verdict

today is day three of the great 'solids experiment'. i am giving her very thinned out rice cereal after she nurses so it's less about getting her calories than about trying new tastes & textures. even with a belly full of milk she is gobbling it down! she slurps the spoon & is slowly learning this whole chew action vs suck action thing. we've gotten a few raspberries & when she starts turning away from the spoon we're done. but more often than not so far, she has been waiting- mouth open following intently for more! i'm not in a rush to try other foods & we'll probably be in the experiment phase for a while before she even gets anything thicker than what she's had so far, but she definitely seems to be taking to it.
no adverse affects either. if anything she is spitting up far less (as in not at all) in the past 3 days than she has yet. coincidence- who knows. also no real change to poop or sleep habits- not that i was anticipating anything at all in regards to sleep. i do know that's a complete myth. babies sleep through the night when they are ready- not when they hit a certain weight, age, or eat a different food. she's still not quite ready. her new pattern seems to be sleep by 8:45- up at 3am for a quick feed & back to bed. then up again between 5-6am for another feed & back to bed until anywhere between 8-9:30 when she gets up for the day. i am slowly moving her bedtime up a little bit in the hopes that earlier to bed means longer sleep - one of those random things i've read somewhere that is at least worth a shot.
the 5 am-ish feeding is annoying. last night i tried to sooth her back to sleep instead of nursing to no avail. the girl wanted her b00b & she wanted it then. at least she gave me a solid 4 hours before 3 & a good 4 hours after 5. so i really can't complain, but maybe later on when we get a little more consistent with solids (ie- cereal for meals not just to try it out once a day as a snack) we can see if a later meal of cereal has any affect. it's all a little like mad scientist to me- there are lots of variables & theories. everyone has an opinion & a tale of what worked for them, but all you can do is try a bunch of different things until you find the right combo for your child. i know what works for others might not work for me. hell- what worked for my own mother doesn't work for me! all in all though- pumpkin is a happy & extremely healthy baby with a great personality & disposition. she has her cranky moments, but they are far fewer than even the limited amount she had as a newborn. for that i am eternally grateful. i can put up with 3 & 5 am feedings if the trade off is a baby this happy!
another thing i am grateful for though is being able to be home with her right now. i honestly can't imagine how i would function some days on the lack of sleep at a 9-5 (or 8-6 as it was) job. i know i would (and that i will when/if the time comes) i just can't imagine it right now. i love me some sleep. in high school my weekends were spent in bed until at least noon. at my first college i never scheduled a class before 1pm so i could sleep & not worry about missing anything important. now even though i have no time clock i am up before 9 everyday without fail. (i know, i know- i really should shut the fuck up!) all i am saying is that with getting up 2x a night- i need that extra few hours sleep. were i to have to commute everyday i would need to be up around 6:30 to get ready & out of the house by 8. considering that i get up at 3 & 5-ish, that would mean i would really have to go to bed with caiden to get enough sleep to face a long day of work & then being mommy at home. major props to all that do it because while i know you get used to almost anything- i am enjoying being spoiled enough to not have to function on that limited amount of sleep and having it be majorly interrupted as well. i am still taking everything pretty much one day at a time with regards to making any big decisions, but i am a lot happier with this silver lining of the crappy economy. now if i could just win that lottery...