Update

I've been hesitant to blog about this particular topic since I had hoped (in the back of my mind) that it was just a fluke. About a month ago Boogie turned 18 months old, at that time she had, by then, started sleeping in her toddler bed, sleeping through the night.... and the big event? She stopped asking for milk. I say milk as in breast milk. I had high hopes that despite my pregnancy that my milk supply would stay up and that she'd continue until she was at least two, but in those last few weeks of nursing she'd nurse less and less and less! So eventually my supply just completely dried up. Part of me is completely relieved that because of Boogie's big girl decision to stop nursing, Bubby will be able to nurse without having to fight his big sister for "mommy milk", lol! The other part of me is devastated that she weaned so early. YOU may not think it's early, but I do.

Despite all that, once Bubby is here and he becomes a pro at nursing and my supply is well established I will start pumping and offering it to Boogie in her cup. The benefits of breast milk are never ending so she will reap the benefits for as long as I can possibly share milk with her (and her brother). 

Other than that huge milestone, Boogie is just growing up before our eyes. In these past few months she has started talking in almost complete sentences, she never ceases to shock us... "come on, want walk!" "movie mommy? watch movie?" "outside? play outside?" "c'mon maggie, sit down!" etc etc etc.... I could make a book of the phrases she is saying now! It's incredible! She also has a new little "playground" at Mawmaw and Pawpaw's house... we were given some Little Tike's play toys from my cousin who's son has outgrown them. She has a big slide, a small jungle gym with a small slide, a sand box, and a playhouse thing (it's like a boat really). The first day she needed help on the slide and climbing.... now she can do it alllllll by herself! She has a blast!

As for Bubby, he's moving more and more although I am only able to feel him very low down. I'm getting a little frustrated with this because I feel like my placenta isn't moving up like it did with Boogie (I had an anterior placenta with her as well). I'm going to ask my midwife about it next week, I'm not WORRIED about it, just frustrated that I'm not able to feel him as often as Boogie at this stage. Other than that we are pretty much ready for him to be here. It stinks that we don't have a 3rd bedroom to decorate for him (even though either way he'd be in our room in the beginning), but we hope to change that come spring. His crib, changing table and everything are set up in our room, his newborn clothing is put away, his newborn dipes are prepped and put away... everything is ready. There are a few small things here and there we need to get, but if I was 40 weeks pregnant today and he came... I'd have no worries :)

Last, but not least.... we are officially a two-car family again! Hallelujah! We've been discussing this FOREVER. Really, since Boogie was a few months old, we just were too afraid to go to the bank and start the process (with school loans and our car payment.... we never thought they'd approve another loan, even though we can afford it!). I would prefer not to have two car payments, but in all honesty we were pretty desperate for another vehicle. With J's hours, Boogie and I were stranded at home relying on Mawmaw and Nana to pick us up or waiting on J to bring the car to us so we could make it to appointments and such. With Bubby on his way, and the thought of how cramped we would all be in our one car... we decided to jump. We found a 2004 Dodge Caravan at the dealership we purchased our Kia and everything just fell into place. I'm so thankful... so relieved... and THRILLED to have my freedom back. Our van is so roomy and so comfortable. Now we just need to install Bubby's car seat and we're set! (this pic is of the type of van we bought.... same color but this is not our van lol)

A Little of This... A Little of That

My life as a blogger at the moment is in meltdown mode... I just don't ever have the time or patience to sit down and type. However, at the moment my daughter is nursing to sleep and I do NOT want to read anymore American History... so here I am!

What's new? Boogie cut a tooth on Saturday, you can't really SEE it yet, but you can definately feel it with your finger! She is still not crawling, but that's really no surprise... she IS still pulling up on everything in her reach and has contemplated a career similar to Evil Kenevil's! Yesterday we were playing in the floor of her room, I was doing some reading for school and she was just doing her usual thing of picking up a toy... throwing it... screaming at me... and repeat! Well, she decided that it would be great fun to pull up on my shirt, and in the process ended up nose diving right into the closet door (which was open, so she hit the edge where it folds out when you open it). She hits her noggin a lot, but this time she SCARED me. It left an indention, she locked up and didn't breathe for a minute before she started screaming... and even nursing wouldn't calm her down. So we called the pediatrician and they had us bring her in just in case. Thankfully she is OK, and she was back to her normal self within an hour... but AH! And I'm not one of those mom's who freaks out when her kid falls... seriously, this kid hits her head atleast twice a day! Ay yi yi!

J is almost done with his class... we'll be signing him up and paying a hefty fee for his exam this fall and he'll take it in March (I think). Hopefully there will be more changes in the next few weeks for him job wise, so we'll see what happens!

I'm in school. It sucks. I'm ready to be done so I can just relax and enjoy being a mommy. Oh... but I did learn one really cool thing! There was a short little info section on Huron Indians in the 16th century! Did you know that they breastfed their kids until they were 3 or 4 years old? So ha! Proof! I'm not a wierdo, my kid's only 8 months old! :-p And I bet THEY didn't use nursing covers! Sorry... I couldn't help myself.

Ummm.... anything else I haven't already blogged about? Vacation may or may not happen when we'd like it too... more on that later.... possibly going to Ohio to see my mom's side of the family (hopefully).... oh. And Boogie is now 18lbs and slowly moving up to 12-18 month clothing. AND she'll be 8 months old in 5 days. Where is my 5lb squishy? And since I don't have a graceful way to end this random post..... bye!

Breastfeeding & Co-Sleeping... Like PB&J!

We Go Together Like… Breastfeeding and Co-Sleeping | Evolutionary Parenting | Breastfeeding and Sleeping Arrangements - How To Be A Better Parent

Why We Do the Things We Do...

I firmly believe that once you have children everyone else forgets the filter for their brain/mouth... seriously. You'd be amazed at the questions and comments you receive when someone doesn't understand or believe in a decision or life choice you have made for your child. Not only in your day to day face to face life but even in your virtual online communities! It's insane! We are a breastfeeding, babywearing, cloth diapering, co-sleeping, baby-led weaning family... and for a lot of people some of those life choices are hard to understand. I've had comments about all of these so I'm going to explain these and some other choices as well.

Breastfeeding: I remember my mother breastfeeding my baby brother, I remember mom's nursing their babies in the nursery at church, I remember mom's breastfeeding their children at camp when I worked there... it's always been a part of my life. A small part, but it was always there... it never felt weird, it never made me feel uncomfortable, it never made me think twice about nursing my own children. I don't think formula is a bad choice, I DO think it should be the last resort, I DO think it stinks (especially when it is projectile vomited onto you... thanks Jonathan! lol), I also think some mothers use it as the easy way out. Just TRY breastfeeding, there's no harm in trying! If it makes you uncomfortable, then OK... switch to formula. If after trying everything and you don't produce enough... then OK, switch to formula. But you'll never know what it could be like if you never try! I cannot describe the joy I feel when I nurse my daughter, it's comfort, nourishment, and love to her. She drifts off to sleep nursing, she smiles when nursing, she finds comfort in nursing... why would I not want to do that for her as her mother? Another thing with breastfeeding is extended breastfeeding. A lot of people think it's gross, they find it unnatural to nurse your child for more than 6 months or a year. It's a shame that people in our society feel this way when in other parts of this world and "way back when" it was completely natural for a child to nurse til 3, 4, or even 5 years of age. I don't plan on weaning Boogie, I do plan on encouraging her to find comfort elsewhere when she hits 18 months. I have no problem nursing her until she is 2 or maybe 3... I would prefer not to because most likely I will be pregnant at some point in that time frame and I just can't fathom being as sick as I was before and nursing at the same time. I don't plan on letting her nurse whenever she wants if we reach that age, maybe before bed, maybe when she's sick, maybe when she falls down... it will be comfort above all else. And I have no shame or fear in sharing this picture of Boogie nursing. I just wish more people would stop looking at is as something sexual or gross and as a way of nourishing my child.

Babywearing:  I get almost as many comments about babywearing as I do about nursing... just in different ways. I've heard everything from "she's gonna fall out!" "she's not safe!" "are you crazy?!?!" and more! I wear my daughter because it's easy, because it's comfortable, because she likes it, because it's safe, because it keeps her close to my heart at all times. I don't have to worry about keeping the stroller in my car or lugging it around. All I need is my wrap and Boogie and I'm good to go. I can wear her on my back, against my chest, or even on my hip. She never fusses unless she's fighting sleep, and usually that only lasts for a few minutes until she's napping on me. If she becomes overstimulated in a store or at an event, all she has to do is put her face against me and rest. When she grows tired she can lean against me and close her eyes and sleep. If she wants to see the world she can hold herself up and look around and people watch... all of these things she can do while being worn. I know she is secure. I know she is safe. I know she is happy and content and that as long as she is near me and I'm near her... all is right with the world. There are bad and wrong ways to babywear though... never forward face your child, never buy a crotch dangler, never wear your child on your back in a stretchy wrap... do your research, read carefully, and educate yourself on proper babywearing!

Cloth diapering: You even mention the words cloth diaper and people give you the "ew, gross" look. ::sigh:: It's really not ANY grosser than a disposable diaper. Sometimes I think sposies are more gross! So why do we cloth diaper? Main reason? They're so stinking cute. Yea, seriously. Second reason, and the reason that swayed my hubby? Money. I have spent a total of about $600 on diapers... how much do you think 2 years of disposables would have cost us? A heck of a lot more than that! I wash diapers every other day or every 3 days depending on our schedule, poopy diapers are rinsed with the pull down shower head and sometimes with my hands (yea... and that's why we have soap and water and antibacterial gel to wash our hands.. it's really OK), and Boogie's booty stays super cute in her cloth. We have used sposies a few times, in the beginning because she was so tiny she didn't fit in any of her dipes... she started out in preemie disposables! She got a rash her first week of life in disposables! We used disposables again just before our vacation so that I could get all her diapers washed and so we wouldn't have any dirty diapers when we got there.... she got a rash then too. Well guess what... no rashes in cloth with the exception of one tiny little red spot on her bum when she pooped. And with a little bit of CJ's Butter it was gone over night. We love cloth diapers. Period. It's just a way of life now.

Co-sleeping: This one is pretty controversial... and to be honest, before I got pregnant and WHILE I was pregnant I was dead set against co-sleeping. It terrified me... I heard horror stories about it. There are safe ways to co-sleep, you just have to be smart about it and be aware of your child. The only way Boogie sleeps through the night is beside me (with the exception of the past few nights unfortunately... we are either dealing with teething or a mega growth spurt at the moment). She cuddles up next to me, periodically nurses or reaches out to me, and she is content. She wakes up every morning around 8 am, reaches out to me, plays with my lips until I wake up, smiles, and then nurses herself back to sleep. It's blissful... and then we both sleep until 10 or 11am. She never wakes up upset, she never wakes up crying for me... because I'm there. There are always smiles, coos, and laughter... and the occasional yucky diaper. That part isn't so fun I'll admit, LOL! I don't want to co-sleep forever, I do want my bed back someday... but for now I'm happy with it, J's happy with it... and Boogie is all for it as well. And believe me when I say that co-sleeping does NOT affect your intimate moments with your hubby... being parents is to blame for that ;-)

Baby-Led Weaning: The concept of BLW is that your baby learns to chew, maneuver his/her tongue, use their hands and fingers to grab, and all the wonderful tastes and textures of food. Boogie gets large sticks and chunks of food instead of pureeds, she LOVES it. So far we have tried sweet potato sticks, zucchini sticks, squash sticks, sliced apples, banana, avocado, yogurt pops, toast, carrots, green beans, peas, broccoli, wagon wheels, mango, nectarine, and plums. She has "choked" once, however I wouldn't really consider it choking because she was technically just gagging everything... however I helped her vomit to get it out. That's how they learn though... she's learning what to do with those big bites, she's learning how to chew her foods, she's learning how to hold her food.... it's a little scary for my hubby, but he's learning too. It's incredibly messy and incredibly fun... and I'm hoping that my little girl will turn into a non-picky eater as she grows!

Amber Teething Necklaces: Ugh... this is one that gets bashed a LOT on my birth board, so annoying. A lot of people consider this pseudoscience... and while they are kind of right, it doesn't mean that these don't work. If you had seen my child this past week without her necklace you would believe me when I say that these necklaces do in fact work. Now, I will say that while amber teething necklaces do work, I want to also say that they are NOT a cure all. There is still some pain when your child is teething, they will still have drool... BUT it takes a great deal of that pain and drooling away. Last week Boogie was a drooling, screaming, crying mess. This week, with her necklace, she is back to her normal self. I have every confidence in supporting these necklaces... they work.

So... there you have it. Don't like it? Oh well... Boogie's not your daughter! Want more info? Email me :)

Why Such A Stigma?

Something I never really thought about prior to deciding that I truly wanted to be a mother was breastfeeding. Growing up, anytime (although this was rare) I would see a woman nursing her child, it never embarrassed me or bothered me. I always thought it was natural, and I remember my own mother nursing my brother. I don't know how long she did, but the main reason I remember her doing so was because of one particular time when my grandmother came over and she kept walking into my mom's room... let's just say mom didn't appreciate that so much! LOL! When Justin and I started trying to get pregnant I started thinking about how I wanted to raise my children, and one of the first things that came to mind was that I wanted to nurse my children and avoid formula if at all possible. Frankly... if I'm being perfectly honest, I didn't have a clue about the nutritional values of breastmilk at this point... my MAIN reasoning behind it (and this was several years ago) was because of how formula smells.... BLECH! Now, however, that is not my only reason for nursing, thank goodness!
I am not the type of person who is going to just throw my opinions at you and then not respect your views on them as well. If you formula fed or still formula feed your child/children, if that's the path you have chosen.. then great! Your child is being nourished, fed, and they are growing! For me personally, I believe that breastmilk is best for my daughter, but I'm not going to judge you or put you down because you don't believe the same. So there's my little disclaimer before the rest of my post :)

Something I've been wondering since I started nursing Elah is why there is such a stigma when it comes to breastfeeding. Why, when it's the most natural thing I have ever experienced... it didn't feel strange or foreign to put my daughter to my breast to nourish her. I think the thing that bothers me the most, however, is how uncomfortable people are with mothers nursing their babies in public. I wear a cover or a blanket over my daughter while she nurses... not necessarily because I am uncomfortable nursing in public, but because I'm nervous of how OTHER people will respond to me nursing my child. I hate feeling that way! Breasts have become sexualized in this country, and I'm even nervous to just nurse my daughter in public without a cover because I don't want people to look at me and see it as a sexual thing.... when it really is a beautiful, natural way of life.

Over the past couple of weeks I've been doing some research on nursing and breastfeeding throughout history and I wanted to share a couple of links with you. Another blogger posted a blog about this very topic, she even posted a timeline of the history of formula! Please click HERE to be redirected to her post. It is very informative! I also found a facebook page full of historical photos, paintings, and prints of women nursing. What I found most phenomenal was how many women in these photos are nursing older children... and I'll talk about that in a minute as well. Please click HERE to be redirected to that facebook page. What is interesting is that there was this huge controversy about facebook banning photographs on mothers nursing their children... I wonder why that never happened with this page?


Now... something even more controversial than nursing in public is extended nursing. Meaning, nursing a child past a year old. After nursing my daughter and discovering how much of a truly amazing experience it is, I have a better understanding of why a mother might choose to nurse past her child turning a year old. A friend of mine has nursed her child for two years now, and I really respect her for doing so. I don't know if I will nurse Elah for much longer than a year, I do not plan on just cutting her off the moment she turns one, but I may try to wean her if I think she is ready. But really... what is the big deal? Why is it so taboo to nurse a toddler? Now, I am a little weary about nursing a child with teeth... just the thought of that makes me cringe a little, but why do people judge women who choose to do so? I don't think it should be the only source of nourishment obviously... but what's wrong with giving your child a substance that has so many nutrients? My plan is that once Elah is weaned that I will continute to pump until I am no longer able to or if I have another child (because then I will want to exclusively nurse that child) and give Elah breastmilk until I feel she no longer needs it. Whether it ends up going in a bottle or a sippy cup... who cares.

I guess all this rambling really just comes down to one thing.... why has something that used to be completely natural and a way of life for mothers been turned into something that is unnatural and taboo? Why have I been made to feel uncomfortable nursing my daughter in public without something to cover my breasts? I think it's something worth thinking about.

Thankful Thursday

OK, so it's 3am and Justin has given me the oppurtunity to sleep tonight while he takes care of Elah... all I have to do is feed her, because... well, obviously daddy isn't equipped for that LOL! Elah is wide awake and so I am laying in bed, wide awake as well, listening for her cries (she is in the living room w/J)... ugh. I am thankful for a husband willing to step up and let me rest... I just wish I ccould relax enough to just do so!

Oh... and if you didn't know... breastmilk is like liquid gold, and I pumped over 2 ounces after feeding Elah at 2am. What did I do w/that liquid gold you ask? Dumped it in the kitchen floor... literally almost cried over spilt milk. Best mom ever... UGH!

EBF, CD, BW Momma

Since before I got pregnant I knew I wanted to be a EBF, CD, BW momma.... what the heck is that? I'm sure your asking LOL! EBF is exclusively breastfeeding, CD is cloth diapering, BW is baby wearing... so far the breastfeeding is going really well. Elah is a wonderful eater, she latches really well, she eats to her hearts content and then she is peaceful and a little cuddlebug until its time to eat again! CD has not started yet... she's not quite big enough for even the smallest of my stash, but hopefully soon we can dive into the world of cloth diapering! Today I tried out my moby... and Elah LOVES it! Yay! She loves to be held, she sleeps better, and honestly how can I not just enjoy holding her after so many months of wishing her into my arms? :) Sometime in the next few weeks we'll try out my Ergo... :-D

I think what I'm most excited about when it comes to this Moby Wrap is that when school starts back NEXT WEEK (all online classes ofcourse) I can just put her in the wrap and get to work. It will make my life a bit easier! I'm wearing Elah as I type this actually.. and both my hands are free to work with! :)