Baby Weaning 101

Rule number 1: If you have the goods, don't be the one to put the baby to bed!

Doug and I have discussed this since he got home. It's time to wean Izzy. Ebbie was different, she was a bird type eater, she wasn't getting enough nutrition, she wasn't drinking enough fluids, and she was just THIN. So I let her wean herself... at 18 months. Izzy, however, has been eating fistfuls of table food since 10 months and has mastered the sippy cup and could win a gold medal. She only nurses when she's tired and then she goes to sleep. I've been having issues the last week or so at bedtime getting her to sleep because, well, I'm not really producing much milk since she's not really eating from me anymore. She arches her back and screams. It's been a struggle. Since Doug has come home, I've been having him test the waters with putting her to bed randomly without boob action (since he's without the goods) and she goes right to sleep for him. I had him put her to bed last night. She fought at first, didn't want to sleep. He let her cry for about 5 minutes, then went back upstairs, rocked her for a couple minutes and she was out. Here's the big kicker. She slept ALL NIGHT!!! When I put her to bed, she wakes up several times wanting more boob. Or she sleeps fitfully. I am now confident that should something happen to me, she will not starve, dehydrate, or die lol. The kids are now big enough that they don't NEED me and I feel better. The fun part is going to be seeing what his schedule is going to be like and when I have to put her to bed. I'm going to have to deal with the fighting for boob she will give me. I'm going to have to struggle against her screams and arching until she settles in from exhaustion and finally crashes out. I need someone here all day every day (or at least sleepy times) to take her to bed for me for a week till she is used to not having boob. That's not going to happen so I guess I will just have to make due. Either way, Doug is very proud of himself (as am I) that his daddy's girl will go to bed for him and not me. Ebbie is my mama's girl, he's got Izzy. We are content now. No more kids for us :) Who needs a boy in the mix to terrorize our girls? They do that to each other enough lol.

___________________________________________________________________

So the wonderful knitted blanket is finally done. Well, almost. I'm finishing up the boarder stitches as we speak. I'll take pictures shortly. It came out very very nice and little miss Emma will be able to use this thing till she's 4 or 5, yay! It's nice and warm and pretty. Not overly girly, so I'm not pushing her to be princess-y. But she will be warm and snuggly and hopefully, this blanket will be her snuggly just as Ebbie's is hers. Ebbie won't go overnight ANYWHERE without her blanket that my godmother made her years ago. That poor thing has seen better days, but still she insists on having it on her bed on top of the sheets and comforter. It's a tie blanket and she holds on to one of the ties all night while she sleeps. Once I tested her and took it in the middle of the night, less than a half hour later she was screaming because she lost her snuggly. I think my next step will be making Izzy a snuggly. Right now she's still using a baby blanket, it's not too small. Yet. But it won't be long. So I think I'm going to get decorative and make her a toddler afghan to sleep with. I've been working on Ebbie's afghan for about 2 years now, if not more. But since she already has a snuggly, I've seen no rush for it. I guess to be fair, I'll have to make her a matching pillow just as I did for Ebbie lol. Pictures of those will follow as well :)