- Today our sweet baby boy turns 1! It truly has been the most exciting & best year of my life, & I’m certain I’ll be saying that at the end of every year. God has blessed us richly with our Myler boy. He is goofy, sweet, smiley, stubborn (thanks to both Griffin & myself), & laughs all the time. Continue reading to see how life has been this past year for us. You asked the questions, I answered. :)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY SWEET BOY!!
- How many teeth does Myler have/when did he start teething?
Myler started teething & drooling around 3 months. He probably had one week of extreme fussiness, one month of drooling, & a couple weeks of bad sleep from it. His 1st tooth popped through when he was a little over four months old, & the 2nd came right after.
He currently has 14 teeth, but by the time this post is published, he may have more! Haha
If you’re interested, my favorite teething remedies are Camilia Homeopathic water drops & diluted lavender & clove essential oils rubbed on the outside of his cheeks/jawline (away from eyes). *I’m going to try some copaiba essential oil rubbed on his gums for the next ones.
- When did he start crawling & walking?
Myler started crawling/scooting around 7 months. He started standing around 10 months & has been walking/running for about a month now.
- When did you start him on solids?
We started a little after 7 months. Even then, we didn’t try solids everyday. We were in the middle of moving, so it was just easier for me to focus on breastfeeding him. We did a version of baby led weaning & skipped purees all together. It has been a stressful process for me because he just recently started to actually swallow most of his food. He’s doing great now though!
His favorite foods right now are chicken, black olives, french fries, creamies, & anything crunchy like tortilla chips or crackers.
I absolutely love Happy Baby organic food brand for starting them on foods that are healthy.
- How many hours does he sleep at night/how did you get him to sleep at night?
Currently he sleeps from around 7:30/8pm until 7:30/8am with multiple feedings in between. ;) Although he still eats a lot at night, he does always fall right back asleep. There are a few things we did to get him to sleep all night.
1. Started getting him ready for bed at the same time each night: dim the lights, quiet voices, clean diaper, diffuse lavender oil
2. We made a lullaby playlist on our phones that we would play each night when I started to feed him before bed
3. Made sure to swaddle him nice & snug so he felt safe, comfy, & warm
We did this routine for about a week when he started to get the hang of it. In the middle of the night for feeding or diaper changes, keep the lights dim/off, keep quiet voices, & put them right back to bed. Consistency makes a big difference.
- Are you still breastfeeding?
Yes, I’m still breastfeeding & quite often! He hasn’t taken a bottle since around 4 months old, so it’s breastfeeding 24/7. Since he also just currently started eating solid food meals, I’m just now starting to cut back one or two BF sessions a day. I have started introducing a sippy cup recently, & sometimes will add some almond milk mixed with breastmilk. He does pretty good with it, but still needs help.
By the way, you may have seen them on my Instagram already, but my favorite sippy cups are from Twistshake Baby.
- Did you sleep train Myler?
Quite the loaded question if I really wanted to get into it. :) I can see both sides of sleep training. I see the benefits, but I also see the negative effects of it. For us, I have let him “cry it out” to an extent, & it was actually working really well for about a week. He would only fuss for a few minutes before falling back asleep (never fully crying/screaming). Then the eye teeth & molars started coming in!!! The teething definitely messed up that good sleep routine ever since. I personally cannot let my baby cry for longer than 15 minutes (usually less) before I run into the room, wipe his tears, kiss his face, & cuddle while feeding him back to sleep. If I’m extra tired or not feeling well, those nights are hard, but I keep reminding myself that he won’t breastfeed forever. So I’m soaking up all the cuddles I can!
- What was the hardest part of the 1st year, & what did you learn from it?
I’m not sure I can say one hard thing tops them all, but ONE of the hardest parts about Myler’s 1st year was probably just figuring things out. I know that’s so vague, but when you do something for the first time, no amount of research or questions can fully prepare you for it until you’re in it. I think I have learned to be patient with not only my husband, but also myself. Sometimes it takes trial & error, & sometimes it takes compromise so that you and your spouse are on the same page with parenting decisions.
- What’s the one thing that you have done or didn’t do that you were warned against or told you must do?
Probably everything! Ha just kidding. I have actually done a lot of things against the norm, but one that I love is co-sleeping/bed-sharing. Myler had an actual co-sleeper bed until he outgrew it, which we then put him in the Pack n Play, but every night when he wakes up to eat the first time, I bring him in bed with us. I understand some people are heavy sleepers, & it just wouldn’t be safe for them. We make sure Myler is safe, & I am a very light sleeper, so I wake up to even the littlest movements. Because we co-sleep, we all get good amounts of sleep. :)
- Do you plan on having more kids?
Yes, of course! We would love to have more kids. Just preferably not anytime soon. ;)
All photos taken by Katjriana Marker
*Please not that I’m not a doctor & my suggestions are something you should seek your doctor’s advice on before trying
I couldn’t believe he is already one years old, when I saw it on Facebook! He is so adorable!