Having Fun

in the sun!

Sweet boy, even in the middle of winter our weather is usually nice enough that we can take a impromptu trip to the beach to wiggle our toes in the sand! 

Dada was even off work early, and able to join us, which made you happy! You love spending time and getting to play with him, which just makes my heart sing! 

 We'd not been to the beach since probably April of last year so the sand was a whole new experience for you. You weren't quite sure what to make of it so you picked your foot up and just wiggled your sweet little toes at me.

After we played in the sand for a while it started to get chilly so you and I snuggled up on/under a towel. You nursed and took a short nap and I just enjoyed the snuggles. 

Love you sweet boy!

And The Gold Medal Goes To...

Us!

Sweet boy, this post is a little late but here it is! 

We made it one year of breastfeeding! I am so proud, only about 34% of women in the USA are still breastfeeding their baby at their first birthday. A big increase from recent years but still nothing compared to the rest of the world average.

When our breastfeeding journey started there were times I truly never thought that we would make it to one year. We had latch issues, supply issues, weight issues, diet issues but we made it through all of it! 

Never once using a drop of formula, and now it's hard to remember the days where I just felt like all I did was nurse you and cried. 

Okay I do remember them but they are just a distant memory that I can say passed quickly in the grand scheme of things and were worth making it through. 

We didn't make it here on our own though.  Sure, my stubborn nature of not wanting to give up, and having to prove people telling me I couldn't do it wrong was a big part but there were many people who helped us along the way just by giving encouragement, sympathetic ear, and a shoulder to cry on. 

Dada was there from the start always encouraging me, telling me even when I was exhausted and frustrated that I was doing great and was such a good mommy. I think without him being so supportive those first few weeks I would have cracked.

Michelle, the lactation consultant we saw several time through Kaiser, was a huge with helping to get your latch right and showing us exercises to stretch out your tongue/jaw (so we didn't have to clip the frenulum). Rochelle and the whole Babies In Bloom Lactation Lounge provided expert help, experience, and a safe place to just get out of the house and not feel self conscious about nursing in public!

And look at us now!

I can say confidentially that breastfeeding has been an amazing experience that has only further taught me how strong women can be and I am already sad for when the day comes that you are ready to be done with it. No matter how many more babies we have or don't have, I will always be a lactavist!

I will always support a mothers right to breastfeed when, where, and how she wants. 

I will always preach the benefits of breastfeeding to both mom and baby without making mothers feel bad for using formula. 

Love you sweet boy, so glad to be giving you the best I can!

Head, shoulders, knees and

toes! 

Sweet baby boy can show you where his toes are when asked! 

(See as he points/grabs his toes in this photo. Also I LOVE his new shirt!)

He can also show you where YOUR teeth are and cut your gums to heck as he shows you.

Can't wait for that to be over!

Mornings are my favorite.

Each morning, early before the sun is up, my sweet little boy starts to stir in his crib. 

I groggily get up and pick him up out of his crib, hold him tight, and crawl back into bed. 

We snuggle, and he nurses as we drift off back to sleep for a while longer. 

Later I wake and just lay there studying his sweet face, still just so amazed at the beautiful human being he is and how blessed I am. 

After I have had my fill of watching him sleep, I begin to wake him by softly kissing his cheek and saying his name. 

I then gently tickle him while singing our "good morning" song. 

As I do he beings to stir and giggle then rolls over to look at me with a happy smile on his face! 

I sing to him a couple more times "good morning sunshine, good morning sunshine, good morning my Demitri, good morning to you!" and follow it up with a few more kisses and tickles, then take him to the potty.

............................................................

Mornings are my favorite. 

Being a mommy had turned me into a morning person. 

Happy First!

Sweet baby boy, how has it already been a year? 

Time has flown by all too quickly. It amazes me how much you have changed and grown over these last 12 months; from a squishy little newborn to my big boy that literally runs around, non stop. I have treasured each moment and tried to capture as many photo memories as I possibly could, but it all went by far too fast!

Mama and Dada love you more than you could possibly know. We are so blessed to have you in our lives. This first year has been beyond amazing, as you grow and learn new things each day so do we. We each teach each other invaluable lessons.

I can't (but totally can!) wait to see what this next year hold. Though I hope it does not go by quite as fast as this first year felt to have. You are such a blessing in our lives little boy, never forget that you are so greatly loved! Happy Birthday my love!

February 10, 2013.