The never ending circle

You will notice in his previous post Brandon still has his bottle. Yes, he uses the bottle at night.

We are in a rut right now and it will be some time before we get out of it. We found out over a year ago that Brandon has a pretty significant iron deficiency. We were hoping we could increase it with his diet but a year later and we are still struggling.

Kids his age can't take any iron pills (obviously) or other kind of supplements. The only way he can get that iron he needs is through his toddler formula with added iron. After speaking to his pediatrician this past week they want us to increase his formula. So instead of milk or juice at meal times he will be having formula. At night he still has formula and we will probably have to do more. We are hoping to get his iron up so we don't have to worry about further testing or blood condition. However, when he has the formula he gets full and doesn't want to eat. It is a struggle. There are days when he barely eats any food. It is good to know he gets his iron but when you realize he has barely eaten it gets frustrating.

We will continue to find ways to get nutrients into him and iron. I recently bought a juicer and make fresh juice daily. I am able to sneak some spinach into his juice.

And so we continue the never ending circle....and wait for iron levels to hopefully come UP!

Big Boy Bed

Brandon is now in a big boy bed! He has been for over a month and he has done an amazing job in his new bed!

He LOVES the bed and we are very glad we did a toddler bed with some side rails installed on the bed. He was the one that picked out the Elmo bed. There were 6 beds lined up and he went right to Elmo (of course). It is a good fit in his fun, wacky room.

Yes, I live in Minnesota

2 Hour Tub

Brandon loves being in the tub. There are days when he will spend 2 hours in the tub and we have to do a couple of water changes to keep him warm. This photo is one of the times we did bubbles. He doesn't always use bubbles because he practices his swimming techniques in the tub. He likes to practice blowing bubbles, putting his chin in the water, and then both ears. I think he really misses swimming lessons. He will do swimming again in March or April. I just think it is hard to do swimming in the winter time with it being so cold. For now we will stick to the tub.

Toe Jam

Things I thought I would never say....

As a mom I knew I was going to say some crazy things like, "Don't put that up your nose." But I am surprised at some things I have been saying lately.

"Don't pee on Daddy's shoes."

"Bobby pins go in Mommy's hair, not my eyes."

"Toothbrushes don't get flushed down the toilet."

"Honey, Mommy's tattoo doesn't come off. It will be on there forever so please stop trying to pull it off my skin. That hurts."

"Lotion does not go in your ears, eyes, nose, or your mouth....Go ahead and have a tantrum but someday you will thank me for not letting you put lotion in your eyes."

"Where did you find Mommy's camera? NO, you may not take my photo right now, I am naked."

"Can I please have my underwear back?"

"Your mittens don't fit on Mommy's ears."

"Boys don't wear bras. At least, most boys don't wear bras."

"You may not squeeze the cat to death. His eyes will pop out and that is gross."

"Cat food it NOT for you. It is for cats so please take it out of your mouth."

"Little boy hands do not belong in the toilet."

"Stop licking the grocery cart."