In Case I Ever Led You to Believe I Was Perfect...Part Two.

This Little Mister is giving us a run for our money at nights.

I have no one to blame...but me.

No birth mother, no bad habits that he came with.

Nope, just me and the bad habits I started.

With Little Miss, I won't be the one to blame for her rotted teeth if she has them

because of milk given at bedtime.

She came that way and who were we to change up her routine

after being removed from her home at the young age of one.

That was traumatic enough.

But after about 3 months we did break that bad habit.

But Little Mister, I will be completely to blame for any rotted teeth.

You see...about 6 months ago the middle of the night waking was killing me.

And getting him up to hold him to feed him was too stimulating.

We'd be awake for over an hour.

In came the hurry up, make bottle and hand off to mister in his crib

before he would wake up in full wailing cry.

Now...I'm paying the price.

And if he has rotted teeth, I'm the only one to blame.

Darn foster mom!

But we are making progress.

Little Mister switched to milk over the weekend.

No more formula.

It was on his own terms.

He made the decision.

Would throw any bottle at me that had formula.

But give him milk only and he would suck it down.

With the switch came a water bottle stuck in his crib

 for any in the middle of the night waking.

And it is working.

We are also pumping him full of yogurt right before bed.

As much as he will eat to help fill up his tummy.

The past two nights...he has slept until 5:00 am.

I've heard him wake around 3:00 and suck on the water.

But no crying. No real waking.

In the morning, I notice it was really just a suck.

He isn't starving anymore in the middle of the night.

And oh...he isn't a good eater.

He is very protective of his throat.

He has sensory issues related to his diagnosis.

Mostly affecting his upper body.

He eats very little and is very picky.

Chews and spits out so much food.

So we knew he was starving in the middle of the night.

Which was why I was so bad with all the bottles in the night.

Can you blame me?

I didn't want him starving and crying and me ignoring him.

We have been working with a feeding therapist.

Did you know they existed?

I didn't. 

She comes to our house each week and helps with Little Mister's

feeding in the morning.

We brush his cheeks, nose, chin and then lips with a toothbrush

before meals to help stimulate the senses.

She set goals for our family.

And her first goal...to get him to sleep through the night.

I loved her instantly!

We are almost there.

She will be so proud of him. Of me.

Because you see, it was just last week I admitted to her

that I wasn't holding him for his middle of the night feedings.

I was handing him a bottle. In bed. Oh the horror.

I might have made it seem that I was getting up and holding him.

Just to save face. The first few visits.

But she handled it well, and we changed up the plan,

now that she new the truth!

I'm nowhere near perfect.