It Was a Setup!

The long midday nap was a setup. After awaking to a few nice smiles and a bit of play, Celeste wanted something to eat. This wasn't something I'd thought too far ahead about.

We had two 4-ounce bottles of breastmilk thawed in the fridge, but I knew from my previous attempt to bottlefeed her that it needed to be warm. Juggling a hungry (but not crying, yet) baby while trying to figure out how to warm the storage bottle and then set up the feeding bottle ... well, let's just say it didn't go well.

First the bottle's too cold, and then it's taking to long to warm, and then the tears start so I make up a bottle of formula (it's a last resort, but I was already there), but the first one made with hot water is too hot, so I make another bottle with cold water that's too cold. By this time, the milk bottle is too hot, and Celeste is still bawling.

About 40 minutes later, I finally get things kind of right: The pacifier calms Celeste down, we settle down in her nursing chair with her turned in a sort-of-normal nursing position — the pacifier is popped out the bottle goes in, there's a momentary hesitation and then she drinks. And starts to fall asleep.

That was actually kind of weird: watching her eyes roll up and around half open and then half closed.

So anyway, after about 3 ounces, the angle the bottle is being held at isn't quite getting milk to the nipple, so I tried to shift her and the bottle. The cries begin again. So we stop the feeding, soothe and decide to try a diaper change and some playtime.

That works pretty well for a while until I notice her smacking her lips and sucking on her fist. Those must be hunger signs, right? With a little less trouble, I get a second bottle of milk prepared (the formula bottles are sitting around neglected at this point; one is probably still too hot, the other still too cold), but it turns out she was tired, not hungry.

Nap number two only lasted 45 minutes, but we were able to stretch out some playtime, swinging on the porch, and a cooking lesson (if she's in the kitchen with me, I like to narrate what I'm doing for her as if she were watching some cooking show) until Evelin got home. It's probably wrong of me, but I was soooooooooo happy to hear her key in the lock.

Now I just have to get ready for Thursday ...