Seven Months Old

My Dearest Guppy,

I had put off writing this letter this morning because I didn't want to admit to myself that you are already seven months old. In a mere five months you will be one year old, very mobile, and getting bigger every day. My heart is so joyous that you are growing into such a strong, healthy and beautiful child but the Mother in me is yelling for you to slow down, things are going way too fast!

This month was quite the month for milestones. You got your first tooth about two or three days ago. The other day you chomped down on my finger and ouch! there it was! I had been wondering if you were teething because although you are still sleeping great at night, you have been a bit fussier than normal during the day. Hyland's Teething Tablets have been helping your fussiness a lot, and you've also been spending lots of time in my Ellaroo Wrap, strapped to my back and watching my every move.
You also had your first taste of solid food! This morning while I was eating a banana you tried to grab it out of my hand, so I put you in your high chair and let you have some. What fun you had! Most of it went on your shirt but you did get a couple of good tastes in and you seemed to like it.

You had your first Easter! While you were too young to enjoy the egg hunt, you did seem generally happy at being able to visit the family and make everyone laugh with your new antics!

This month you also have your sixth month appointment, where you weighed in at 19lbs and 28 inches long! You have just about outgrown all the 6-9 month outfits that we have and are now starting to wear 12 month clothing! You are my little chubbalubba!
Finally, you have also started to blow raspberries! You especially love to blow them at the Mermaid, who delights in this new game! It really warms my heart to see the two of you playing together, you get along so well. The Mermaid is so nurturing towards you, always worried when you are sad, letting me know when you are unhappy, and she is always thinking up new ways to make you laugh. I can't wait to see the two of you play even more games together as you get older! This month has also gotten easier with me working out of the house. I miss you and the Mermaid horribly when you are gone, but it makes me feel more at ease now that you are not as fussy for your father and now that you even take a little breastmilk from the sippy cup. When I get home and you are sleeping, your father loves to talk about all the cute and new things you did while I was gone and while it makes me sad that I wasn't there to see it, I can't help smiling at the joy I hear in his voice at getting to spend some time with both his girls. You are getting closer to your father every day, and you've even begun to reach your arms out to him when he gets home from work!

You are such a blessing to this family, dear Guppy, and we already can't remember how we lived life without you. Everyday you bring joy and laughter into this house, and when you and your sister start playing together the laughter can be heard throughout the neighborhood. Thank you for the joy you bring, thank you for the smiles that your father beams out when talking about you, thank you for the fun and laughter you bring into the Mermaid's day. We love you and can't wait to see what the coming month brings!

Seven Months Old

Nature Walk

The weather these past few days has been absolutely lovely. So, I jumped at the chance of getting the girls outdoors and letting the Mermaid learn a little about nature. We don't have any trails to walk on but our road is pretty slow and safe, so with the Mermaid at my side and the Guppy on my back, we took a little nature walk.

Playing in a Stream

Looking at a Rooster and chickens




Loved the pine cones
CRUNCH!!!!
So excited to be outside!
A little bit of green showing through!
Watching a stream.
Which rock do I like best?

Nature Walk

Reconnecting, Part II

Remember this post? Well.....

We never did go to a restaurant, but we did go to a bachelorette party and a wedding sans kids. It was nice to get out with just the two of us. Not to mention the ride to the wedding was an hour and a half, and it was wonderful not to have to listen to kid friendly songs, or worry about playing the radio too loud, or worry if we should stop to let the kiddos have a break. We were glad to get home though, as enjoyable as it was we did miss the girls!

Reconnecting, Part II

Fantastic Friday: Baby Steps

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Fantastic Friday: Baby Steps

Carnival of Breastfeeding: What I Didn't Expect When I Was Expecting.

Welcome, Carnival of Breastfeeding readers to the sixth Carnival of Breastfeeding! This month's topic is "What I Didn't Expect When I Was Expecting"; prenatal expectations of breastfeeding vs. your actual experience of breastfeeding. You can find my submission below, followed by links to other bloggers' posts on what they didn't expect.

I think most women, when they are expecting an infant, picture breastfeeding as this blissful experience where they are sitting in a rocking chair, relaxing, and nursing their calm, happy baby. With that image in mind, a lot of women are taken by surprise by how hard and challenging breastfeeding can be at the beginning. It takes a while for both you and the baby to learn how to breastfeed successfully, and sometimes, you have to work hard for it.

I never had these blissful expectations. As soon as I knew that I was going to be breastfeeding, I hoped for the best but planned for the worst. See, I didn't know a single person who had successfully breastfed their baby for more than three weeks, and I was determined to make it work. So before the Mermaid was even born, I fully versed myself on how to correct a latch, treat mastititis, and where I could contact a Lactation Consultant. Luckily, after some small bumps in the road concerning weight gain, the Mermaid and I had no problems establishing a successful relationship.

However, there was one area in which my prenatal expectations of nursing were way off from my actual experiences: nursing in public.

See, because I was so determined to make this breastfeeding thing work, I resolved to face any opposition head on, especially when it came to breastfeeding in public. While pregnant, I would imagine being approached while I nursed (modestly) in public and having something said to me, such as "Shouldn't you be doing that in the bathroom?" I would picture myself coming up with all these amazing responses while I continued to confidently, yet discreetly, nurse my newborn.

It didn't exactly work out that way.

Nursing a newborn can be a very awkward experience. Most of the time, I was too busy trying to get the Mermaid latched on right to remember to cover myself and not let my entire breast flop around in full sight. I thought that I would never get the hang of it, and so...I gave up. I started pumping bottles of expressed breast milk to bring along and feed to the Mermaid when I was out of the house. Let me tell you, that was a pain.
One day the Knight and I went with my mom to a local fair. And silly me, I forgot to bring enough bottles of expressed breast milk. There we were, in the tent where the Budweiser horses were being housed, and the Mermaid decided to erupt with hunger. Now, this tent was very crowded. The long line of people started at the front of the tent, wove through and around the entire tent, then back out the front. At the far left of the tent was an empty table and a chair. I had no choice but to breastfeed her there, in full view of everyone. I was extremely nervous, but somehow I managed to get her latched on without showing any skin. Pleased that I was able to accomplish this, I proudly looked up at all the mingling people and dared someone to say something.

Guess what? Nobody noticed. Nobody cared.

From that day on I ditched the bottles and nursed the Mermaid wherever I went. And I never got a dirty look or comment, even when the Mermaid got over a year old. In fact, when she was thirteen months old, the Knight and I were at a friend's house that we hadn't seen in years. The Mermaid toddled over to me while I sat talking to our friend's wife and I nursed her for about fifteen minutes, while continuing my conversation, before she happily toddled away again. So imagine my surprise when, ten minutes later, my friend's wife asked if I was still nursing her."Um...yes, didn't you notice me just nursing her ten minutes ago?""Oh my goodness, no, I couldn't even tell, I just thought she was trying to nap!"

So there you have it. Eventually my prenatal expectations of being able to nurse in public with confidence were realized, but it took some time and forgetfulness on my part. Good thing too, because the Guppy refuses to take the bottle, and so I would have never been able to get away with feeding her a bottle when out in public. I still nurse the Guppy where ever I go, with confidence and discreetness, and I still have never gotten a dirty look or comment worth mentioning.

So I leave you with this: To all moms who are expecting and are planning on breastfeeding, if you feel awkward about nursing in public, try practicing at home. Practice in front of your partner or a mirror. You will be surprised on how little skin you actually show when nursing discreetly.
I hope you enjoyed reading about what I didn't expect when I was expecting. Please be sure to drop by and read what these bloggers had to say:

Tanya at The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog tells us how she prepared for breastfeeding when she was pregnant.
Sinead at BreastfeedingMums Blog writes about the things she wishes she had known about breastfeeding before her daughter was born.
Melanie at Spit up on my Shoulder tells us why "Education is key" when it comes to breastfeeding.
Angela at Breastfeeding 1-2-3 tell us "What I didn't expect when I was expecting."
Ashlee at New Mama's Nest tells us what she didn't expect about breastfeeding her 'early bird.'
Rixa at The True Face of Birth tells what she didn't expect when she was expecting.
Down with the Kids reflects back on breastfeeding as she weans her son in her post “Goodbye Booby”
Heather at The Spice Choir talks about how breastfeeding changed her social interactions.
Andi at Mama Knows Breast shares her top 10 list of things she didn't expect about breastfeeding.
Jen at The Lactivist tells us how "Nursing isn't quite what I expected."

Carnival of Breastfeeding: What I Didn't Expect When I Was Expecting.

New WHO Growth Charts

When new mothers are first starting out with breastfeeding, one problem they may experience is with the baby's weight gain. I myself had to deal with this problem.

The weight charts that the pediatrician's typically use are written with a formula fed baby in mind. In general, formula fed babies tend to gain more weight in the first few months than breastfed babies. This is why it is not uncommon for a breastfeeding mother to be told that her baby is not gaining enough weight and that she needs to switch to formula. If you are told this by your child's pediatrician, pay attention to your child, and not his or her weight. Is he or she wetting enough diapers during the day? Hitting all their milestones? Showing all signs of being a healthy baby? If your child is healthy, then don't worry about his or her weight. He or she will grow just fine on your breastmilk.

Not too long ago, the World Health Organization released new child growth charts that are written with a breastfed baby in mind. If you are worried about your child's weight gain, you can see where he or she stands on the new charts. You can also ask your pediatrician to carry the new charts in order to chart your child's weight gain more accurately.

The important thing to remember is, all children are different. The Mermaid was always small for her age and still is. Meanwhile the Guppy is wearing twelve month clothing at six months old. No children are the same, and labeling a baby that is healthy and hitting all his or her milestones as failure to thrive simply because they don't measure up right on a chart is, well, stupid.

New WHO Growth Charts

Homeopathy for Babies

After our success with homeopathic remedies last week, I was glad to find this article on homeopathic remedies that can be used with babies. This article offers remedies for such ailments as fright, nausea, ear infections, and teething. Definitely a good article to read if you are interested in learning about homeopathy!

Homeopathy for Babies