Nursing Musings

Um... where has this year gone? Can it be that Mia will be 11 months soon? Was it just last year that I was heavily pregnant and thinking I couldn't get bigger (but did)? Yeah, apparently when you have a baby the world goes into warp speed. I was warned... but I didn't really listen, I must admit.

Its been on my mind lately because the time is coming... weaning. I'm going to start weaning Mia when she turns 11 months... a mere 8 days away. I'm torn. A part of me is relieved -- finally, a break! Some time away! Not having to plan every single day around when Mia will want to nurse. Since she decided that bottles were the worst thing ever to happen to breastmilk, I haven't been away from her for more than 5 hours when she was awake. I need some time to myself. I need a night away with my husband. I need my body to belong to me again.

But the other half? The other half of me just aches at the thought of it. I'm going to miss our special time. I'm going to miss being able to provide both nutrition and comfort. It's one of the only times that she cuddles, my little Miss Move-and-groove. And it's one of the last things tying her to being a baby. My baby. She's already taking steps. Trying to talk. Giving attitude (okay, so maybe she's been doing this for awhile...).

I had such a hard time learning to nurse. I joke that I've had every problem in the book except one (knock on wood)... but it's not really a joke. It was rough. There was blood, sweat, and tears. In those rough beginning months, I would count down the days and months until I was finished with nursing. "Only 11 months 2 weeks left." "Just 9 months, you can do this!" I'd tell myself. Now its just around the corner, and I'm in shock. I didn't enjoy the first 2-3 months of breastfeeding, I must admit. I only did it because I'm incredibly stubborn. But now?

Now, I'm glad. It's honestly one of the things I'm most proud of in my life. That may sound corny... and if it does you probably weren't around in the beginning. You didn't see how hard it was. You didn't feel the pain. See the trauma. Sit up late at night while she ate for hours. Fed her every two hours. Got infections. And blisters. Bitten. Rejected. Clung to.

And in the end? It was worth every second.

Fall is in the air

Its fall! Well, relatively speaking. The calendar says so, but in true Texas fashion the temperatures haven't quite caught up.

Anyway, Mia and I caught up with some friends at the local pumpkin patch recently. We took some of our own pictures and had an amateur photographer take some as well. Mia had a wonderful time! Pumpkins are so much fun, apparently. Here are the pictures that I took.

What is this thing?

Oh! Pumpkins! Pumpkins are funny.

Ya know, seeing all these pumpkins really makes you think about life...

Brings a whole new meaning to putting your foot in your mouth.

Tyra said to look "fierce."

Yum, pumpkin stem. Better than pumpkin pie.

Let's see... nope, this one isn't quite round enough...

This one is too big....

Let's get this one, mommy!

This pumpkin makes a great drum! Tap, tap, tap.

Being outside? And pumpkins? This is the best day ever.

A Round of Applause

So Mia has finally learned to clap. She learned about a week ago -- at 9 months 3 weeks and some days. Crazy, as most babies have been clapping away for months now... many before they learned to crawl. And Mia's working on walking. But she's got clapping down... and now that's all she wants to do! It's so cute.

So now, when she wakes up and you pick her up, she claps. When I'm finished nursing her, she claps. She claps for Zee when she brings back the ball. She claps when you enter the room. She's stopped waving and giving high-fives because she's so interested in clapping.

But hey, who can complain, really? It's nice getting applause during the day.

She's very close to walking. She took a couple little shuffling steps today from Mark to me. Only because I was holding Mark's bluetooth. Forbidden items are a perfect motivator, apparently. She has tried to walk several other times and has managed to move a foot here and there. And she can stand for minutes at a time. It's so cute! She loves to walk holding on to our fingers. The other day, she even went from a standing position to a crouching position and back. It's like she couldn't figure out how to move her feet. It looks like it's only a matter of time before she puts it all together and is off and running!

No pictures... I've hijacked Mark's computer. Will try to post new ones soon. :)