Solids, Side-Laying, and Stranger Anxiety!

So, apparently someone has decided that she will now eat pureed baby food. This certain someone ate half of a container or baby mac and cheese (don't judge me for feeding her that...I don't care if it's a container of pureed Oreos, as long as she eats it!)

We are thrilled. Just thrilled. However, it did come at a cost. As I mentioned in my last post, I decided to stop the bottle. The struggle at each feed really began to wear on us, and I watched her drink less and less every day. My thinking was that she was so orally defensive because we are always forcing a bottle on her. We even had to hold her cheeks together so that she can suck. Turns out, I was right. At least I think I was right. Now that we aren't forcing the bottle in her mouth, she has agreed to certain solids!

I am teaching her to drink from a honey bear cup, which is one of those honey containers with a straw in it.

She is very bad at it, understandably, as most babies are. She is getting better, though. I offer it at every meal, and my prayer is that she will get good at it and that we can get her off of the feeding tube. I do think we are nowhere near that point, because at this point she isn't effectively sucking from the straw, but I definitely see it in the not so distant future!

So essentially I exchanged her drinking from six to eleven ounces a day of formula on her own and no solid foods, to solid foods but barely any formula on her own. I'm confident that I made the right decision, though. We just have to learn how to use that straw and we are golden! (Okay...I know it's not that easy and she might decide tomorrow that she is done eating solids, and there is a very good chance she will refuse to drink the amount that she needs, but tonight I'm feeling optimistic, so I'm going to go with that feeling!)

Another accomplishment is that she is now laying on her side without fussing. Today her physical therapist noticed that when she is on her side, she wants to look up because her sense of balance is off. It is probably a combination of being so tiny when born, her poor vision (purely genetic) and the fact that she hasn't spent much time on her side due to us having to hold her upright for her reflux. So my homework this week is to swing her around and get her used to being swung in different positions, and get her used to being a little dizzy. My hubby already loves to rough-house with her, and swing her around, and I've told him not to before. He was very happy that he was doing something right!

Tonight after dinner, I held her on her side in my lap. She giggled at me whenever she looked up, and was swinging her legs all around. I'm so happy that she's getting comfortable in different positions. And I'm also so happy that just seeing my face makes her giggle. She has got to be the sweetest baby in the world. Really, her temperament is just so incredibly sweet. She loves cuddles and being tickled and kissed. Joy radiates from her. I love this girl with my whole heart.

Here she is at physical therapy today.

As for her gallstone...the pediatrician told me to "put it on the top shelf of my bookcase so that I can only get to it if I have a ladder." In other words, she doesn't want me to think about it right now. It is a three millimeter stone, and she said that it might pass as she grows bigger. If she shows signs of pain, then we will look into it. She said that if we had not been doing an ultrasound, we would not know that it was there. Okay...That is hard for me to do, but I will because I have to. I have too many other things to worry about, right?

To end this post, here is a picture of Sweet B whenever she sees pretty much anyone in an environment that she is not used to.

This girl has major stranger anxiety. This thrills me because it means that she is developmentally where she should be in the social area. However, it is utterly embarrassing and makes people feel really bad! She gets really shy and buries her head in my chest. Sweet B...Show your pretty smile for the people!