Tonight marks the first night of James's life where I didn't nurse him before bed.
Every single night for the last year we have had the same routine... dinner, bath, book, nurse, bed. Well, for the past week or so James hasn't really seemed interested in nursing at bedtime (probably because we started him on whole milk and he LOVES it!). I decided that I would like to cut down (gradually) to one feeding in the morning since that is all he really seems to want anyway. But I thought for SURE he would put up a fight going to bed because of the change in routine. It felt odd to me, I figured it would feel that way for him too.
Well, he didn't even notice. Or if he did notice, he didn't care. He just rolled over and went right to sleep after I put him in his crib. Back when he was 4 months old, I NEVER thought I would see that!! And here he is, doing it all on his own. I'm proud of him for growing up and starting a new phase of his life, but it is hard... as a 1yr+ nursing mom, it's weird to see him not need me in that way anymore.
I guess I should take a moment to celebrate that James was exclusively breastfed (no formula at all) in his entire life. It was a huge commitment, one I thought about giving up several times but knew it was the best for him so I kept at it. Eventually it became routine. Now it just feels like the way life is... and of course, now that I am ok with it and used to it, it's going away. I've never LOVED breastfeeding, I just wanted to do what was best for my kiddo... but now it's strange to see that part of our relationship change.
I'm happy though that he is growing and moving on. We had our one-year well-baby visit on Tuesday, and James is 19lbs 13oz (10th percentile) and 28" tall (5th percentile). The pediatrician said he is right on track in terms of growth, and that he's just a small kid like his dad was when he was a baby. His development is coming right along, and she says that at the rate he is cruising right now, he may be walking in a month or so *insert my jaw dropping here*.
My baby is a toddler. How did that happen??
Some things James also does... shrugs his shoulders, waves "bye-bye" and "hi," drops objects into containers, "walks" if I hold his hands, says "dada" more when Eliot is around, LOVES peas, bananas, and strawberries, and just erupts into giddiness when he sees Mickey Mouse! He's got so much personality these days, I wish I could explain how adorable he really is. I <3 my baby...er...toddler!!
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