Peyton Brooke {Ten Months}

Peyton turned 10 months old on Monday, April 13th. She woke up that morning...or rather at midnight...a completely different child. Mind you, this child hasn't woken up in the middle of the night since she was like 2 months old. When she woke up screaming and crying, I literally almost had a stroke. I had no idea what to do. I don't know what you're supposed to do with the kid when they wake up in the middle of the night, I've never had to do this before (I know mamas, you can totally hate me). Of course I went and got her right away because I thought surely something is truly wrong since she never does this. Nope. Nothing was wrong with her, not hungry, or sick, or anything. She just wanted to hang out with us. Until 2;00 in the morning. In the last few days, I've been experiencing the joys of Peyton's new 10 month old ways. Let's just say...can we go back to month 9 please?

Weight/Length: As of April 4th, Peyton weighed 18 lbs. 13 oz. and was 29 1/4 inches long. I meant to weigh her again on her 10 month birthday, but I forgot. Oops. I was probably still in shock from the midnight wake up call.

Hair: Blonde/Light brown

Eyes: Hazel

Diapers: Size 3 Pampers Swaddlers (regular swaddlers during the day and sensitive at night)

Clothing: Size 9 months in regular clothes and size 12 months in sleepers.

Favorite Things: her giraffe WubbaNub, rattles, blocks, books that she can pick up on her own, her baby doll, Rock-A-Stack, Baby Einstein Musical Activity Table, Bounce & Ride Elephant, V-Tech Activity Cube, Little People Disney Princesses and her favorite book is Who's Who at the Zoo (I decided to put the links for all her favorite toys in case there are any mamas out there who are interested in seeing what they are) 

Likes: taking baths, feeding herself, having her teeth brushed, the pool, grocery shopping, waving and clapping, zoo animals, being upside down, imitating you, pointing at things, sitting up on her own, picking up everything she can get her hands on and throwing it, looking at pictures or videos of herself, being held up to stand or dance, standing at her activity table, looking at books, peek-a-boo, sucking on a teething ring or her WubbaNub, "dancing" to music, squealing and "talking".

Dislikes: strangers, us leaving her alone, teething, trying to get her to do or eat something that she doesn't want to, laying down for any reason other than taking a nap, clothing and diaper changes, taking away her bottle or food before she is finished, green veggies, having dirty hands, being on her tummy, being confined, and not being able to see what is going on around her.

Feeding Patterns: This is a particularly sore subject in our household right now and has been by far the most frustrating mommy obstacle that I have had to tackle thus far. Talk about an emotional roller coaster...thank goodness for wine. I actually have to break this up into two sections because there is just so much craziness with this topic right now...

Breastfeeding: About 2.5 weeks ago, I noticed that my breast milk supply was dwindling and I every which way to get it back up, but nothing worked. I came to the realization that I might have to start supplementing with some formula, which absolutely devastated me. Up to that point, Peyton had never had a single drop of formula ever. I so desperately wanted to breastfeed until 1 year (not because I really enjoyed it, because I actually didn't enjoy it at all...but because I believed that was what I was supposed to do and that anything short of that was a failure for me). Well I had to have a little "moment" with myself and accept the fact that there were no other options and I had to introduce some formula. I did the research, asked mommy friends and selected what I felt was the best formula for Peyton. Not gonna lie, as I stood in line at the grocery store buying that first can of formula, I was actually crying. I felt so guilty, but I finally got my shit together and got over that hurdle. At first, we started with two nursing sessions and one bottle (1/2 breast milk, 1/2 formula) each day. In fact, I actually made my mom give her the first bottle with the formula in it because I felt so guilty. It was fine and Peyton actually loved the taste of the formula. Then my freezer supply of breast milk ran out and I couldn't get anything more from pumping either, so we went to two nursing sessions and one bottle of  100% formula per day. Soon I noticed that it seemed like she wasn't getting hardly any milk from her lunchtime nursing session, so we went to one nursing session in the morning and two bottles of formula per day. In the last few days, I've noticed that it seems like she isn't hardly getting any milk from our morning nursing session either, so yesterday I decided that apparently my body is trying to tell me that I am officially done with breastfeeding. As of today, we are doing three bottles of formula per day: 8 ounces at 8:00am, 6 ounces at 1:00pm, and 8 ounces at 7:00pm. 

Solid Foods: As if this breastfeeding drama isn't enough to make me have a mental breakdown, the solid foods is so much worse. A month ago, Peyton would eat almost anything I put in front of her. Fruits, vegetables, whatever. I had to mash it up and feed it to her with a spoon, but she would eat it. Suddenly, she is a terror when it comes to eating. Currently, she will eat chicken, yogurt, pasta and cheese. Nothing else. She will not allow me to feed her anymore, she wants to do it all by herself, which is fine, except that I can hardly get her to actually eat anything. If I put the food on a plate or in a bowl, she hurls the entire dish onto the floor. So I put pieces of food on her tray for her to pick up. If what I put on the tray is either chicken, cheese or pasta, she will eat it (most of the time). Anything else I put on the tray is promptly thrown across my (brand new, very nice and clean) kitchen. For once I actually appreciate Sadie and Lola, as they make for a very good clean up crew. I can't tell you how much food is being wasted around here and it's driving me insane. I want her to eat healthy, but I also need for her to just simply eat something, anything. Every meal time is a battle which normally ends in me giving in and letting her have chicken or cheese because I know she will actually eat it, but then I also feel like a super mommy failure. And to top it all off, she's been refusing to drink some of her bottle recently as well. She will drink like half of it and then won't want any more. So I'm also having to fight with her to get her to drink the bottle too. Sometimes she will drink it eventually, after I constantly pester her with it. And sometimes she just refuses, so there's some wasted formula to throw away with all the wasted food I'm making as well. If I can't get her to finish her bottle and I can't get her to eat solid food, how on Earth am I supposed to feed this child? I absolutely dread mealtimes now and I am just so completely frustrated by this whole situation. I'm constantly praying that this is just a phase that she will grow out of and that one day soon, she will be willing to cooperate and eat something healthy again. Save me. 

Sleeping Patterns: Luckily, that earlier mentioned midnight wake up call was just a one time thing. Despite a lot of teething, "growing pains" and some new found separation anxiety, Peyton still sleeps great at night. She goes to bed at 8:00pm and gets up around 7:30-8:00am. Mommy is very thankful for those solid 12 hours of baby sleep at night. Recently, her napping has been getting a little out of whack though. I'm blaming this new "developmental leap" she is going through for her lack of cooperation in the napping and eating departments. Normally, she would take two naps during the day, one mid-morning for around 2-3 hours and one in the late afternoon for 1-2 hours. Recently though, she hasn't been wanting to do either. She's been getting really upset when I put her down for her naps (possibly the separation anxiety) and then she either won't nap at all or nap for like 15 minutes and then wake right up. So basically, I'm currently dealing with an irritable baby who spends all day with me refusing to eat or nap. It's super fun. However, she's still sleeping at night and that's really all that matters to me. I can deal with crazy days, as long as I can get my sleep at night.

Month Ten Milestones: This month Peyton mastered going in the pool for the first time, making a smooth transition (for her, not me) to formula, cutting her 4th tooth, trying a lot of new foods for the first time, upgrading to a big girl car seat, and feeding all of her food to herself. On the other hand, she's struggled with a lot of teething discomfort, refusing majority of solid foods, becoming afraid of strangers and separation anxiety.

Mama's Thoughts: This has been a rough one. I constantly have to remind myself everyday to be patient and not get frustrated with Peyton. I just had no idea that these types of behaviors (bad attitude, refusing to do things, throwing fits) would come so early! She's only 10 months old, she's still a baby! Why is she already acting like a sassy little toddler? However, I realize that majority of the problem is me. I'm constantly making myself feel like a failure and feel so guilty because I have these ideas in my head of what Peyton and I are "supposed" to be doing. Like Peyton is "supposed" to be eating green vegetables everyday or I'm "supposed" to be exclusively breastfeeding her until her 1st birthday. I have put so much pressure on myself and I give myself so much anxiety over the fact that my kid just wants to eat cheese. I'm trying really hard to let it go, but that is so much easier said than done. And yet, I'm so sick of trying to follow all these stupid rules and be perfect all the time. I'd rather spend my time at home with Peyton having fun, not giving myself an ulcer over what I'm going to try to force her to eat for lunch. I think it's time to bust out the kiddie pool, some cheese sticks and a bottle of wine. We'll be in the backyard. See ya.  

Peyton celebrated her very first St. Patrick's Day with her friends Adelyn and Harrison.

Our church small group welcomed another new baby to the family! Peyton meeting her new friend, Reed, for the first time.

Peyton took her first trip to the Florida Keys and her first swim in the pool!

Peyton had her first trip to Jensen Beach, which also involved more swimming in the pool!

 Peyton's first Easter!

 For the record, Peyton is terrified of the Easter bunny. 

 Annual Easter Egg Hunt in our community

Easter Sunday at church

Peyton's first egg dyeing experience

Time for a car seat upgrade! Peyton is too tall for her infant carrier now so we had to get her this big girl car seat. Clearly, she is thrilled about this. The feeling is mutual for mommy too. I already miss being able to put her into her carrier inside the house and then click it into the car base or click it into the stroller, that was so much easier.

While I do love our BOB stroller for running and outdoor activities, that monstrosity is way too difficult to transport and maneuver around stores and such. It was time for a fancy new umbrella stroller. Peyton and I are both loving this one!

This child finally decided that she wants to pick up her own food and feed it to herself. I kept trying to get her to do it, but she just didn't want to before now. I don't think that she wanted to get her hands dirty, or she just wanted me to be her servant. Well, now she is singing a different tune. I am no longer allowed to feed her, she wants to do it all on her own. Here comes the mess...save me.

Her sore little gums and growing chompers love these teething crackers.

 Peyton loves our Mommy & Me fitness class, especially on Pilates day. 

 Food Truck Friday is one of our favorite events in our community!

We have another Kappa Sigma baby to add to the group! Peyton got to meet her new friend, Hailey, for the first time!

Apparently turning 10 months old comes with a sassy new attitude. Send help y'all...and wine. 

Happy 10 months sweet sassy baby girl!