While more playful and alert, he's demonstrated a strong will and range of emotions, for better and for worse. His laughs are more pronounced, but so are his cries and screams. He's protesting sleep time more and more and waking up crying in the middle of the night (bye-bye 10-hour stretches). His new trademark sound is high-pitched shrieking (like a pterodactyl!), both out of glee and anger. And he does that while thrusting his hips to be picked up. He no longer is appeased by the bouncer or swing, so we are looking for new diversions! Never a dull moment with this expressive boy...
His hands have been very active as well and his eye-hand coordination is improving. He constantly sucks his fingers, trying to jam them all in his mouth at the same time, nearly to the point of choking! This originally seemed like a tactic to self-soothe, but has now been a desperate attempt to alleviate his teething pain. It's so sad to see him in constant discomfort, and his face covered with endless drool. His grip is getting much stronger as well. He seems to enjoy tugging on toys while on his play mat, but most of all my hair. He seems to have a chunk of my hair in his fists at all time.
He's slowly losing some of his chubbiness, which kind of makes me sad since I've learned to love his rolls :) His bottomless appetite when he was 1 and 2 months old has taken an extreme turn. He never seems hungry and fights me every time I try to feed him. And he's still vomiting frequently. Sigh - I'm trying not to obsess over it since he's still a healthy size and has enough fat "reserves" to spare. I know he couldn't possibly stay at this 99 percentile weight trajectory forever (nor would we want that!), but it's just so hard to keep up with his inconsistent eating habits. The upside? Maybe him losing weight will help his neck control and body strength. He still struggles with extended tummy time and shows little interest in flipping over. Lazy like his mother...
After an unexpected delay due to some health issues, I finally returned to work on October 15th. By this point, I was just so grateful to be healthy again, which took away some of my anxiety over of going back to work. So far, it's been a decent transition for me since I really did miss having adult interactions and "me time" when I was cooped up at home. And the task-oriented person in me feels satisfied by having things to check off my to-do list each day. However, I feel more exhausted than ever from juggling both work and home responsibilities, in addition to squeezing in pumping during the day. I feel like it's "go-go-go" all the time. And as a result, I struggle with feelings of inadequacy since I feel like I can't fully "accomplish" things in any area of my life. As many friends have encouraged me, I'm trying to be kinder to myself and just focus on getting a few things done each day. And at the end of the day, I get to come home and cuddle with this cutie :)
Thankfully, we have a great nanny, which is a huge comfort while I'm at work. Josiah (or as she calls him, "Papi") seems to love her, although was confused in the beginning. I'm sure being with a new person all day, getting used to her style (which is much more active than mine!), and getting used to bottles has been quite an adjustment. But after just a few weeks, he seems to be used to her...and even to the point where he seems to prefer her over me! I know I'm being silly, but I can't help feeling this way sometimes! But although Josiah's affections will waver over time, I'll always be his momma :)
