On Breastfeeding

Last week I was reading this post from Courtney's blog (she always loved) larking that got me thinking about how so many of my own views on parenting have changed now that I have a child. Her post really inspired me to share my own before and afters on breastfeeding, sleeping, baby food, babywearing and birth. This post is kinda long so if you make it all the way through then you deserve an award! Look out for my next post in this series - On sleeping - which should be up in a few days!

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Prebaby: I always knew that one day when I had a baby of my own I was going to breastfeed. It was something I always supported but never really gave much thought because I had no real reason to. I didn't know anything about feeding on demand or letting your baby self wean so the plan was always to breastfeed until the age of 1 and to have my baby on a schedule. I'm going to be honest with you guys, I was pretty ignorant prebaby, I thought breastfeeding in public was inappropriate and that nursing your child past the age of 1 was weird! I'm so embarrassed to even admit that but I knew nothing about breastfeeding, and grew up in a family that mostly formula fed.

Pregnancy:  During my pregnancy I did a lot of research on breastfeeding and parenting. I learned about feeding on demand, sore nipples, child self weaning, under supply, over supply, thrush, mastitis, leaky boobs, clogged milk ducts and the list goes on and on. I also learned that it is recommend to nurse your baby at least to the age of 2 which quickly turned my 1 year plan into a 2 year plan. My whole view on breastfeeding changed and I realized it wasn't all rainbows and smiles. During my pregnancy if you asked me the number one thing I was most terrified of doing once my baby arrived I would have said breastfeeding. It was something that was so, so important to me and so I was terrified that I wasn't going to be able to do it, that it would be too painful, that Chloe would have a difficult time latching on, and that ultimately I wouldn't make enough milk for her. But even with all my fear revolving around breastfeeding I knew I was at least going to give it a try. 

My new plan: Nurse exclusively until 6 months and then continue nursing until the age of 2, and to also feed on demand.

At 7 1/2 months in: Breastfeeding wasn't as terrifying as I thought it would be and at 7 1/2 months Chloe and I are still going strong with no end in sight! It's amazing to me how much my views on breastfeeding have changed now that I have a baby of my own. Chloe is nursed on demand, we will let her decided when she is done breastfeeding, and I now fully support breastfeeding in public, in fact its something that I do all the time. I think the biggest change for me though was that at one point I just looked at breastfeeding as something that was best for the baby nutritionally, I never knew that it was going to be something that I loved and cherished so much. Those quite moments Chloe and I share together when it's just the two of us and the world fades away are some of the sweetest, most delicious moments I have ever experienced.

Sh*t Crunchy Parents Say

I'm working on a post right now but in the meantime have you guys seen these videos going around YouTube? Some of them are so funny, Here are my two favorites!

Good Music: Band of Horses

Happy Monday everyone, hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  My favorite part of the weekend was when my dear friend Erika texted me that her and her husband welcomed their beautiful baby boy into the world early Saturday morning! So excited for them!

Anyways here is another Seattle band that I absolutely love, Band of Horses.

A Beautiful Baby Boy

Yesterday in the early morning light my dear friends Erika and Eli welcomed their beautiful baby boy into the world. His name is Jonah and he is so perfect and sweet! We are so incredibly happy for them that they now get to experience the beauty and love and joy that parenthood brings! This sweet little family could use some prayers and good thoughts though because Jonah is in the NICU due to difficulties breathing. The doctors are all very optimistic that he will recover quickly and in a week or two go home with his Mom and Dad!

We love you three and cant wait to finally meet you Jonah!

Fact Friday

:: When I was 17 I decided I wanted to have dreadlocks, I bought a kit from a store in the mall and had a good friend do them for me even though she had never done them before. I hated them and regretted my decision right away but kept them in for around 4 to 5 months because I didn't want to look stupid for getting them in the first place.

:: My favorite perfume is Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle, it was the perfume I wore on my wedding day and so wearing it always brings back the sweetest memories!

:: I have always wanted to live in Colorado. 

:: A few months after I graduated high school me and the guy I was dating at the time took a bus from Chicago to New York with a group of protesters to protest during the National Republic Convention. It was one of the most exhillarting things I have even been a part of and a memory I'll never forget.

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:: Chloe was born on my Grandpa's birthday. He passed away 6 1/2 years ago so it's really special to me that they share the same birthday. I know my Grandpa would have absolutely loved and adored  Chloe to pieces if he was here today.

Realization

Yesterday evening while Chloe was sitting on my lap watching music videos with Mike and I, I had one of those moments that happen every so often when I realize all over again that I am a Mother. I was just sitting there, holding my baby in my arms when out of no where this overwhelming wave washed over my entire body. I just sat there completely in awe that this beautiful, sweet, smart, innocent little blessing that we call Chloe is my daughter, and I am her Mother. In that moment I looked down at my little love as she sat so peacefully in my arms playing with her toes and gave her a long kiss on the top of her head and then whispered in her ear "you are truly amazing".

Playdate With Friends

Yesterday Chloe and I had a playdate with my good friend Jessica and her three boys, Dylan, Cody, and Parker. We went to McDonald's so her oldest son Dylan could get all his energy out playing on their big jungle gym while we played on the mat with the babies. It was so adorable to see Chloe interact with  Jessica's twin boys! 

Song: Cakewalk

    

" I, I wanna live on the stage,

I wanna play the guitar,

And I wanna get paid.

But no, responsibilities please.

I wanna do what I want, And I want to get paid,

Fact Friday

Were every week I share 5 personal, interesting, weird, boring, fun facts about me in no particular order!

:: I was born and raised in a suburb near Chicago then moved to Washington when I was 20 years old because my husband moved out here while we were dating. 

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:: My husband and I will be celebrating our 2 year wedding anniversary on February 27th and our 7 year anniversary on May 20th!
:: I have worked as a live in nanny for two families
:: I have broken two bones in my life, my wrist when I was 8 years old and just starting 3rd grade, and my nose when I was 14.
:: I have 5 tattoos as of right now but plan on getting a lot more!

Look out for next Friday's facts and this time it will be on time!

Lights Out

cuddling with Daddy during our sleepover

If you follow me on twitter then you already know it's been snowing a lot here in Washington, which has resulted in us being snowed in all week! Yesterday we lost our power and ended up having a sleepover at my sister in-laws house to keep warm. Today the power is back on and we are finally home! The snow and ice are slowly melting and its looking a little better today then it was yesterday! I was so excited to finally see the snow but now I am so ready for it to be gone!

Be on the look out for a new post tomorrow - Fact Friday - (a day late I know)!

Our Nap Time Solution

Lately it feels like all I write about is nursing and sleeping so I apologize in advance for another one of those posts, but we have made a lot of progress in the nap time department so I'm excited to share how that's been going!

A few weeks ago I started really focusing on the difficult task of getting Chloe to sleep on her own in the bed. Chloe has always been an amazing napper but only if she is sleeping on my lap, and as much as I love holding my sleeping baby and watching her peacefully dreaming it was starting to really drain on me. I felt like I had no time at all to myself, which is something I desperately needed.

It was important to me to take this process slow with Chloe, to ease her into taking naps alone, to go about this change in a gentle manner. Letting her cry it out just wasn't something we felt comfortable doing with her and so that was never an option for us. One afternoon during Chloe's nap time I decided to bring her into the bedroom to snuggle and hopefully get her to fall asleep. I noticed she wanted to nurse so I decided to try nursing her while the both of us were laying down on our sides. I have tried side-laying nursing quite a few times in the past and could never get the hang of it so I just gave up trying to do it. For some reason though that afternoon Chloe and I finally got it and after a few minutes of nursing my sweet Chloe was fast asleep. As soon as she unlatched I quietly got up from the bed and snuck out of the bedroom. Chloe slept for a couple hours that afternoon and woke up full of smiles and snuggles for me!

Since that afternoon a few weeks ago Chloe now takes two naps everyday in the bed all by herself. As soon as I notice her getting sleepy we head to the bedroom to cuddle and nurse, and every time Chloe falls asleep without any fuss. There are no tears shed, Chloe doesn't feel scared and alone, no  feelings of guilt on my part, and both her and I are getting exactly what we need, a nap for Chloe and time alone for Mama!

This is the first big obstical we have overcome with Chloe, and to be perfectly honest I'm really proud of myself. I'm proud that I followed Chloe's cues, that I made this process as gentle as possible, and that I didn't give up even though there were more times then I can even count that I wanted to.

It's incredibly reassuring to see the reward in the end - a happy baby!

7 Month Photoshoot

 Pictures of my ever growing girl at 7 months old wearing a beautiful dress from Grandma!

Firsts: Playing In The Snow

Yesterday it finally snowed here in Washington! I was so excited to take Chloe outside to experience the snow for the first time. She smiled and giggled the whole time while looking at the pretty, white world around her! Watching Chloe experience something new always puts such a huge smile on Mike and I's face!

The First Snowfall of the Year

There is something about watching the snow fall from the sky and cover the ground so gracefully that brings me such a deep peace. Everything feels as it should and right with the world. Mike and Chloe are both in bed taking a nap while I'm sitting in the living room watching the first snow fall of the year through our window. It feels nice to have this time alone and I welcome the peace with open arms!

7 Months Old

Today my sweet Chloe is officially 7 months old! It feels like each month that goes by is quicker then the last and I know that in just a blink of an eye it will be June and we will be celebrating Chloe's first birthday. I just want to remember these days always, the way Chloe looks right now when she smiles and laughs at us, the way she buries her face into my chest to snuggle, how peaceful she looks while nursing, the determination and excitement in her eyes as she learns new things, the way her adorable chubby little hands look in her daddy's. I never, ever want to forget what these moments feel like.

This month has been such a busy month for Chloe, and I know I say that every month but I'm constantly amazed at all that she is learning and how fast she is growing everyday.

Here's whats new with my little love:

:: Chloe is so close to crawling, she is getting on all fours and rocking back and forth, pulling herself up onto things, and can go from lying on her belly to a sitting position (which is her all time favorite thing to do right now). It's only a matter of time before my little love is crawling all over the place!
:: We are still doing baby led weaning with Chloe and that is going really great, so far she has tried avocado, banana, yam, apple, and carrots. Chloe seems to love carrots and apples the best so far
:: On January 1st Chloe said Mama for the first time! My heart melts every time I hear her say it!
:: She loves to laugh
:: Chloe loves to snuggle now! She always liked to be held and carried but never really just wanted to snuggle, now she loves snuggling!
:: She responds to her name
:: She now hates diaper changes and getting dressed. I have no idea where this came from but I guess she doesn't like that she has to stop playing in order for these two things to happen!

Stats:

I don't know Chloe's height or weight at the moment since we don't have to take her in for a checkup till she is 12 months old but I can definitely tell she has grown a lot in the past month. She seems so much taller and heavier all of a sudden! Chloe is now wearing a size 4 in diapers and mostly wears 12 month clothing. Mike says that Chloe is looking a lot more like me lately and that he'll notice her doing some of the same facial expressions I do! My little love also has two very cute little teeth now but no signs of any more to come.

Sleep:

So at almost 7 months old we have finally been able to put little miss Chloe down for a nap all by herself and I owe it all to side-laying nursing. A more detailed post on this topic is soon to come! These past few days however have been a little rough for us when it comes to bed time but that's just life with a baby.

It's been another wonderful month with Chloe, full of love and excitement! Sometimes when I look at her it hits me all over again that I'm her Mother, she's my baby.

Breastfeeding on Sesame Street: Part 2

Lani from Booby Time wrote a post on her blog about bringing breastfeeding back on Sesame Street that I think everyone should go check out, here's the link to it! Chloe and I loved watching the old clips from Sesame Street together that Lani included in her post. It was amazing to see woman on tv breastfeeding  their babies and hearing them talk about it so openly was really inspiring to me. This is what we need to see more of!

There is a petition going around for who ever would like to sign it to put breastfeeding back on Sesame Street, here is the link to that. I really encourage everyone to take a minute to sign it, we need to show support for our breastfeeding Mothers and make breastfeeding a normal part of everyday life again!

Breastfeeding on Sesame Street: Part 1

Disclaimer:

Just me ranting about the way breastfeeding is viewed in today's world. In no way am I stating that I'm against formula feeding, every Mom needs to do what they think is best and I completely support that 100%!

While on Yahoo this morning checking my email I  saw this article on the opening page. Reading this article has stirred inside me a whirlwind of emotions. It's not the article itself that upsets me, in fact in my opinion it sounds like Lylah M, the woman who wrote the article is a supporter of breastfeeding, but it's the fact that breastfeeding is such a controversial topic in today's society, that's what blows my mind!

As a breastfeeding Mother and a woman I am outraged that there are people out there that look at breastfeeding as disgusting, sexual, and only something that should be done in private. Are you kidding me? All breastfeeding simply is, is feeding your baby, that's it! I just don't understand how anyone could look at that as inappropriate and even go as far as harass and condemn a nursing Mother in public. 

What blows my mind even more is that this county is obsessed with sex and nudity, everyday we are bombarded with sexual images, on the computer and the tv, in magazines, ads, movies, school, and etc, ect. It's just ridiculous to me that, that's perfectly fine and ok but a woman breastfeeding her child, doing the most loving, innocent, natural thing she could be doing with her breasts is looked at as disgusting and inappropriate! I'm truly saddened by the values of this country.

As for what I think about breastfeeding on Sesame Street, I say yes bring it back! We don't need to make a big show about it but it should be shown and normalized just like bottle feeding is!!

end of rant!

Photo Day 2 - 5

Of course I just couldn't pick only one for something I adore. The first one is of course my sweet Chloe, I adore her and being able to watch her play everyday! The second is a very special painting Chloe's Great Grandma made for her!

Photo Day 1: You

Photo A Day Challenge: January 2012

I just found out about the January photo challenge thanks to Courtney from (she always loved) larking. I am so excited to join in on this awesome idea even though I am a few days behind! The idea originally came from Chantelle from fat mum slim, to learn more about the challenge go check out her site!

If your playing along leave me a comment down below so I can follow your photo a day challenge!

I'll be posting my first photo later on today so be on the look out for that!

Thank You From Me and Miss Chloe

Thanks to everyone who left a comment on my last post! You all suggested some wonderful activities for me do with little miss Chloe! I checked out our local library and they have baby story time every Tuesday, I really think Chloe's going to have a lot of fun doing that every week! I'm also going to start taking Chloe on more walks and hopefully soon get her in a baby gym class! I'm so excited to start incorporating some new activities into our day. There is nothing I love more then seeing my baby happy and excited!

Yesterday evening the three of us went out to a Mexican restaurant for dinner, this was Chloe's first time sitting in a highchair at a restaurant, she loved it and had so much sitting like a big girl! Sometimes I cant believe how fast she's growing up!

Help, I Have a Bored Baby on My Hands

My question to all you lovely readers out there who have been in this situation before is, what were/are your favorite activities to do with a 7 month old baby? Lately, Chloe seems to be getting bored with our daily routine, and to be quite honest I'm not really sure what else I should be doing with her. We play all day long with her toys and stuffed animals, we read and sing songs, listen to music, do chores around the house, and then of course there's eating, diaper changes and nap time mixed in throughout the day as well.

I'd love to hear any advice or input you guys might have on what fun, age appropriate activities me and little miss Chloe can do!

On Sleep

Right now Chloe is taking a nap in our bed all by herself, and I have to admit that its so nice to have some time alone! Don't get me wrong I love looking down at my sweet baby sleeping peacefully on my lap, seeing her in dreamland melts my heart every time, but to finally have time to myself is amazing, to get things done, to move around freely!

Getting Chloe to take a nap all by herself isn't an easy task though and so times like these don't happen very often. Last week Chloe took at least one nap by herself almost everyday and a few times Mike and I were even able to get her down for the night and spend time together just the two of us. On most nights we usually all go to bed together, before the only way to get Chloe to sleep was by nursing or rocking her, now I'm able to nurse Chloe till she's sleepy and then lay her in bed with us. We play quietly for a little while and then our sweet little baby falls soundly asleep while holding both of our hands ( Chloe loves holding our hands while she falls fast asleep which is seriously the sweetest thing ever ).

I would say the older Chloe gets the easier it is to get her to fall asleep by herself but then we have weeks like this one were it feels near impossible to put Chloe down for a nap (expect for today). I am learning to be patient though and to follow Chloe's cues. I know she feels safe and secure sleeping on my lap and so we are basically taking this process very slowly to ease her into learning to sleep alone.  Chloe is such a happy baby and I know that doing it this way is worth the sacrifice. I know once day Chloe will be a kid, she wont need me as much and so I want cherish these times right now were my baby needs so much of me.

New Years Eve

We hope everyone had a wonderful New Years Eve and that 2012 would be filled with many blessings, love, and sweet memories for you! We had such a fun new years eve with our friends Josh and Robyn and their two adorable dogs. I made Italian beef sandwiches with caesar salad for dinner and warm apple crisp for dessert, and everything turned out perfectly! The evening was filled with laughter, good conversation, playing with Chloe, and ended in a kiss between Mike and I at midnight! It was a perfect way to end 2011!