Thanks for your post!
A "typical" day goes something like this:
7:00 7 oz feed (sometimes as early at 6:00, or as late as 8:00)
7:30 - 9:30 play
9:30 - 11:30 nap
11:30 - 12:00 7 oz feed
12:00 - 2:00 play (hard at it!)
2:00 - 2:15 2 - 4 oz topper (he seems to work up a thirst after all that exercise kicking and moving those arms)
2:15 - 4:00 nap
4:00 - 4:30 7 oz feed
4:30 - 6:00 play
6:00 - 6:30 4 - 7 oz feed
6:30 - 7:30 play/bath
7:30 - 9:00 nap
9:00 - 9:30 4 - 7 oz. sleepy feed
9:30p - 7:00a sleep
My mother, my husband's parents and my husband and I all take turns during the week looking after Thatcher so each day is a little different. I've had a tough time getting his grandparents to stick to a firm schedule and I'll admit there are days when I've thrown the schedule out the window myself.
We used to try to wake him up from his naps to keep him on a 3 or 3.5 hr. EASY but that didn't seem to make a difference in his evening patterns. One thing is consistent: the little guy eats slowly in the morning and ramps up to a feeding fest in the early evening. This has been true since he was just a few days old -- when I was breastfeeding. I think that was a part of my problem with BF since my milk production was highest when he was least hungry, and tapered off in the evenings when he was ravenous.
In the early evenings he tends to be fussy, and I think it's often overstimulation, but he doesn't usually want to go down until we've walked him around the house a bit. He's mostly a pretty good napper, but there are times when he fights going to sleep. He definitely likes to be in his crib or pack & play when he sleeps -- doesn't fall asleep being held or strolled. Doesn't even like to drive around in the car.
All in all it's a fine schedule and I'm not bothered by it. I just suspect that he'd happily eat a steak if only he had some teeth and he could talk us into it. NOT that I'm going to try that!! It's the days when he gobbles down 40+ ounces
that make me think that formula just isn't filling him up. Most days he eats around 32 - 36 oz.
Anyway, in light of the questionable tolerance of the rice cereal I guess I'll hold off on feeding any more solid food for a couple of weeks until we've had our 4 month checkup and I can discuss with our ped. There's no other doctor I'd want for a sick baby, but these feeding subtleties are just not on her radar if you know what I mean. Like the "some babies are just fussy..." and "colic doesn't last forever..." canned responses in the early days. I'll probably get a refresher on the signs of anaphylaxis, but I bet scaly eyebrows will be dismissed with a recommendation for an OTC cream or ointment. (She was my ped. when I was a kid though and I know first hand what a truly wonderful doctor she is. In fact she had to kick me out at 21. I practically jumped in her lap the first time we went in with Thacher, I was so happy to be back in her office after 14 years.)
There's just no one in the world that will spend hours obsessing over the little stuff like a mom, and I know if there's another mom that's had a similar experience this is the place to find it!