46 Weeks Old!

46 weeks old!

Time has just been flying by so fast, that I totally didn't post about this. As of June 30, 2012, it has been 1 year since I've been out of work. At this point in time, I'm one week away from being out of work for 13 months. That is just insane to me. But at the same time, Cael's 1st birthday is coming up shortly as well.

Speaking of birthday's, we just got home a few hours ago from Long Island. It was my best friends' son's 1st birthday party. He is 6 weeks older than Cael, so it was nice to be pregnant at the same time as my best friend. His party theme was "Liam's Circus" with blue and orange colors. It was so cute, and everything came out great. There was tons of food, and the cake was HUGE and delicious. It made me really excited for Cael's party.

Liam is a solid boy. He's 26 pounds and very tall. Makes Cael look very small. It's so cute to see them together though. They played so nicely together, especially at the water table -which you know is Cael's favorite summer toy. It was a short trip to Long Island, but it was wonderful to meet up with old friends again. After 8 years, we all still remained in contact. I love those ladies! It's amazing that we're all getting, or are, married, and having babies. When did we become adults!?

Cael has been walking about the same over the past week. No more than 4 steps at a time before he falls forward. He's been standing by himself a lot more though. You can tell his confidence in himself is getting much better. And, Cael reached another milestone. He got into a standing position all by himself on Saturday! I didn't see the whole thing, because I was looking away for a second, but when I looked back, he was standing, and there was nothing there for him to pull up on. We called Matt over to tell him, and he was amazed as well. He's growing up so fast

Cael and Liam - The duo are on a mission!

It's definite - we're going to have 2 parties for Cael. One on Long Island for the rest of the family and our friends, and one here in PA for our few friends here and Matt's family. We're expecting about 20 or so guests at the party here. My bff said we can have his party at her house. It was such a relief, because I didn't think we were going to be able to have one down there. We can't afford to rent a hall or have it at a restaurant, especially since we're inviting about 55 people, and expecting about 40ish guests to come. I'm so excited that we're having a party there for him. It has nothing to do about gifts, and all to do with our friends and family having the opportunity to celebrate with us. We plan on these parties being a big deal. We don't plan on having huge parties like this for subsequent parties. It'll be a nice party there, because she has a large yard with a play set for the kids. Both parties will be a lot of fun.

Taking bites out of a "wagon wheel"
while on the way home

I received the invitations from VistaPrint on Friday before we left for Long Island. I love the card stock, and the way they came out. They're beautiful. I have to address them this upcoming week, and hopefully get them out ASAP. I'm also going to order the themed plates, cups, napkins, etc tomorrow. I should have them by the end of the week. Then I plan on taking those plates to Party City to try and match the colors to some solid plates and cups, this way we have enough for everyone. We also decided to keep the mustache theme for both parties. I figured I'm going to have left over mustache supplies from the first party, that I might as well get 2 uses out of them if I can. I'm really excited for the parties. My next plans are to talk to bakery's for pricing, and figure out the food for both parties. I'm overwhelmed thinking about it all! But since money is semi-tight, I'm also going to try and do whatever I can myself. It'll add a personal touch.



Cael in a glimpse:

• He loves throwing things, and he gets some far distance. Also, he mostly uses his left hand for this.
• Cael loves pushing his trucks around, and barreling them into things such as walls and other toys.
• Cael has become very chatty! Whenever he's playing, he's always gabbing.
• He is becoming very good at holding big pieces of food, and taking small bites out of it (as opposed to putting the whole thing in his mouth). Such a big boy!

Now here are some pictures from the birthday party we went to:

(Mind you, these pictures didn't come out as well as I wanted, because of the difference in lighting due to shadows in the yard)

Clown nose!

Having fun!

  

"Fish bowls" for prizes 

Favors - Candy and a scented sugar scrub!

The birthday boy's high chair

Spritz cookies made by a friend and myself. They were yummy!

Circus peanuts, and cake pops in the background

Loving watermelon!

Giving kisses!

L & C playing together

45 Weeks Old!

45 weeks old!

Fortunately, Cael and I are feeling much better. But I'll tell you, last week was rough. Cael had (still has) Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, and I had Coxsackie Virus. Yes, I'm diagnosing Cael and myself, but it's not like I don't know what we were exposed to. After researching HFMD and Coxsackie Virus, and talking to another mom who's baby just got over HFMD, I learned more about it. There's the Coxsackie Virus, which causes fever and sore throat, and then there are variants of Coxsackie, such as HFMD and others. HFMD causes fever, sore throat, and sores and blisters in the mouth, feet and hands. I didn't know that the two were different, which was interesting.

Cael has a mild case of HFMD, because he has only about 20 sores. They're mostly on his legs and genitals, with some on his hands. It definitely could have been way worse for him, so I'm glad it didn't turn out to be a worse case. I only have about 4-5 sores, and they're more like zits. Cael's most recent sore popped up yesterday on his hand, and it actually looks like a blister. It's the worst one, but it doesn't seem to bother him. So yes, he still has sores that are popping up, unfortunately. So even though his fever broke on Thursday, he's still getting sores.

Wednesday. He was so sick :(

So here's the recap of our hellish week. As I wrote in a previous post, Cael's fever started on Tuesday afternoon. But it was Tuesday night into Wednesday morning that was the worst.night.ever. Even worse than the newborn stage. He was burning up all night despite Tylenol and Advil, and he was so uncomfortable. He woke up every 40 minutes (and that's no exaggeration), and spent most of the night in our bed, sleeping on me. He would wake up and cry and scream, and I would need to hold him, or put him on my chest for him to sleep. My heart broke for him, because he was so uncomfortable.

Wednesday was pretty much the same. He had 3 breakdowns where he screamed for an hour strait, and once again, nothing I did helped. He would finally fall asleep on me after an hour, but only sleep for about 45 minutes to an hour, and then wake up crying again. His mouth seemed to be bothering him, because he didn't eat much breakfast, and he didn't want to nurse in the morning at all. He kept poking his fingers into his mouth, although I couldn't see anything. At that point, he didn't have any sores yet.

Laying on Mommy

My fever started on Wednesday, and I felt like crap all day. It was a rough day, because I felt like I was hit by a bus, and I had to take care of Cael. I relied on Advil, which worked amazingly well for me, thankfully. My fever must have broke Thursday morning, because I woke up soaked in my sweat. Like, saturated. It was disgusting, and I felt disgusting. I couldn't wait to take a shower. Thursday was a little better for the both of us. I felt normal again, and Cael was back to playing on the floor with his toys and trucks. His fever broke Wednesday overnight as well.

However, Cael started getting his sores on Wednesday evening. They looked like little pimples or zits. First there was a few on his legs, and then in his genital area. By yesterday, most of them were in his groin area, with a few on his legs, and a couple on his hands. Honestly, he didn't get it bad at all. I would call it a mild case. Even though I ended up with only 2 sores on my lower lip, and one on my hand, I think I had just the Coxsackie virus. From what I read on the CDC website, it's all the Coxsackie virus, but just different variants of it depending on the symptoms that present. Usually adults don't get it, so I'm surprised I got it at all. But once again, it wasn't bad and my symptoms only lasted 2 days or so.

In other news, we picked a theme for Cael's 1st birthday party. It'll be "A Mustache Bash for Our Little Man". I love it! I found "Little Man" plates and party accessories, and ordered customized mustache invitations from Etsy. It's perfect because I always call him my Lil' Man. And he really is such a Little Man, with the faces he makes and his personality. I absolutely love how the invitation came out. I can't wait to send them out.

Cael's 1st Birthday Invitation - I LOVE LOVE LOVE them!

Cael is standing a lot more now by himself. And the funny thing is that we don't think he even realizes he's doing it. He'll be standing at his toy box holding on, and then grab a toy with both hands, letting go of the box, and stand there playing with it. I got a video of him on Thursday standing for 15 seconds by himself. Matt and I watched him in awe, and then when he finally sat down, we clapped and praised him. He gave us the biggest smile.

Along the same lines of standing alone, is taking his first steps. Yes, Cael took 1 step by himself! It happened on Friday night, and Matt got to see it. Granted, it wasn't a steady step, and he fell right into my arms immediately following the step, but it still means he's that much closer to walking. I'm not ready for that! He's already all over the place, and walking will make it so much worse! :) You can see he's starting to get braver and braver with standing by himself, and it'll look like he's going to just let go and start running, but instead, he'll let go, hesitate, and then plop to the ground on his butt. It's only a matter of time. :::sigh::: Now, however, I think he's starting to think it's a game. I'll stand him up in front of me and arms' distance away, and instead of taking a step or trying to step forward, he'll just lean forward, like a trust fall. He knows I will catch him, and he'll giggle while I'm catching him.

He loves walking with this toy

Playing is such hard work!

Helping Daddy type

Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease

After Cael started running a fever today, I'm convinced he's been infected with Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease (aka Coxsackie). While we were camping, the little girl that Cael was playing with, came down with a low-grade fever. My friend said that she's teething and getting her molars, so we both assumed that the fever was from teething. She wasn't really acting any differently, so we figured no big deal.

They mostly played together at the water table that I brought with us. She was chewing on his water toys, but I didn't mind, because I knew she was teething. Well, my mom texted me yesterday to tell me that she has HFMD. I was livid, and immediately looked it up, as I don't really know much about it. I do know, however, that I had it was I was 3 while in Florida, and I had to be hospitalized for a few days. So I got really upset and scared that Cael was exposed to it.

The CDC website said that it's moderately contagious through nasal and mouth/throat mucus and fluids. Wonderful. She was chewing on his toys. Toys that he then played with. I guess the virus stays alive in water and sunlight. The website also says that symptoms can start 3-6 days after exposure, and that it's most contagious during the first week of having it. It's been 4-5 days since he was was initially exposed, and he's started with a fever. After talking to some ladies in my online group whose babies have had HFMD, the blisters and sores on the hands, feet and mouth started after the fever broke. So for right now, it's a wait and see game.

Cael's fever earlier today was on the lower side at 100.9. But this evening, it rose to 103.2 after having Tylenol in him for 2 hours. Currently, I'm watching him toss and turn on the monitor, as if he's uncomfortable. He's been whimpering in his sleep since he went to bed 2 hours ago, and it breaks my heart. I hate seeing my Little Man sick and uncomfortable. I'll update if he starts getting blisters and sores.

44 Weeks Old!

I know I just did a post on Wednesday when Cael turned 10 months old, but I can't ignore another week. I figured I'd do more of an update on how things are going with Cael.

First off, we went camping with my mom and family from Thursday to Saturday. This is the 3rd time I've taken Cael camping, and he gets better each time. He did much better going down to sleep in the PnP, and didn't take a long time to fall asleep, like he did in May when we went camping. He also slept through the night for the most part. The first night, he got up at 4, but that was because my brother set his alarm for 4 to get up and go fishing. It took a little while to get him back to sleep, but he eventually did because I kept him next me to on the couch bed.

Speaking of couch bed, those 2 nights I slept on the couch in the room were the most uncomfortable nights ever. I woke up so sore and stiff, and my sciatica was actually irritated. It's a pretty narrow couch, and I can't put it into a bed because the PnP just fits with the couch as a couch. So Cael took up most of the couch area, and I was hanging off the side - thus the stiffness. It was okay though, because I love the cuddles.

Cael also had fun with a little girl who was there. A long-time camping buddy of mine - we've both camped at that same site since we were tiny - was up, and she had her 18 month old daughter with her. I didn't camp last summer because I was on bed rest, and it was too much of a risk going, so I didn't get to see her daughter. She has grown so much, and I can't believe she is 18 months already. I really does go fast. They both enjoyed playing with Cael's water table, especially since it was hot out. I'm glad he had another baby to play with. He really needs to socialize.

Cael and I had a lot of fun swimming in the river while camping, too. There were parts of the river that were up to my neck, and I had Cael in the deep end too. The river wasn't moving quickly where we were, so we were safe. Actually, it was a separate swimming hole that was up to my neck. Cael had a lot of fun when I would hold onto just his hands, hold him away from me, and dunk him into the water up to his chest. He would kick and kick, and smile. We spent about an hour in the water on Friday, and it was a lot of fun. I'm really happy that he's getting used to being in water, and seeming to enjoy it.

So, over the past week, Cael has learned to do some new things. First off, which I'm excited about, is that he figured out how to blow raspberries. I was shocked the first time he did it, but I think it's oh-so-cute. He makes quite a wet mess though! I'm just happy that he hasn't blown raspberries while eating! That would make quite a mess, and give me anxiety. He also mimics raspberry blowing, so if you blow raspberries at him, he'll blow them back. I think that's really cool, because he's developing so much, and it seems he's starting to understand what's going on around him.

Cael is also becoming more interested in all his toys. I went a bought a storage container to put all his toys in, and to act as a toy box. It's working out really well, because now he can go through all his toys and pull out what he wants. Before, I was keeping them all in the PnP, and taking out what I thought he would want to play with. No he can make the decision on his own. His favorite toys are his trucks. He LOVES to push his trucks around the floor, and spends a lot of alone time playing with them. He loves the CAT 4x4 truck that Matt came home with one day. And when I say around the floor, I mean all over the floor. He crawls while pushing them around. I can see that he now understands what the trucks do, and it's that they roll around. I love watching him explore different things, and figure out how things work.

Finally, the biggest update of all... . . . Cael can say "Dada"!!! He started saying it on Friday while we were camping. I couldn't believe it, and became so excited to hear it. Of course, I want him to say "Mama", but I think it's great that he's saying "Dada", too. Of course, he isn't saying it in the correct context yet, but once he learns that Matt is his "Dada", I'm sure he'll be calling him "Dada". So as of now, his "vocabulary" includes: Bababababa, Blahblahblahblah, Eyeyayaeyayay and now Dadadadada.

Getting breakfast from Aunt Ashley

We love camping!

Getting dirty in the rocks

He's got 6 teeth in there!!

Grandma and Cael

10 Months Old - Happy 4th Of July!

Slow down Lil' Man!

Happy 10 months old, my Lil' Man! And also, Happy 1st 4th of July! I love his expression in this picture! It's getting quite difficult to take monthly pictures, because he doesn't want to stay still anymore.

He's still crawling around like a champ, cruising, rolling (especially during diaper changes!) and pulling up on everything. He can stand by himself, but he doesn't seem to have an interest in it. The only times I've recently seen him stand unassisted is if he's distracted with a toy in both hands, and lets go of what he's holding on to. If I hold his hands, and let go trying to get him to stand, he just plops down.

Today was like any other day. I dressed him in a "My 1st 4th of July" onesie that I got from Kohl's. We just hung out and relaxed, went in the pool, I took his 4th of July pictures, and then we went in the pool. Towards the evening, we lit some sparklers for Cael that I got at Walmart. Honestly, they were quite pathetic and nothing spectacular, but it was fun watching Cael smile at them, and wonder what they were.


Here are some of the pictures from today :)

Not sure what to think of the sparklers. But he's grinning..

43 Weeks Old!

I'm pretty sure the nursing strike is completely over. He nursed all day yesterday, and all day today. It feels a little "different" than it used to, but it could be because he has 2 new teeth he has to maneuver his tongue around to suck. He does still try to nip and bite me several times during the day, but no where near as hard as he was. I'm so happy he's back to nursing. I really hope to make it to 18 months of breast feeding. I really appreciate and enjoy each nursing session we have from now on, and I don't take it for granted anymore. It is really a wonderful bonding experience, and I love the closeness we share while he nurses.

I checked his mouth again today, and it appears he's working on his upper left lateral incisor. The poor boy can't catch a break. At least he doesn't seem to be in as much pain as he was. He hasn't had Tylenol or Advil in a few days, so that's good.

I haven't done much more of anything regarding Cael's birthday party in September. I've been looking for themes through websites, and I have found a few that I like. I really like the owl theme that says "Look Whoo's Turning One", but Matt wasn't too excited over it. He seemed to like the "Lil' Quarterback's 1st Birthday" theme (http://www.birthdayexpress.com/Lil-Quarterback-1st-Birthday-Party-Supplies/58027/PartyKitDetail.aspx). It has orange, green and brown as the main colors, so it would be easy to find accenting supplies, like napkins, cups and cray paper. I would buy the important stuff with the theme on it, like a banner, cake plates and a big balloon. I really don't want to spend a lot of money on his party, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if we do. 

Rocking on the awesome consignment find!

I finally went to a consignment store that I've passed innumerable times. They carry a lot of baby things, toys and clothes there, and get new stuff in weekly. I had seen a Little Tykes rocking cow on their Facebook page that I wanted to look at and possibly buy for $15. But when I got there, I wasn't really impressed with it because the color was faded in some spots. I didn't feel comfortable buying it for Cael. But right next to the rocking cow was an old-ish looking wooden rocking horse. It was solid with a finish on it, leather fabric for ears, oogly eyes and salt and pepper faux hair for a mane. It was $9.99, and Cael seemed to like sitting on it, so I decided to buy that one. Can't go wrong with $10! I got it home and wiped it down really well. It skeeves me out that I couldn't wash the fur, but I can deal with that. I have plans for it anyway. I really want to sand the whole thing down - which is good, because there are some rough areas on the wood - and either paint it or refinish it. I also want to buy new faux fur for the mane, and replace that as well. It will be my little project for Cael. I'm excited about doing it.

My handsome, blue-eyed boy

Speaking of projects, I really want to make a growth chart for Cael by his 1st birthday. I'm guessing by the time he's 1, he'll be able to stand without assistance, so it would be the perfect time to start tracking his growth. After looking through some websites, I'm pretty sure I want to make it out of canvas cloth. I was thinking about a wooden one, but then it's too bulky, and will be difficult to store and/or move around. You'd be talking about a 4 foot-long piece of wood, so it would be quite bulky. I found a few on Etsy, and another on a website for $25 that I liked. It would be much easier to just buy it, but I figured it would be more personal if I made it myself. I'll have to keep checking Pinterest for ideas. But one project at a time.

Cael crawled into Tyson's cage by himself.

Drying off after playing in the sprinklers

Matt's mug finally came in! Better late than never. I love how it came out! And I love the pictures of Cael.

Nursing Strike!

These past 5 days have been very emotional for me, filled with feelings of doubt, rejection and sadness. Cael started a nursing strike on Tuesday evening, the 26th. I had never heard of a nursing strike before now, and never knew such a thing could happen. But it does, and it happened to Cael and me.

Initially, it started with Cael biting my nipple after he was done nursing on Tuesday. Let me tell you, that hurts! Especially with top and bottom teeth. He did it several times that day. He would look up at me square in the eyes, bite down, and look for a reaction out of me. Of course I yelped, and corrected him, saying, "No, you don't do that, Cael." I figured it was his new sign that he was done, and to get my boob out of his face. But after he kept doing it, and kept looking up at me while biting, I knew something was different, and I figured he was doing it intentionally. I feared that he maybe wanted to start weaning, but I brushed the thought away, because I didn't want him to start weaning. I had hopes to go to 18 months of nursing.

He nursed okay Tuesday night before he went to bed, although he refused the other side, whereas he normally nurses on both sides at night. He was up the next morning at 3am, and nursed then as well, but again, only on one side - the opposite side of what he nursed before bed. By the time he was awake at seven that morning, he was refusing to nurse. And my left breast was severely engorged. He didn't want to latch at all. He would start screaming and turn away from me. And when I say screaming, I mean pain-screaming. It hurt my heart. But at that point, my breast was as hard as a bowling ball, and milk was dripping out, so I had to rush and grab my pump. I pumped on the bed while Cael sat there and watched. I got 6 ounces out in 10 minutes!

I decided that he had to have some milk, so I gave him the milk I pumped in a bottle. He only drank 2 ounces, and was fussy while taking the bottle. He was also very fussy for the remained of the day, and continued to refuse to nurse. It was the same thing over and over again - I'd offer him the breast, he would take the nipple in his mouth, bite me, then back off screaming and roll away. I tried nursing him in a dark quiet room, on the couch, laying down, using the Boppy, changing positions. Everything. And he still didn't want to nurse. He only drank about 9 ounces all day Wednesday, which I thought wasn't a lot. He even refused to nurse to sleep that night, and reluctantly took a bottle, but only drank 2 or so ounces. I figured that night/early morning would be horrible if he didn't want to nurse.

Luckily, when he woke at 2:30 Thursday morning, I was surprised yet thrilled that he started nursing. I figured he was over what was bothering him, and he wouldn't have any problems nursing anymore. I was wrong. Little did I know that would be the last time he would nurse until 6:45 this morning. That's 3 days without nursing. And 3 days of pumping several times a day. I really give pumping moms a TON of credit. It's really such a hassle to pump, then give a bottle. My best friend Stef came up from Virginia on Thursday evening, and we went out a few times over the course of the weekend. Those times, I had to lug my pump with me, and pump in the car. I had to also bring a cooler with a bottle. It really was such a hassle, and I'm so grateful that I decided to breast feed. It's instant food whenever Cael wants it. I just lift my shirt, and Cael eats. As opposed to pumping (a good 15 minutes at least), filling a bottle, and then fighting Cael to drink the bottle. Luckily Stef was with me, and helped a great deal with carrying all the extra baggage.

Over the past 3 days, every time I tried to offer Cael the breast, he would bite me. He even drew blood and left an abrasion on the underside of my right nipple. That bight really hurt. I was devastated. On Wednesday, I called a friend, whose daughter self-weaned at 11 months. I asked her what it was like, and she said it was gradual over time by dropping feedings, and not all at once. We came to the conclusion that something was bothering Cael, because he was screaming every time I offered him to nurse. That morning, I also called a LLL leader and left a message.

Upon looking in his mouth, I saw that his top middle left tooth was bulging through the gums (which has since broke through). It looked painful. A few days later, I discovered that his bottom right side tooth (later incisor?) was also bulging through, and right under the gums. I hadn't noticed that before! So my poor Cael was working on 2 teeth at the same time. The LLL leader called me back on Wednesday night. I told her what was going on, and that I was concerned he was self-weaning. She reassured me that it's rare that babies self-wean before 1 year old, and she called it a nursing strike. I thought, "Hmm, that sounds about right." I didn't know there was a name for it.

She read through the "Nursing Bible", or so she calls it, and explained the reasons that a nursing strike would occur. We concluded that it was because of his teeth, and she said that normally strikes last for 2-4 days. But, it could go longer than a week.

So Thursday went by, and so did Saturday. Still no nursing. And Cael wasn't drinking that much at all. But he was still drinking some water, and eating a ton of solid food. So I decided to call the LLL leader back to see if she had any additional opinions. Honestly, I wanted her to tell me that he would go back to nursing after he felt better. I wanted statistics, to know that she has seen this happen, and have seen the babies go back to nursing without a problem. She told me that she didn't have too much experience, and suggested I call the other LLL leader. So I did. She told me that she saw several babies go on nursing strikes, but return to nursing successfully after the strike. I felt much better. I had hopes that this was just a phase, and he would go back to nursing.

Deep down, I knew he wasn't weaning. Cael is a boob boy, plain and simple. He loves to nurse, and to comfort nurse. If anything, I thought that I would have difficulty weaning him when the time came. So I figured he wouldn't be one to wean early.

Cael didn't drink one ounce last night before he went to sleep. Granted, he had a huge lunch and a decent dinner, but he refused all bottle during the day yesterday. Honestly, he only drank 2 bottles yesterday totally about 8 ounces for the day. But after trying to get him to nurse, and trying to get him to drink a bottle, he was hysterical. So I stopped, and just cuddled him. He fell right to sleep on my chest, so I put him in the crib. He woke up at 5:30 am (yes, despite not drinking anything, he slept through the night!) fussing, so I brought him into bed with me, hoping he would nurse. He went to take my nipple in his mouth, but once again, bit me. Luckily, not hard this time, but after he did, he started crying again. So I gave him his binkie back, cuddled him close, and he surprisingly fell back to sleep.

I decided to keep him in bed with me, and take advantage of the cuddles. He started stirring around 6:15, but didn't wake up. He spit his binkie out, so I decided to seize the moment, and try to nurse him again. I left my breast out of my bra, resting on his face when he fell back to sleep at 5:30 - this way he got used to it being close to him. To my amazement and joy, he latched, and started drinking!!! Just prior to putting my nipple in his mouth, I compressed it to try and get the milk coming out, so he didn't have to work hard to get it going. I also squished it so that it was easier for him to latch.

He nursed for about 10 minutes on the one side, still while asleep. I then gave him the other breast, and he took it again! I was so relieved and happy. He also nursed for a second time this morning before he went down for a nap at around 9:30. He's been only taking 1 nap a day for the past week, but he hasn't had a good solid nap for the past 3 days or so because of Stef visiting. So I figured I would let him sleep because he was fussy. I tried nursing him on the couch, and he refused me. So I changed his diaper, and laid down with him in bed, with him facing me, and cuddled him. I did try to nurse him, but he didn't want to. He fell right to sleep after giving him the binkie. I waited a few minutes for him to be asleep, and then removed his binkie. He started stirring, so I offered him my breast. He took it again! After nursing for about 10 minutes, he feel into a deep sleep, and my breast fell out of his mouth. I moved him to the crib, where he stayed asleep.

I hope this is the end of his nursing strike. It was a rough and emotional several days, but just like the LLL leaders said, and the articles I read stated,. he went back to nursing. I might have to continue to nurse him while he sleepy until he's back to his normal, but that's fine with me.