Breastfeeding Journey with Molly

Outside of growing two beautiful babies, what I'm most proud in life is achieving an entire year of nursing Molly. I carried a lot of mental baggage after I couldn't meet my short-term goal with Lucy, which most likely kept me overly motivated to succeed with Molly.

The challenges, especially at the beginning, were immense. Jaundice that lasted 10 weeks, sore nipples, slow weight gain, going back to work, low supply, supplementing -- we pushed through! Not only meeting our short-term of six months, but making it to a year! We haven't been EBF for quite some time, but she still nurses on demand. I don't want it to end. Even if she's not getting much milk, I know she likes the familiar comfort of our time together.

Molly at 12 Months

And just like that, a whole year has gone by since you joined us. There are still times I look at you and wonder how you got there, incredulous that you exist in the world and that you belong to us. Lift a beautiful gift from above, you exemplify the phrase "angel baby." Your sweet toothy smile, your sparkly eyes, your darling little forming mullet -- you have stolen my heart in ways I didn't know could exist. I hung very tightly to this baby phase knowing how fleeting it is. But with each day I decide I love you slightly more than the day before and look forward to seeing the kind of person you grow into it. You sure were worth the wait, Molly Moo.

At your 12 month appointment on April 27, you are 18 lbs 3 oz and 28.37"  tall, which puts you in the 24th percentile for weight and 30th for height! Your head circumference is 86th percentile. You're in 12 month clothes but still fit into 9 months.

You love stealing all the remotes and clapping them against the hard floor. You love pulling up on things, and you love your little plastic colorful cups. You are able to do "so big", wave, and clap. We have this thing we do when anyone sneezes. You smile real big and wait for all of us to say "Ewww" which makes you smile even harder. You love to eat, especially carbs. You love people. You're generally very compliant and happy to go with the flow. Just last week we switched her car seat from the infant seat to the convertible -- jury's out on how you like it.

Since we've been quarainted thanks to COVID-19, you have dropped to one big girl nap! You sleep about 12/13 hours a night and take a two hour nap. Never thought I'd see the day. You're pretty good at putting yourself to sleep without a lot of crying.

Overall, you're just the nicest little baby we could have ever asked for, and I can't imagine life without you. You bring us more joy than you'll ever know, my little rainbow girl.

Molly at 10 Months

Moo Moo, are you even real? I love watching your little personality emerge lately. You are still pretty chill, but going through a clingy phase the past few weeks. You're not content to hang out without someone being very close to you. 

Weight:  Guessing somewhere around 17-17.5 lbs. Such a tiny thing, especially compared to how giant she first came out. 

Medical Issues: A lot of snot and coughs this month, plus a touch of viral pink eye. Also a lot of poop blowouts, but maybe that's because she's headed toward a bigger diaper size soon. 

Sleep:  Still hating naps! I think she only takes 2 naps a day at school. She fights to stay awake. On the weekends, she'll take a few catnaps on my lap while nursing. I don't have it in me to nap train her. She does have an earlier bedtime (around 7/7:30) and wakes up around 6 (opposed to the 7:30 she was giving me months ago.)

Clothes: Mostly 9 month, but we're starting to do 12 month sleepers. I'm hoping she fits into her 12-18 month summer clothes at some point. 

Social:  Starting to let other people hold her again which is a relief! She loves being out and about, especially sitting in the front part of the grocery cart. She babbles, dada, mama, and even does Lucy's old Gladys laugh and noises. Lucy makes her actually laugh, something I can't seem to get her to do a lot. 

Food: Still mostly on purees, though the gagging has slowed down a bit. I think she's just my vomit kid. :( She still loves her Puffs so much, but is really appreciating Cheerios too. 

Crying: Mostly cries from when she's tired. 

Play: She loves little plastic toys in her hand. I have to shove one in her hand while I change her diaper in the hopes she stays put. She also likes to pull the wipes out and pretend to clean things. 

Molly at 9 Months

Oh sweet baby, you continue to amaze me with everything you are. I constantly hug you close to me, wondering how you can be real. I think back to a year ago when I was starting to feel you kick inside of my belly, wondering who you'd be, what you'd look like. And now you've been earthside for 9 months, making everything brighter.

Weight:  Down half a pound to 16 lbs as of last week. Thanks to a double ear infection, tummy bug, and newfound crawling, she dropped weight. Little peanut is now 17th percentile, down from her normal 20 something percentile. The only thing in a high percentage is her big noggin.

Medical Issues: I think another cold is coming on. It's been a crappy first winter, but that's to be expected. 

Sleep:  She hates to nap -- her frequent catnaps have gotten worse. She'll fight through a nap at all costs, and when she does submit, it's not for long. Once in awhile, I can get her into her crib for a weekend nap for over an hour. At night, she sleeps almost 12 hours straight through. 

Clothes: 6-9 for the most part, though I'm sure she can fit into her 6 month clothes too. She wears one piece pajamas all the time, even to school. 

Social:  She's still a really good traveler -- she loves being out, looking at things. But she's now doing this yelling thing. Like screams (not out of anger-- more like testing her lungs/voice.) She has had a good case of stranger danger for over a month now. While she's happy to engage with people, she'd much rather do it from the comfort of her parents arms. Oh -- new this week. Babbles, including "dadada." I did hear a random Mama in there too.

Food: She loves all food, but she's not the best at swallowing table food, so I've been sticking to purees and Puffs for the most part. The gagging doesn't scare me that much anymore, but she often will throw up from the gagging. I think Molly's my vomit-y kid.

Crying: Mostly cries from when she's tired. 

Play: Her favorite toy seems to be clapping stacking cups together. She's started to get interested in Lucy's old Zany Zoo, but she seems happy enough to be rolling around on the floor with a few small toys. 

Molly at 7 Months

Dear Molly,
Time, please slow down! You are growing too quickly right before my eyes. I am trying to soak in every rub of your fuzzy head, your milky breath, the way your face looks when you smile with your eyes closed, your tiny fingers grabbing on to mine.

Milestone-wise, you just cut two more teeth (top middle), for a total of four. You are not sitting unaassited yet, but you are trying to crawl! You just started solid foods a month ago and eat like your mother -- ferociously. :) While we give you mostly purees, you're likely to snatch a fry off my plate and try to down it. Pizza crust was a hit. Since you started solids you have been spitting up less!

leepwise, you're still catnapping, but you sleep good at night - about 9/10 hours. You are wearing both 6 and 9 month clothing though you're still a peanut. 15 lbs at your 6 month appointment, and 15 lbs 8 oz. a month later. Socially, you love everyone. Big smiles wherever you go -- very easy going unless you're tired.

You are very amused by your sister, and especially love when she dances and cheers around the house. You also love your toys, jumperoo, and a good bag of wipes. I'm so excited for your first holiday season. I never had a baby this age this time of year. :)

I love you so much, sweet baby of mine. A year ago we didn't know if we were even having a boy or girl, and now here you are -- our dream baby.

Molly at 23 Weeks

Weight: After a 2 weeks growth spurt, she has had about 2 weeks of non growth spurts, so I'm really not sure! I'm guessing somewhere between 15-16. She seemed to chub up for a minute, but is lengthening out again. She has her next well visit in a few weeks. 

Health: Another cold -- this one has been waking her up several times a night! Development wise, she's really mastering grabbing and using her hands. We're close to finding our toes! And she really loves her mama's boobies; it's lately her favorite place of comfort. My supply has been on the lower end the past few weeks which has me nervous that it may be slowly going down. 

Sleep: Bedtime is now around 9/9:30 and she is in her crib as of two weeks ago! While she handled the transition rather well, we're now waking up several times a night -- hopefully because of the cold and not because of a regression. She sleeps in her zippadee zip swaddle and rolls from her back to belly. She'll somewhere roll herself around to bang on the sides of the crib. Still catnapping. 

Clothes: 3-6 really solidly. 

Social: Still really happy.

Crying: Hunger and fatigue. She fights naps like crazy anymore unless she's nursing. 

Molly at 19 Weeks

Weight: 13 lb last week at her 4 month well visit. Dropping in percentile to 24th, but pediatrician is not concerned. She's 80th percentile for height. I'm trying not to stress about it. 

Health: She developed a little cold the past few weeks, and we have cut two teeth already which is way earlier than Lucy did. Unfortunately she uses those little teeth to bite during nursing. Eep! 

Sleep: Still a catnapper during the day. About 5 naps a day. Sleep is more unpredictable these days -- can I blame four month sleep regression and teeth? She sometimes won't go down until 10:30 again, and sometimes a 3 am wakeup to nurse. She did pull a few 7:30s the few days after her four month vaccine.

Clothes: 0-3 can still fit, but I'm moving her up to 3-6. 

Social: Loves smiling at people, and especially loves her sister who is constantly entertaining her with dances and cheers.

Crying: Hunger and gas pains, though that seems to be fewer now.