We celebrated Theo’s second birthday with another Cinco de Mayo party this year. Or, rather, two parties. Like last year, we ended up doing a family party and a friends party, just to keep the numbers manageable.
Both parties were a lot of fun, though I definitely wasn’t as prepared this year as I was last year. Last year I had been pinning stuff on Pinterest for months and had every last detail planned out. This year it kind of snuck up on me. We ended up reusing a lot of the decorations we got last year, and then the day of the party I forgot to put out the pinata and goody bags for the kids, and then most of our guests had left by the time I realized we hadn’t done cake yet. Oh well, the weather was absolutely amazing, and it was fun to see the kids running all over our yard. And I am pretty proud of how the invitations came out!
One thing that didn’t go well (but is funny in hindsight), was the cupcakes. I had found a woman on our neighborhood Facebook page who posted that she was in culinary school and looking for experience, so she was willing to do 4 dozen cupcakes for our friends party for just $20 bucks. Sounds perfect, right? Well, here’s the picture I sent her, and here’s what we got…
Looking back now, it’s pretty hilarious. I just hope she has a backup career plan!
Here are a few other pictures from the parties. All in all, we had a blast! I think the Cinco de Mayo theme may become an annual thing for us — at least until he’s old enough to insist on wanting a Ninja Turtle party or something.
Friends!Cutie cousins.Crackers are exciting!“I’m two!”Dancin’Kara rocking her sombrero and mustache.Sweet Makena.Happy Birthday!Blew out his own candle this year!Me and my little man.Loving his new kitchen!Cousin Braden!With cousin Molly.
We had our first prenatal appointment yesterday at exactly 9 weeks, and we got to see our baby again! This time, he/she looked much more like a baby… or at least like a gummy bear. He/she was wiggling arms and legs, and the heart was beating like crazy. It actually made me tear up, seeing the baby move – the first time I’ve actually gotten emotional this pregnancy. I think it’s finally starting to feel real, and now that we’ve had two scans and I’ve reached 9 weeks, I’m starting to think we may actually get to take this baby home. We’re still not in the clear for about 3 more weeks — and really, even then there are no guarantees — but like I said, it’s definitely feeling more real. D even said he’ll probably tell his mom, so I know he’s finally getting excited too.
Baby: We have officially reached fetus status, as baby is no longer an embryo! Baby is about the size of a green olive (is it bad I’m craving green olives?), and is developing more distinct facial features this week.
Mama: Same old, same old. This pregnancy really is quite a bit easier than Theo’s, although I did almost throw up in the car this morning. I coughed and it triggered a gag reflex and I heaved a few times before I got it under control. Good thing I did, because I had nowhere to pull over and I was already on my way to work. Close one. But aside from one-off episodes like that (usually when brushing my teeth), I feel mostly fine with the occasional wave of ickiness that lasts an hour or so, then fades away again. Other than that I’m just super hungry all the time, and still pretty tired. Oh, and bloated. So bloated. I already look pregnant so I’ve had to plan my outfits carefully. I’m getting my first maternity Stitch Fix on the 15th and am hoping that helps me with my wardrobe options. I’ve been doing Stitch Fix for almost two years now and am super excited they’re now offering maternity!
Cravings: Green olives.
Weight: Minus 0.6 lbs. this week, bringing total weight gain to 1 lb. so far.
Here we are, 8 weeks. Just 3 more days until our next appointment. I hope they do an ultrasound. They said they would listen for “fetal heart tones” which sounds to me like they will be using a doppler, and I didn’t think the heartbeat was detectable by doppler this early. But ultrasound or doppler, my main concern is making sure the heart is still beating. This is such a scary time for me since our last ultrasound was just before 7 weeks, which is right about the time our first baby died. Granted, we hadn’t had that early ultrasound like we did this time, and maybe if we had, there would have been a sign that something wasn’t right, but I will definitely feel better if all goes well Thursday and we know we have officially cleared our loss milestone.
Speaking of dopplers, I got mine back this weekend from a friend who had borrowed it. I’m resisting breaking it out just yet, though! Maybe around 12-14 weeks. I will say, I am so glad I ended up buying that doppler. Not only did it save my own sanity, but after my own pregnancy I subsequently lent it to 4 friends, 3 of whom had experienced losses themselves. Best $50 I ever spent, and I love that I got to pay it forward.
Baby: We’re a raspberry this week! Baby is looking more baby-like and less like a tadpole. The tail is gone and the fingers and toes are now only slightly webbed. Baby is now moving around like crazy, even if I won’t be able to feel it for several more weeks. Fun fact: baby’s taste buds are forming this week. How does that amniotic fluid taste?
Mama: So bloated. I’ve reached a dilemma where the things I want to wear (like stretchy maxi skirts with cotton tees, since the weather has been so nice), are not the most belly-hiding choices. All of my flowy tops look best with jeans, which are both too hot and not forgiving enough on the belly. I refuse to buy more regular clothes since I’ll be in my maternity clothes soon enough, but also most of my maternity clothes are better suited for winter anyway. I should just go buy some summer maternity clothes, but it’s really too early for that. So I’ll remain in wardrobe purgatory for a while longer.
Nausea has kicked up a notch this week, and I actually threw up yesterday morning while trying to wash a load of cloth diapers. You know what sucks about puking when your pelvic floor is already destroyed from your previous pregnancy? You have the undignified concern of pissing yourself in the process. I had to cross my legs while puking, which wasn’t fun. I know my mom and grandma have both had surgery to repair the damage babies have done. I see that in my future.
Craving: mangoes!
Weight: +3.3 lbs in a week (yikes!), but still only above my starting weight by 1.6 lbs.
What a relief! On May 20, one day short of 7 weeks, we saw our little bean via ultrasound, and got to see/hear the heartbeat! Everything is measuring just as it should right now, so it’s finally starting to feel just a little bit more real. I think D is feeling a little better about things now too. While I have always taken the “cautiously optimistic” approach to early pregnancy, I think D is more just plain cautious. I think we often think of pregnancy loss as a woman’s issue, but in many ways I feel like D is more burned from our loss than I am. Case in point: he wasn’t even sure whether he wanted to try for a second child, whereas I definitely was ready, even if I was terrified. But now that we’ve had a successful ultrasound, our miscarriage risk is about half what it was, and D even told one close friend, plus his dad and stepmom. It’s nice to see him starting to get excited, even if we don’t talk about it much. I’m giving him his space and letting him handle it in whatever way makes him feel most comfortable. We’re still keeping the circle of those in the know small for now. We aren’t out of the woods yet and go back for our first regular prenatal appointment on June 4 at 9 weeks. I think I’ll be able to relax a little more after that. It definitely feels like time is moving faster this time around — maybe because I’m not so obsessive as I was the last two times. I’m still excited, but there’s definitely something to be said about second child syndrome.
Baby is about the size of a blueberry and is generating about 100 new brain cells per minute. S/he is also developing kidneys and arm/leg joints this week.
Mama: Most of the same. Some nausea, but not as much throwing up as last time. Teeth brushing is still really hard and makes me gaggy. I had to buy some mouthwash because some days I just can’t finish brushing my teeth. Boobs are feeling really heavy, but not nearly as sore as the last two pregnancies. I alternate between being ravenously hungry and nothing sounding good — sometimes at the same time, even. I notice I get hungry in the evenings just before bed, though for the most part I’ve resisted the temptation to snack.
Cravings: I just had to get a blizzard from Dairy Queen this weekend! I was feeling sick to my stomach, but for some reason that was the only thing that sounded good. Go figure.
Weight: Lost 0.8 lbs this week, bringing me to 1.4 lbs below my starting weight.
I can’t believe I’m already 6 weeks. In many ways I feel like time is going by faster this time. It also helps that we’re getting in for an ultrasound early — less than a week away now.
Baby: Still an embryo, baby is about the size of a sweet pea now and is starting to grow a nose, eyes, ears, chin and cheeks. S/he may even be wiggling his/her hands and feet by now! This is the week the heart will start beating and circulating blood — a huge milestone and one we hope to see at our appointment next week. I read that the risk of miscarriage goes down to about 3 percent once you’ve seen the heartbeat via ultrasound.
Mama: Still feeling pretty good compared to how I felt this time last pregnancy, though I did throw up this morning (well, I would have, if my stomach hadn’t been empty). I get random waves of nausea here and there, but brushing my teeth has been a chore. It makes me gag, then barf, and then I need to brush my teeth again after I barf. It’s a vicious cycle. Still really tired, but I’ve started taking the bus again, which helps with the evening fatigue, so at least I’m not driving drowsy. Feeling pretty gross and bloated and having a hard time finding something to wear each morning. The “blump” is real, and definitely seems to be worse this time around.
Cravings: Nothing, really.
Weight: gained 0.8 lbs. this week, but I’m still under my starting weight by 0.8 lbs.
Another week down and still pregnant. 13 days until our first ultrasound. Time is moving very, very, very slowly. I forgot just how much I hate the first trimester. There’s so much uncertainty. I thought I might feel better this time with one successful pregnancy under my belt, but I really don’t. I’ve let it slip to a couple friends who have experienced loss, so they understand my uncertainty and are cautiously excited along with me. We’re telling my parents tonight, which I have mixed feelings about. I know they’ll be excited — maybe too excited — and I feel the need to temper expectations. It’s still so early. But, I do know if something bad were to happen, I’d want their support, so I’ve decided to tell them. That, and they’ll know when I’m not drinking with dinner tonight, anyway. 🙂
Baby is now officially an embryo, about the size of an apple seed, and looks like a tadpole. S/he is starting to form heart, stomach, liver, kidneys and other major organs, in addition to the digestive, circulatory and nervous systems. By next week, baby should be double its current size (a sweet pea).
Mama: Starting the weight tracking officially. Stepped on a scale today and I’m actually down 1.6 lbs from last week. I’m starting this pregnancy a few pounds heavier than last time, so I hope I can keep the weight gain in check. Last time I gained 30 lbs, which is pretty normal, and I was able to lose it (and then some) thanks to breastfeeding, though it started creeping back up again once I weaned.
I’m largely symptom-free, which of course, has me nervous. My pregnancy app tells me I may be experiencing sore breasts (nope), nausea (very little), and fatigue (okay, that one I’m feeling, but I’ve also cut out caffeine). I know there’s still time for symptoms to kick in, but the fact that I was puking already by this stage the last two times doesn’t instill a lot of confidence. Still turning a pregnancy test positive. Good thing I’ve got a stash of tests to satisfy my newfound addition to peeing on things.
Welp, here we go again. I’m not going to publish this for a while since there are several people I want to tell in person and not via this blog (although since I stopped writing for almost a year I probably lost the few readers I had anyway). But I’ve said all along this blog is mostly for me, and so I’m starting this now because I have feeeeeeelings and I need to get it out somehow.
Yes, I’m pregnant again. It took us three cycles this time, including one medicated with Femara, the same drug that we used to conceive Theo. Ordinarily I wouldn’t have jumped to drugs so quickly, but we had a very small window to make this work, since I’m on a 1-year contract with my job that ends in February. (I can leave the contract sooner, but if we had a baby any later than February, I could be jobless/job hunting while pregnant – not ideal). So we told ourselves we would give it four cycles, and if it didn’t work, we’d have to put it off for another year or so. My doctor had suggested we give it a go for a few cycles on our own, but said she’d prescribe me the Femara whenever I wanted, since I clearly responded to it last time. First two cycles were a bust, and since I knew we only had two more cycles to make it work, I called in for reinforcements. It worked. So I’ll end my contract in January (one month early), take a few months off, and look for a new job during that time. There’s also a possibility I could get hired back for another year-long contract with my current job after a three month hiatus, which would actually work out perfect.
It doesn’t feel real yet, but I got my first very very faint positive last Saturday at 10dpo (the same timeframe I got that barely positive HPT with Theo). I’ve been peeing on tests ever since, and the line is progressively getting darker, so I guess this is it.
I did end up finding a new doctor who is both closer to home and work. I loved my last OB, but I was working in Seattle during my last pregnancy, so it made sense having a doctor close to work, even if it was about a 45 minute drive from home. But now that I’m working closer to home, it didn’t make sense to go into the city with the million appointments I have coming up. Speaking of appointments, this new doc didn’t feel it was necessary to draw betas like last time, but she did agree to get me in for a viability scan before 7 weeks (May 20), and then I have my first official OB appointment around 9 weeks (June 4). Both of those dates feel like an eternity away, but I’m glad she agreed to an early scan since I’m scared of another loss.
Baby: At this stage, baby is categorized as a blastocyst and is about the size of a poppyseed. It’s currently splitting into the embryo and placenta, and the neural tube (which will become the spine and brain) is already formed. The amniotic sac and fluid are also starting to form this week.
Mama: I’ve had a little bit of nausea that comes and goes, but it’s not too extreme. The smell of dog food doesn’t bother me (yet) like it did the last two times. One thing I am noticing is that I’m insanely thirsty, and super tired all the time – something I never really got before. Driving home in the evening is a chore. I can barely keep my eyes open. I may start taking the bus again so I can relax. I’ve had a lot of cramping lately, which I know is normal, but still freaks me out. It really doesn’t feel real yet, and while I hate to say it, I almost don’t expect this to last. But I just have to keep reminding myself: regardless of what the future brings, today I am pregnant. Holy crap.
I suck. We’re getting ready for Theo’s second birthday and the last time I posted was just after his first birthday. I actually have several posts I had started drafting, but just never got around to finishing. Maybe I’ll dust those off at some point too.
So, this is my attempt at resurrecting this blog. I hope I can be more diligent about writing because life really does go so fast and I want to preserve these memories. I still can’t believe I almost have a two year-old. Life with a two year-old is pretty much everything I thought it would be — the extreme highs when he’s being sweet, coupled with the extreme frustration when he’s throwing one of his epic tantrums. And good lord, are they epic. Just this morning he was going to help me feed the dogs (something he loves to do), but when I gave him the cup full of dog food, instead of going toward the dogs, he ran the other way. Some kind of a game, I guess? I gave him a few chances to come over to the dog dishes (all the while, the dogs are drooling larger and larger puddles), before I finally went to him and told him he could go put the food in the dish, or I was going to do it myself.
Long story short, he chose poorly. I took the food from him. He lost it.
I was already late for work, and he was so mad by this point that he didn’t want to let me brush his teeth, put on his shoes or jacket — or even touch him, really. He threw himself on the ground kicking and screaming (so dramatic). Getting him ready was quite the fight, and by the time I hauled him out to the car, he was screaming so loud I was sure our neighbors were going to call the police because some kid must be getting kidnapped or possibly mauled by a bear. When he screams, this kid screams like he’s being tortured.
But even through the frustration, sometimes all I can do is laugh. I mean, this is what I signed up for, right?
And the sweet moments make up for it. Like the way he says “I love you,” (which sounds more like “ah duh doo”) when I put him to bed at night, and he blows me kisses all the way to the door — even after I close the door, I can still hear him blowing kisses. Or the way he points and yells, “mama!” when I walk in the door and runs so fast he crashes into me in a giant hug.
Life with a toddler is tough, but it’s worth it.
Here are some pictures from the past year.
Boating last summer.Those curls!First haircut!So handsome!A day at the aquarium.Picking pumpkins at the farm.Happy Halloween!18 months old.Happy Thanksgiving!Redmond Winter Festival.Getting our Christmas tree.Theo and cousin Ryder weren’t a fan of Santa.Cheering on the Seahawks!My happy guy!Happy Valentine’s Day!Hangin’ with Ryder at the library.Helping mom with home improvement projects.Ready to mow the lawn.My boy.Happy Easter!Swinging with Ella.Little daredevil.
I’m way late on the last monthly post, considering Theo is 14 months old tomorrow.
Things have been crazy busy lately — the usual work and daily life hectic-ness, along with an unexpected death in the family, and the monthly recap just sort of got put on the back burner. I knew I didn’t want to rush this post – it’s such a huge milestone! – but it’s just been really hard to find the time to write.
Theo is one. My baby is one. My baby is no longer a baby; he is a toddler. It’s exciting and scary and sad all at once.
I love the little man he has become. He is so funny, and he is all boy. He climbs on everything, gets into everything, loves to take apart/knock down/destroy everything, thinks farts are funny, the whole nine yards. And he loves his mama. Everyone said having boys is amazing because of how much they love their moms, and while I don’t have anything to compare it to, it’s pretty awesome.
We ended up having two birthday parties for him, to keep the crowd a little more manageable. We had one party for just immediate family (Theo’s grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles), and then a party the following weekend for our friends. We did a Cinco de Mayo theme since he was originally due on May 5 (but was 4 days late). Both parties were nearly identical for easy planning purposes, and I had a lot of fun with the details (more on that below, in photos).
Stats: 20 lbs., 6 oz. (13th percentile); 30 inches (50th percentile). Definitely not a big kid, but the doctor wasn’t concerned
Milestones: Walking everywhere now – running, in fact. Four teeth (two on top and two on bottom). Not really talking yet, which the doctor noted, but isn’t “officially” concerned yet. She said most kids usually say “mama,” “dada,” and one to three other words by now. If he still isn’t talking by 15 months, she may have us see a speech therapist. In the meantime, she wants us to narrate everything we do. He’s quite the chatterbox, but doesn’t really say anything understandable yet.
Sleeping: He’s down to one nap a day usually, around noon(ish), which lasts for an hour or two. Sometimes he’ll do two naps on the weekends. Night sleep is pretty consistently 7:30 or 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. During the week, the early wakeup isn’t a big deal since we’re usually up around that time anyway, but on the weekends, I so wish he’d sleep in a little! But it’s such an improvement from just a few months ago that I can’t complain much. Some kids are great sleepers and some aren’t. It’s really the luck of the draw and we got the latter. Maybe our next one will be a good sleeper!
Eating: We have officially packed up all the bottles and he’s drinking whole cow’s milk from a sippy cup, but he doesn’t drink as much as he should, and the doctor wants us to keep working on that. I do notice that he drinks better from his sippy when I’m not around. I’m still nursing him first thing in the morning and last thing before bed, and occasionally to get him down for a nap. Maybe he isn’t drinking as much from his sippy because he’s holding out for the good stuff? Thankfully he’s a great eater when it comes to solid foods. He loves carbs, fruit and dairy (yogurt and cheese, especially), and does okay with meats and vegetables. They’re hit or miss. Lately I’ve been steaming frozen mixed vegetables — corn, peas, carrots and green beans — and he loves those. Not a big fan of broccoli. We’re working on getting more green in his diet!
Likes/Dislikes: Now that the weather is nicer we’ve been taking him outside to play more and he loves swinging on our play set. I’ve taken him for walks around the neighborhood too and he seems to like that okay, though sometimes I think he gets bored and wants to get out. He’s been better about riding in the car lately. He still fusses a bit when we put him in his car seat, but he doesn’t usually outright scream anymore unless he’s tired, in which case he’ll pass out after a couple minutes anyway. I think he’ll enjoy the car a lot more once we can face him forward, but the latest safety guidelines say kids should be rear-facing until they’re two years old.
Other likes include empty water bottles, remote controls, our cell phones, toilet paper rolls, lotion bottles, dad’s shoe… basically anything that’s not actually a toy is his favorite toy. I’ve mostly quit buying him toys since they’re a waste of money.
Mama: I am officially done pumping! I pumped for the last time the day before his first birthday. As mentioned above, we’re still nursing occasionally, but we’re at the point where we don’t really NEED to. There have been a few nights where I’ve had to miss putting him to bed because of a work event and D put him to bed, so he didn’t get nursed to sleep. I’m a little full and uncomfortable in the morning when I don’t nurse the night before, but it’s nice to know I can make it 24 hours between nursing sessions if needed, and that he didn’t need to nurse in order to fall asleep. I will admit, though, nursing him to sleep is one of my favorite times of the day. It’s just so peaceful and relaxing, and it’s the only time he’ll let me snuggle him. I think that will be the last session to go. Next step in the weaning process will be cutting out the nap fix, followed by the morning nursing session. I never saw myself nursing past a year, but a lot of women are doing extended breastfeeding these days, and the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding up to age two, and beyond. I don’t think we’ll go that long – in fact, I have a work trip coming up in September and I’ll be gone for five days. Since I am not pumping, we’ll need to wean before then so I don’t explode. I am noticing my weight is starting to creep up again now that I’m not burning as many calories, so I need to keep an eye on that. I’m still below my pre-pregnancy weight, but not as skinny as I was a few months ago when I was nursing constantly. Baby bonding and nutrition aside, I can totally see how some women get addicted to nursing for the calorie burning! 😉
Okay, I’ll wrap this up with the usual photo dump. This will be my last monthly update, and I’m hoping to start blogging more frequently with short one-off posts to capture milestones and memorable stuff. Maybe I’ll procrastinate less if it’s not such a long daunting post I have to write!
Swinging in the park.Bathtime hair salon.Birthday cake.Family party – all set up for Theo’s birthday fiesta!
Slide show playing on the TV.First taste of birthday cake!Playing with his new bike from Grandma and Grandpa.Party guests at the friends birthday party one week later.
Alison was about to pop!Party guests on the newly built deck.Brooke and her boys swinging on the swingset.Me and my baby.Dad got to close to Mr. Stickyfingers.Kiddos and the pullstring pinata.Cousin Ryder and buddy Declan. These two are the same age, if you can believe it!DIY photo booth.Cousins Ryder and Theo.Family photo booth fun.Mustache straws.Mexican flag strawberries.Waiting for brunch on Mother’s Day.Mother’s Day at the Mariner’s game.Watching the ballgame.With daddy.Well, we made it 8 and a half innings.With buddies Cody, Declan and Ella.Wheeeeeee!Spaghetti monster.My angel.Doggie jailbreak.Hanging with the older ladies at Kara’s birthday party.Baby gate fail. (climbed under the railing)My little bed head.Helping dad in the yard.Hiking with dada.Helping in the kitchen with Boppa and Grandma Hoffman.Obsessed with hats. Wants to be like dad, I guess!Kisses from Stewie.
The countdown is on to a year. Where has time gone and what happened to my little baby? Hard to believe in just a couple weeks we’ll officially have a toddler (sniffle). It’s really bittersweet; while it’s so much fun to see what a little big personality he’s developing, and watching him learn and grow every day, it’s sad to look back at how tiny he once was and know we’ll never get that time back. Even if we have another child, those precious first days, weeks, months will just never be the same as they were the first time around.
Stats: 21 lbs! He’s put on almost two pounds in the last month, which is good, since he’s always been such a little guy.
Milestones: We officially have a walker! He took his first unassisted steps a couple weeks ago… while his aunt and uncle were babysitting him, so I missed it. Sad face. Thankfully they got a video and he’s done it several times since then. He still prefers crawling as his mode of transportation since he’s so fast, but he’s been gradually walking more and more. Knowing this kid, he’ll be running in about a week. We now have three teeth – two on the bottom and one on the top – and the second top tooth is about to poke through any day now. He’s clapping his hands, waving bye-bye and his latest achievement is giving hugs. Melts my heart when he does that. As I’ve mentioned before, he’s never been much of a snuggler since he never sits still, but now at least he’ll pause for a sec and give me a hug before he’s off and running again (and by “running” I mean crawling at warp speed).
Sleeping: Sleeping is going great. He’s very consistently sleeping from about 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. He’s down to one nap per day at daycare, which is required for him to transition to the toddler room, but at home I notice he still does better with two naps most days.
Eating: Kid loves to eat. He’s able to take bites of things now that he has two teeth on the bottom and one chomper on the top. Last night I gave him a pickle, which was hilarious. He’d recoil and shiver with each bite, but then go back for more. He loves fruits, carbs (bread, pasta, rice, cereal), yogurt, cheese and meat. Vegetables are hit or miss. He loves zucchini and carrots, but when it comes to most green veggies I can only get him to take a few bites before he starts turning his head. We’ve started introducing whole cow’s milk, which he’ll sometimes drink a little of, but isn’t crazy about. We’re also working on getting him better at using a sippy cup. This is another milestone he’ll have to reach before he can make the transition to the one year-old room at daycare — drinking cow’s milk from a sippy. I can’t remember if I mentioned this already, but D has a new job which makes our old daycare location really inconvenient for dropoff/pickup, so we’re going to transfer T to a different daycare. In order to minimize the number of transitions, we’ve decided to make the move at a year of age, when he’d be moving classrooms anyway. But since he can’t move until he hits certain milestones, we’ll have to keep him in the infant room (which, in addition to being out of the way for D is about $75 more per WEEK!). Needless to say, we’re eager for him to “graduate!”
Likes/Dislikes: Still loves bath time. Thankfully his little phase of pooping in the tub seems to have passed (knock on wood!). He has developed a fascination with putting his mouth in the water and blowing bubbles — and occasionally sucks in, causing him to cough and sputter! Hopefully he learns his lesson soon that he can’t breathe water! I REALLY want to get him into swimming lessons, but they always fill up before I can sign up. He really loves the water and I want to take advantage of this and continue to build his comfort in the water before he decides he doesn’t like it. That’s one thing I’m learning quickly about this age – nothing is a given. He may love something one day and hate it the next, or vice versa. He’s been going through a phase now where he HATES the car, for example, but I think we’re finally turning a corner there, as he hasn’t been as bad in the car the last week or so. Last weekend was Easter and we took him to the in-laws’ farm for an egg hunt. That was his first time in the grass (ours has been so wet lately), and it was really funny to watch him. He didn’t like the poky feeling on the palms of his hands and refused to crawl anywhere. The terrain was a little too uneven for him to walk, so he just scooted around on his knees a lot.
Mama: I’m coming to the end of my breastfeeding journey and I have mixed feelings. I’m definitely looking forward to not pumping anymore, but I’m starting to realize just how dependent I am on nursing him. For better or for worse, nursing has been a pit of a panacea. Hungry? Instant meal that’s just the right temperature and no bottle parts to clean. Fussy? Here, this will calm you down. Need to go to sleep? It’s like these things are filled with Nyquil and he’s out in 5 minutes. And I’ll admit, a small (vain) part of me is going to miss burning an extra 500 calories per day while eating whatever I want and continuing to lose weight! 🙂 Then again, my appetite has been enormous while breastfeeding (even moreso than when I was pregnant), so maybe that will subside once I wean. I just hope he’s able to make the transition to a sippy with cow’s milk in the next few weeks. My plan all along has been to be done pumping by his first birthday. I’m already reducing my pumping sessions at work, so I’m supplementing an average of 4 oz per day from my freezer stash. At the rate I’m going through my stash, I should have about 85 oz left by his first birthday, so even if he isn’t fully on board with cow’s milk by then, maybe I can do some mixing of breastmilk and cow’s milk to ease the transition. I may still nurse morning and night for a while if my body will keep producing, just because I enjoy that time we have together, but I’m otherwise planning on retiring the boobs in just a few weeks! I really am thankful to have made my goal of breastfeeding for a year. It certainly hasn’t always been easy.
With that, I’ll leave you with some pictures from the last month…
Shopping with Mom at Costco.Swinging in the sunshine.Loves the dishwasher!Playing with his favorite new toy on Easter.Easter egg hunting with cousin Molly.Easter eggs.Not sure what to think about the poky grass.Egg hunting with Dada.Theo and his Boppa on the farm.Baby selfie.All worn out from egg hunting.Playing with his new Easter toys at Grandma and Boppa’s.
Keeping up with the Hoffmans 