first week of daycare = success.

So our first week of daycare didn't get off to the greatest start, but at least it all turned out okay in the end.

He seems to be adjusting well. He is eating all of his bottles, which is great. He also seems to be adjusting to the noise level and is at least able to take hour long naps while he's there. I think he also likes seeing all the other babies because one time when I went to pick him up, one of his teachers was holding him in front of another baby and they were just smiling and "talking" to each other. It was too cute.

Last week, I went to visit him each day at lunch time, mostly to nurse him but also because I knew I would miss him and I figured it would help us both adjust. But I know I can't keep doing that. Well, I could if I really wanted to, but I should probably wean myself of needing to go see him each day. So this upcoming week, I'm going to try and see how he does without any lunch time visit from me.

I know he'll be fine, but part of my stressor is that I'm not sure yet if I'll be able to pump enough to replace the 4 bottles per day that he'll need. I was able to pump 3 per day for him just fine last week, but I never seemed to get any extra. And now I'll need to be able to pump an extra full bottle for him since I won't be going to nurse him at lunch.

So this weekend I worked with him a little bit on taking some formula. Last time I tried formula with him was when he was about 3 or 4 weeks old and he had just been diagnosed with the dairy sensitivity. Back then, he hated it and I only lasted 1 day before I gave in and switched back to nursing. This time seems easier because there isn't a lot of pressure and I'm not completely giving up BF. He still hates the formula though. I've learned the trick is he needs to be REALLY hungry in order to eat it. And mixing it half and half with BF seems to help him too. I only plan to give him one bottle per day though, so I'm just trying to get him used to the taste so that at least he won't refuse it. That stuff is expensive!

Other than that, we've had a great weekend. He slept like crazy on Saturday afternoon and then slept 8.5 straight hours for me over Saturday night. I'm not sure if he was going through a mini growth spurt or just catching up on his sleep from his first week at daycare, but whatever it was I hope it continues! Today, he took a few good naps and was just in an overall great mood the entire day. And nothing makes mommy happier than a happy baby.

It's funny, I've noticed that I feel so much closer to him now that he's started daycare. I know that sounds odd but I really think that staying at home with him 24/7 just stressed me out to the point where I would get caught up in nap schedules and feeding times and not enjoy the rest of the time with him. Now that I'm back at work and have 8 hours of "me" time, I love every minute I get to spend with him. When he falls asleep in my arms at night, or even during the day on days like today, I find myself wanting to hold him longer instead of immediately putting him in his swing or PNP so that I can get work done. Snuggle time seems so much more precious now. I love that little guy.