Long Day

Yesterday was a really long day for all three of us. Matt is on a special committee at work that occasionally has after-work meetings that last long into the evenings. Last night was his first meeting with that committee. He didn't get home until about 9:00. Matt is typically the kind of guy who will get to work a little early, work diligently all day, and then leave right on time. He's never found a need to stay any later than about fifteen minutes late. That work ethic makes nights like last night difficult. Patrick even seemed a little down when he woke up from his afternoon nap to find that Daddy hadn't snuck home in the meantime. I had to work to get him to smile all night, and then he was in bed by the time Matt finally made it home. The only way I could get him to get comfortable was to promise him that Daddy would wake him up when he got home.

Of course, I was right to guess that Matt would want to hold Patrick after his long day. That was almost his first destination after coming in the door. Patrick, tired as he was, seemed more than happy to be held by Daddy, especially long after his bedtime. It may have thrown off his sleep schedule, but it was more than worth it to watch Patrick cuddle up to his daddy like that. By the way, he seems fine today, despite the unusual sleep schedule last night.

It was a tough day, though. It's hard being the sole parent, even for just one day. I have no clue how single parents do it. Days like that make me so much more thankful for Matt. I expected to miss him, but I didn't anticipate missing him that much--and not only for the help with Patrick but just because I wanted his company. It's great having a husband who is also my best friend.
It has been two full days since our visit to the doctor, and two full days of trying his suggestions to help with Patrick's spitting up. The good news is that the spitting up is starting to get better already. We've only had one spit-up-related clothes-change between the three of us, and even that was only because Matt didn't want the tiny spots on his shirt when he went back to work after lunch yesterday. Patrick is still spitting up, but less than he has in weeks. I'm relieved that he's feeling better.

The bad news is that neither Patrick nor I likes the new routine at all. I'm sure we'll quickly adapt to the new medication schedule, but it makes sleeping long hours, something both of us enjoy, difficult. At least that is better than the new feeding schedule, though. The doctor wanted us to try feeding Patrick solids before nursing because the milk seemed to be upsetting his tummy more than the solids. I'm not quite sure I completely agree with his theory; it seems that any milk upsets his tummy regardless of when it's put into the tummy. Either way, he's the professional, so I'll follow his advice.

This means that we are feeding him solids four times a day instead of just two because I have to give him cereal before nursing him for breakfast and snacks. We are going to need to invest in more spoons and bibs at least to avoid doing dishes and laundry as frequently. Patrick hates going straight from bed to his high chair too. He used to wake up hungry and quietly get completely awake while he nursed. Now he's forced to be more alert right away by focusing on eating solids. It takes longer to get prepared, so he screams from hunger until I can get that first spoonful in his mouth. Feeding is turning into a traumatic experience.

I also hate that I can't nurse as a snack for him, something to tide him over between breakfast and lunch if his sleep schedule for the day has his feeding schedule a little off too. Before, I could nurse him at ten or so if he woke up from a morning nap hungry and then feed solids at a more normal lunch time. I was already planning to nurse him before solids either way, and there was no real reason to do one right after the other. Now I have to figure out how to put Patrick off a little to give him solids at a normal lunch time. I don't want to give him a solid-food snack because then he won't want to eat a full meal at lunch. I guess it's going to take some trial and error to work everything out.

The problem is that I don't want to work this out. I want things to be the way they were (except for the spitting up). I guess I just wasn't ready for a step this big yet. I know it is a step in the direction of weaning. By nursing second, it is taking a backseat to the solid food. It is growing increasingly less important, and already Patrick is showing less interest in nursing by the time he gets to nurse. My supply is already decreasing. I guess I wasn't expecting to even work toward weaning until he was a year old, and now we've already taken a major step in that direction. I just wasn't ready yet.
On the bright side, isn't the cutest baby in the world? He looks a little girly, but I don't care. He's adorable either way!