Boden is 17 wks old this week...lots of changes going on with his motor skills and he is drooling abundantly (hopefully, teeth are still far, far away). We've tried rice cereal a couple times--after the first time he was pretty unimpressed with it.
He's been to daycare three times--each time a little bit longer than the last. While he does fine at daycare, he is needier in the evenings and harder (than usual) to put to bed. He seemed to be going on a hunger strike the first two times at daycare. He was only taking two bottles during a period of time when I am positive he would be eating at least 30% more. As if to say, "I'm not that hungry, thank you. I don't want you to go to any trouble for me, daycare lady. I'll just have a little bit. I'd like to wait for my mom--I like to eat with her". Politely taking in two bottles while I was away and then ravenously noshing most of the evening once I got him home and waking up one or two more times (than "usual") to make sure he was still meeting his daily caloric requirement. While I think this innate sense of nutrition is really neat, I would prefer he comes to the decision that eating during the day is much nicer than waking up in the middle of the night to eat, even if it means taking another bottle.
Boden and I visited the pediatrician on Monday of this week for his 4 month check up. He weighed in at 13# and 3 oz. Per the growth charts, he's slowed down a bit since his jump 2 months ago. He's now 24 3/4 inches tall and growing out of outfits that seemed so huge on him a couple months ago. It makes me a little bit sad to put away those tiny outfits (a. because I'm not a pack rat, I have a hard time holding on to these little clothes that may never be worn by someone in my household again and b. I remember how precious and fragile he was).
While packing away these clothes and holding him down for his first vaccination shots at the pediatrician's office (which was far from fun, the whole day went downhill after that event) it struck me how parenthood is this on-going juxtaposition of mourning and pride: as a parent, you want your kids to progress, grow up, flourish, prosper, become independent--it means you are, despite all the self-doubt that comes with parenting, doing SOMETHING right. But at the same time, the tiniest stepping stones in your little one's life, like rolling over, successfully grabbing a toy...etc. are little gateways to an upcoming independence that doesn't include you. Sure, Boden still needs his parents for almost everything, but in a short span of time from now that, in retrospect, will seem like a blink of an eye, he will be embarassed to be seen with his parents in public and he'll cringe at the thought of kissing and huggin his mother. So, while I know that once he successfully transitions to daycare so that he's not attaching himself to me (literally) the moment I return home, it will be glorious for me, Todd and Boden; but it will also put a little crack in this tender mom heart of mine. Sad. And wonderful.
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