It seems like the calendar is flipping faster than I am wanting to keep up with. It's July 12th and I go back to work on the 29th, meaning 17 days left with the Mason man. Where has the time gone?!
The past 3 weeks have been jammed packed. The last week in June we went for our annual Destin vacation. This year was actually the most relaxing Destin trip to date. Funny considering I had a two month old in tow. You would think it would have been the opposite. This year it was just my parents and my sister Chrissy, her husband Chris and my 5 year old niece Sofia. We chilled all week, sleeping in late, heading to the beach and pool during the day and relaxing at night with a couple of drinks here and there. Mason was an amazing baby. He slept at the beach, took a few dips in the ocean and pool and slept perfectly. It's funny because the Toungette's were always the last to wake up in the morning. Who would have thought it? The most difficult part of traveling with a newborn was having to stop and nurse during the car ride down. It probably added an extra 1-2 hours to our travel time. The only other difficult time I had was having to use the cover to nurse him at the beach and pool. It was pretty hot and Mason was a bit hot under the cover. We bought a battery powered fan that had a water bottle attached that we filled with ice cold water. So while I was nursing, daddy would spray and fan us under the cover. It worked out pretty well.
This past weekend my best friend of over 20 years, Robin came to visit with her husband Jere and their 10 month old daughter Reese. The last time I saw them was when Reese was only 6 weeks old and now she's a walking, jabber jaws, 10 month old. It gave me great insight into what the future holds for us! It was a quick weekend visit but I am so glad they came and I got to see Reese again and they could meet Mason before he gets older. It was a relaxing weekend. We hung out at our house and spent Sunday at my parent's house out by the pool.
Mason is growing like a weed. When he starts doing something new it's as though a light bulb goes off and he's a pro. He has such a great awareness of his surroundings. He follows us walk around the room with his eyes and loves to play with his toys. He loves his ocean and grabbing the toys that hang. He is this.close to turning over and lifts his head off the ground with great strength. Sometimes it looks like he is even trying to crawl while he's doing tummy time. Everyday he's moving and playing better than the day before.
To prepare myself for going back to work, daddy has been feeding Mason a bottle of pumped milk for his dinner time feeding. I have to admit it's a little sad to miss these feedings. Nursing is our special time together and it has created this amazing bond. I urge any new mother to try their hardest to not give up on breastfeeding. The first 6 weeks are so very tough and frustrating and it's so easy to want to quit. But once you pass that 6 week mark it becomes so easy and it's an amazing feeling to be able to provide all the nutrients to your child. While researching proper breast milk storage instructions in the book The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League International, I came across the following story and couldn't help myself from just laughing and smiling because I now understand and know the feeling.
"When I was pregnant the first time, I made up my mind to breastfeed for six months. But by the time David was six months old, everything was going so smoothly that it seemed a pity to quit-and I didn't want to have to go out and buy formula. Maybe I'd keep going for another three months. At nine months, he was enthusiastically eating solids but still nursing quite often, and again weaning seemed like more trouble than it was worth. When I found out that I was pregnant again, I thought "Well, I'll have to wean now." My doctor reassured me that it wasn't necessary and I was so tired during early pregnancy that continuing to breastfeed just seemed easier. After the new baby was born, I was too busy to contemplate weaning and I was glad I still had this easy way to soothe and comfort David. But when he was about two and a half, he began to lose interest. His favorite nursing had always been first thing in the morning. One warm summer day, he woke up and started to nurse, then let go and asked, pointing to my breast, "Can you make juice?" "No" I said. Clearly disappointed, he climbed down from the bed and led me downstairs to pour him a cold cup of juice. That was the beginning of the end of our nursing relationship." Ann, Remembering 1977
Although I'm confident I won't go past the one year mark, I can very much sympathize with Ann. The morning and the night time feedings are going to be the hardest to wean and I am just glad that we still have a long time before that has to happen. The truth about nursing is that it's just as hard for the mother to wean as it is for the baby.
Aw, I love it too! It's definitely not always an easy road to get there, but once you do, it's great! I weaned O just after a year, and I was ready! Ready to have my body totally back to myself. It's a great gift to give a child, and to yourself too, to nurse. Admittedly though, I was sort of counting the days when we got to the end!
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