Open Mouth, Insert....

Boob.

First, this blog is about breastfeeding.  Consider yourself warned.

Second, this blog is in no way intended to make anyone feel guilty about not being able to breastfeed.  I know firsthand how difficult it can be, and not everyone has an amazing lactation consultant for a mother-in-law like I do!  If anything, this is just to be an encouragement for those that are considering it or are trying desperately to stick with it. 

I guess I'm thinking about all of this right now because my little barracuda baby is less than two months away from her first birthday.  Remember this?

Those days are far behind us, and now I'm realizing (with some sadness) that I probably won't be nursing much longer.   And it's kind of strange to think about because I've been pregnant or breastfeeding for nearly three and a half years straight.  I'm pretty much a factory.

Here's why breastfeeding has been awesome:
1. It's free 
2. It builds up baby's immunity (Jack has only had one ear infection requiring antibiotics ever...Brooklyn has had none)
3. It's easier for baby to digest
4. It's always available, even in the middle of a blizzard or flood (assuming I'm alive)
5. It requires no prep in the middle of the night
6. It requires no bottles, brushes, formula, water; all I need is a nursing cover (of course, lots of nursing moms do pump and use bottles, etc)
7. It releases the hormone, prolactin, which helps to relax the mother and lower stress (uhhh, THANK YOU, Lord, for prolactin!)
8. It burns more calories (approx 500 per day) and helps with that pesky baby weight
9. It also has possible long-term benefits, such as helping to prevent cancer, diabetes, and other diseases.

Convinced yet?

I know that I have things pretty ideal.....my mother-in-law is an excellent lactation consultant, and I'm a stay-at-home mom (most of the time).  And despite that, it was still a challenge getting each of my babies to nurse well (ok, Brooklyn nursed well but was equivalent to a paper shredder).   All that to say-it has been worth it.

So there ya go.  For me, it was just nice to know that others had struggled through it and survived.  You can too!

Tequila!

Let me start off tonight with a story that is completely unrelated to the rest of this blog.

First, in case you haven't met my mom, she is the very last person on the face of this earth that would drink alcohol.  A couple of years ago we were playing the game Taboo as a family, and the person giving hints said something about a Mexican drink.  My mom shouted "tequila!" very excitedly.  We all stopped and looked at her, at which point she sheepishly said, "that's a drink, right?"  Ever since then, tequila jokes have been made with our family on a fairly regular basis.

Ok, now on to the rest of this totally unrelated blog.

Jeremy and I had another Friday night date tonight.  We've been making it a habit lately, and man, this is a habit that really needs to stick.  I love our dates.  For a couple hours, I'm not a jungle gym, housekeeper, or dairy farm.  I'm just an adult (I use that term loosely) hanging out with the love of my life.  Talking about theology, or our future, or our dreams, or coming up with some crazy idea.  There's usually a lot of laughter on our dates.

Interestingly, my mom left a message on my phone tonight, because someone had ding-dong-ditched a bottle of tequila (and bag of chocolates) on their front doorstep.  She had her suspicions as to who the culprits might be, but I'd rather not give out any names.  She was also concerned as to what exactly she should do with said bottle, which, I assume, is part of the humor in the whole thing.  I also assume that the culprits shared a good laugh as they scampered away in the night, like two an unknown number of mischievous kids.  

Ahh yes, a dinosaur

Jeremy got home early from work today, before Jack woke up from his afternoon nap.  When he did wake up, he came running out to find Jeremy at home.

Jack:  Daddy!  There was a dinosaur in my room!!

Jeremy:  A dinosaur?  What was it doing?

Jack:  Ummmm....it went bye-bye!

Jeremy:  Where did it go?

Jack:  In my BED!!!

Weekend Update

1.  We went to a BBQ/bonfire tonight at David and Mattea Whetstone's house.  It's so great to enjoy awesome food with good friends.  Also, Jack is afraid of small, harmless dogs but is NOT afraid of fire.  Go figure.

2.  Jack took a break from movies/videos this week (and by this "week," I actually just mean "three days").  We don't have tv, but I've been letting him watch YouTube videos, like Thomas the Train and Mickey Mouse, way too much lately.  Isn't it ridiculous that going three days without watching anything is some sort of an accomplishment here?  With winter coming, I definitely need to come up with more/better indoor activities for him.  Suggestions??

3.  Here's a recipe for lemon bread that I've been digging lately.  I usually double the amount of glaze on top, though, because I have something of a sweet tooth.

4.  Jack, Brooklyn, and Morgan have settled into a really nice routine during the weekdays. Morgan and Brooklyn have been taking two naps during the day at roughly the same time, which leaves me with one-on-one time with Jack.  This week we've been playing in our yard/garden/sandbox and getting as dirty as possible.  I took all three to the park, and the babies loved the swings.

Brooklyn

Morgan

5.  And just in case anyone is worried that Jeremy isn't getting enough air-time in this blog, here's a little morsel:

Just another night at home...playing a wood flute in the hall.  

That's all I have for tonight.  Our life isn't exactly glamorous, but it sure is good.