.