James is Getting Fat!!

There isn't much new happening out here. James was not gaining sufficient amounts of weight--he wasn't even on the chart for his age at his appointment last week as he was only at 7lbs 10oz. I just don't seem to have enough milk to keep him satisfied for very long. He was feeding continuously all day, every day (about every hour or two) and then was very fussy and owly in between feedings and wouldn't nap. So, on the advice of our doctor, we have started supplementing with a bottle. After each feeding session when he has taken as much as he can from me, we offer him a bottle of formula and see how much he takes. He started off only taking about 1 to 2 oz but has started to take more. We think this means that his stomach has grown and he can now hold more. He seems to be getting as much, if not more, of my milk plus formula. We will see tomorrow how much he has gained but, from the pictures below, you can see that he has grown. His face is much fatter and his legs actually have a little chub now. So, maybe he has broken the 8lb barrier!! We will let you know.

James on July 19th--the day after we started the bottle. His face is still pretty thin here but his attitude had already changed. He was having more quiet time and had napped all on his own like a big boy!!

James took to a bottle right away. He can even, sometimes, hold it up himself. And he has no confusion between the bottle and the original "Milk Bar" (which is me)!

On July 23rd, we thought his face had definitely started to fill out.

We think his face in this most recent shot really looks fatter. He is scowly because he doesn't like the flash! He has started to sleep for a couple of good naps throughout the day and seems happier. We had a good session of big grins and smiles last night in response to Jeff making faces at him. He can push his chest and head up when on his tummy and continues to roll over from tummy to back with no help--he doesn't even have to be mad to do it anymore: he just rolls right over. He really likes his bouncy chair and also seems to sleep well in his bassinet. Now we just have to get him into his crib at night!!!

Other than that, not much is new. We will see how much he has gained tomorrow. After that, we will be looking forward to our next visitors: Jeff's parents arrive on Thursday and will get to see how big James is for themselves.