Getting Better

I got an email from my Dad yesterday that read, in part, "it's obvious that you and Chris are so enjoying being a Mom and Dad, and that you just love your little girl to bits." What a lovely little pat on the back!

It's true, things are looking up around here (except for the sleep, which I'll talk more about in another post). Gwen is a much more relaxed and comfortable baby, which makes her by default happier and more fun to be around. I attribute this entirely to the chiropractic treatments. She is no longer in constant pain, so she doesn't have long spells of inconsolable crying. Funny how that works!

The other thing that's made a difference is me finally letting go of all the stress and guilt and anxiety about breastfeeding. This is huge. What surprises me is that once I made up my mind to let it go, it happened almost instantly. I thought it would be a more difficult process - what a nice surprise.

In fact, now that I'm more relaxed about the particular method in which Gwen gets fed, I wonder if we might end up weaning sooner than later. No firm decisions made on this yet, but I can see the end in sight, and I feel quite peaceful about that. But again, more on that in another post.

I don't think I mentioned here that last week, I took Gwen to see another pediatrician, one who is emphatically *not* an ass. He suspects that she may have some reflux, so we are giving her an antacid on a trial basis for a month to see if that makes a difference. On the whole, though, he thinks Gwen is fine and healthy and that her fussy/gassy spells will resolve in the next few months as her digestive tract matures.

Speaking of digestion - it's less than 4 weeks until Gwen is officially old enough for solid foods. We have started putting her in her Bumbo seat at dinnertime, with a little spoon and plate, so she can grow to associate those things with mealtime. She also gets a good view of us eating, so that will become a normal activity for her, and one that she will be ready to participate in soon. I am very excited about that!