Nursing strike

Katie went on a bit of a nursing strike about 10 days ago (right about the time I let the mean nurse give her shots at her 2-month appointment)... and we're still working our way back. The whole nursing-pumping-supplementing thing is still a juggling act, but it's one that we're handling pretty well. I don't have near the stress with it that I did when Ellie was this age. But there are days/moments when I feel like the whole thing is too hard. I think that's probably true of all mothers, though, regardless of how they're feeding the baby. Being constantly needed so completely by another person is exhausting even though it has many, many rewards.
So, back to the nursing, for those interested. I've had to work with Katie to get her to latch on much of the past week. This involves walking around with her for many of the feedings. I still have to work through some screaming at the start of many feedings, but I found that wrapping her in a blanket and getting her when she's still a bit sleepy helps the process. I think Katie is getting too smart/lazy for some of the nursing sessions, especially if she's really hungry and easily frustrated by my slow flow. We're using the slowest flow nipples when we do give her a bottle, but she still gets more by volume that way then she usually does from me... so she's wising up. But I'm still encouraging the nursing with her because I know she's more effective than the pump and her nursing helps stimulate more milk. I'm able to nurse and pump enough to get her through the entire day and then we're supplementing with anywhere from 6-10 oz of formula in the evening-overnight hours. It's not perfect, but it works and we're all happy about that.
In other news, Katie is having more wakeful periods during the day and giving out smiles and some giggles! I love, love, love it. Ellie and I are constantly trying to get her to smile... although Ellie often winds up causing tears rather than grins when she plays too rough with Katie. Still, it's obvious that she loves her sister.