Slept through the night again!

Woo hoo! After waking up around 3:30 am for the past week or so (not every night, but more often than not), Lia slept through the night again last night! I suspected that she was either ravenously hungry or having some discomfort in her gums. Most of the time, I could just get up, go over to her room and pop her binky in her mouth and she'd be fine. She wouldn't exactly be crying, just kind of complaining. She has a little teething blankie/toy in her crib and I would find her hugging it and gnawing on it and making noises like "Arnn-arr-arrnn-arrn-arg..."

Well, she started on peas over the weekend in Chicago and has been snarfing them down like a champ at school -- eating the entire container (2.5 oz)!!! So she's been eating peas in the morning, rice cereal in the afternoon and 3 six-ounce bottles of formula at school. I nurse her in the morning before we go to school and right before bed. In the past week, I had to start supplementing with another 3-4 oz of formula after getting home. Then I had to give her some cereal, usually 1-2 tablespoons mixed with formula. Well, last night, she had more like FIVE tablespoons of oatmeal mixed with 2 oz of formula, PLUS another 3 oz of formula, PLUS nursing before bed. WELL! That certainly filled up that bottomless pit of a tummy of hers! Afterwards, I used the finger "toothbrush" and "brushed" her gums. She really enjoyed it and couldn't get enough of gnawing on my finger. Teething? I keep checking, but no little white buds yet.

This morning, the alarm went off before I heard her, which means I got to sleep in until 6:40 am. I heard her talking to herself in her crib and when I peeked in, she was wrestling with her teething blankie and rolling around. When she heard me come in, she looked up and gave me a big grin. AH! LOVE waking up to a happy baby!

Lesson of the week: SHE IS GROWING AND IS VERY HUNGRY!

P.S. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that neither Lia nor Ian catch Coxsackie virus (hand, foot & mouth disease, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coxsackie_A_virus), which has taken out two kids at the daycare. Both of whom are in Lia's classroom! Luckily, those kids don't touch each other too much and the teachers washed everything down with a bleach solution.