"Check me out. I'm a big boy!"
Jackson started practicing sitting in the highchair. Can you believe it?! This photo was taken at Albre's house today. The chair belongs to her little girl, Lyla, so it's not the most manly chair in the world. But Jack doesn't care about the chair! He's just happy to be sitting up high like a big boy.
I can't believe how fast this little booger is growing! We think he is in the middle of a growth spurt because he is eating more during the day (by bottle) than I can keep up with by pumping. In fact, While he was sick and had to bottle-feed, Jackson went through all my surplus supply of breast milk in the freezer. So last night we reluctantly bought some formula to have on hand as a back-up. Thankfully, we haven't had to supplement yet. But I'm guessing we may have to supplement before he starts rice cereal in two weeks. As my mom reminded me, it's not the end of the world.
Since Jackson has allergies and stomach issues, my mom recommended we get a special kind of formula, called "Alimentum". Can I just say that this stuff is unbelievably EXPENSIVE!
If the government wants to regulate things, why don't they start with putting a cap on formula costs?! One can of Alimentum formula costs $27. That can will make 19 of Jack's 6-ounce bottles. I did some calculating, and figured out that if I fed Jackson formula full-time, it would cost about $250 per month! And that's on his current feeding schedule. As he intake increases, it would cost even more!
As much as I've lamented about breastfeeding, I'm so thankful I've been able to do it. My cow capers have saved us a lot of money. If Jackson drank formula since his birth, we would have spent over $1,250 on formula in the past 5 months. HOLY COW! (Literally.) With that said, I'm glad Jackson will start solids soon. I'm ready for milk mania to slow down. Otherwise we need to buy a jersey cow for our backyard.
Melinda, as I read this I had flashbacks to my breastfeeding days, which put a big smile on my face. Our boys are now 5 and 3, but I still remember sitting down to pump after getting home from Pampered Chef Shows (aka "work"). I also remember the deep freeze in the garage OVER half-full of breast milk (I am not kidding about this)! The joke always was... if the electricity goes out, SAVE THE BREASTMILK FIRST!!
ReplyDeleteAs I look as this pic of your son, it reminds me just how special all those little "firsts" are! I took Ethan, our 5-year-old, to Kindergarten Rodeo today at the school he'll be attending in the fall. Yet another first...
A friend summed it up nicely for me one day when I literally thought I'd lose my mind with my boys, "The days seem SOOO long, but the years go by SO quickly!
I'm glad I found your blog and have had a chance to catch up on your life a little bit! Enjoy loving on your baby!!