Foster is one month old already! I’ll be taking a monthly photo of him, just as I did with Harrison, to document his growth and progress. I’ve taken inspiration from Young House Love once again, and am planning to take a picture on a fabric back drop each month. I’m not as handy with photoshop as John and Sherry are, so I made my own stickers for each month. I owe Foster his first newsletter. Hopefully I’ll be able to get to it soon.
May 1st, 2013
9 lbs, 13 oz
As you might have guessed, our little Sprout has arrived. He, yes HE!, is the reason for my absence and the lack of posts.
Foster James Michael was born on April 1st at 12:25 am weighing 7 lbs 11 oz. And he was a very long 21 inches. He is a great baby, but posts will likely continue to be light as I get the hang of things again and settle into a new routine.
We have had lots of help and lots of visitors and well-wishers. I’m looking forward to May being a warmer month so Foster and I can get out a bit more. I don’t know how spring has been in your neck of the woods, but here it snowed on April 24th!
I still can’t believe I have two boys, but I’m feeling so blessed!
Here’s just a sample of what Harrison got for Christmas this year.
Lots of great learning toys (some that we haven’t even opened yet, as you can see).
See the whale in the middle of the photo? Love it! It’s the Moby Bath Spout Cover by Skip Hop. It fits over the bath spout so bath time is both fun and safer! How cute – and smart – is that?
The book in the photo (at top) represents the many, many books he received. And the toque represents the many adorable outfits and pjs he got. He and daddy actually got matching toques. I’ll try to snap a picture next time they’re out playing in the snow (if we ever get any).
I’m happy to report the toys haven’t completely over run our play space, but they definitely take up more room than blankies and rattles. How did this happen so quickly?
Do you have any tips on keeping kids toys from taking over your space?
I’ve been thinking about writing this post for almost eight months now. And since its still on my mind, and I have a friend who just had a baby I figure now is as good a time as any to finally sit down to write it.
Ever since Harrison was born breastfeeding has been hard.
I think I was as prepared as any first-time mom could be about the reality of breastfeeding. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I knew that it would probably hurt for a while. But I knew that I really wanted to give it a chance. I listened to all those who told me that the pain goes away and feeding gets better but you just have to be committed for a few weeks to get through the tough parts. I thought I could handle that. I really didn’t expect butterflies, unicorns and choirs of angels to appear in the nursery when it was feeding time, but I did think I’d feel more capable than I did in the first few weeks.
In those first few weeks there were many times that I’d feed him and cry, or feed him and then cry.
It really hurt.
I had white-hot-tense-your-shoulders-curl-your-toes pain when he would latch. And I would feel guilty about not wanting to feed him because I was so sore and that would make me cry too. I felt like I couldn’t win.
Around the four week mark when I was hoping things would be starting to get better, I got a big tear on my left side. I wasn’t really sure what to do. I resorted to pumping and bottle feeding when it was time to feed on that side and eventually when I was almost healed (two weeks later) I used nipple shields to try to get back to nursing on that side. I worried that I’d end up being a one-boob-wonder (and that’s not the worst thing in the world) and cried some more about feeling like a failure.
I tried calling my local La Leche League for help and support and they never returned my call. Thankfully I did get help from my aunt, a retired nurse, who gave me some tips on how to help the healing and how to cope in the meantime. The left side eventually healed but it was never the same.
As the weeks passed we’d hit our stride and then miss it again. I was constantly worried that he wasn’t getting enough, or he’d go through a fit where he didn’t want to latch, or he was easily distracted and would pull away (hard) and leave me sore once again.
As prepared as I thought I was for the task of breastfeeding, I wasn’t prepared for the ups and downs that come after getting through the first few weeks. No one told me that the tough part can be sticking with it. I’m sure not everyone encounters these problems, but I did and no one warned me. I thought that getting through the painful part would be the end of breastfeeding woes. I was definitely unprepared for other bumps in the road. Through those months I both wanted to keep nursing and quit at the same time. Honestly I didn’t really want the work and fuss of formula feeding so I wanted to stick with nursing to keep from having to deal with all that goes along with preparing formula and washing bottles. Not to mention I wanted him to get all the benefits that breastfeeding can offer. I’m glad I stuck with it for more reasons than just convenience, but even choosing to breastfeed and foregoing formula made me feel guilty. Was my own desire for convenience keeping him from all the nutrition he needed?
Just after he turned six-months old he pulled away so hard that he left me with blisters and once again I was left to rely on pumping and bottle-feeding for a couple of days. I was so discouraged and ready to quit again. I was prepared for breastfeeding to hurt, but I didn’t think I’d be still feeling the pain when my baby was six months old.
Lately he has seemed less and less interested in nursing during the day. Amazingly after all the grief it’s given me I now find myself sad at the thought of losing this ritual as he naturally needs me less. Yet another surprise turn in my adventure in breastfeeding. It brings with it a new flood of emotion that I didn’t expect.
I know everyone’s experience is different on the whole, but I think we all have moments or days when our doubts creep in and our mole hills seem like mountains. And I know it would’ve helped me immensely to feel like I wasn’t the first to go through white-hot-tense-your-shoulders-curl-your-toes pain, or soreness, or guilt, or worry. So if you’re breastfeeding your baby and today is hard, don’t worry. You’re not alone. It’s okay to feed ‘em and weep.
Harrison,
On the first day of the month we celebrated your half-birthday with a few friends and I marvelled at how far you’ve come in just six short months. We’ve had lots of reasons to celebrate in September with a few parties, two weddings (one that you attended), some out-of-town visitors, a baby shower and mama’s 30th birthday.
You reached another big milestone in September, too. You’re sleeping in your crib in your own room. Though we were happy to share our room with you, we are all sleeping better as a result of your move. On the first night in your new crib you slept through the night. You’ve slept through the night every night since.
You are starting to express yourself in new and very vocal ways. You’re squealing when you’re happy or excited, and you’ve taken to grunting to tell us that you are displeased. Your grunts sound like a goose or maybe an elephant? And, for what I’m considering my birthday gift from you, you said “mama” when I picked you up from your nap on the day before my birthday. Do you know what it means? No, but it melted my heart.
You tried even more new foods this month and you’ve got a new favourite – peas! You make this really cute fishy face when you eat the tart peaches that I made you. You gave avocados a second chance and are loving them this time around. Green beans are not exactly a hit but you don’t turn them away and apple sauce is another sweet favourite. On doctor’s orders we also started giving you formula. You were a bit picky about it for the first couple of days but now you’re polishing off the bottles we give you. That formula is plumping you up and even I’m noticing you packing on some pudge.
Mid-month you started sitting up on your own for more extended periods of time. You still haven’t quite figured out that throwing yourself backwards towards the floor when you no longer want to sit isn’t the most comfortable way to get there. For right now when you’re sitting you’re surrounded by pillows or blankets or stuffed animals to help break your (inevitable) fall. So far we haven’t had any major injuries and considering you’re my son that’s a minor miracle.
Love,
Mama
