Come, Mommy » nursing

Hey Out There!

lieslf — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 02:48:48 +0000

Hey, what’s this page??? Oh yeah, it’s my blog….huh. I haven’t posted because…well, I was busy catching up on all the things that I put on the back burner last month, and here I am, resurfacing for a break. It’s been everyday life for the most part around the Menagerie House; we had a relaxing Christmas with the minor annoyance of a respiratory bug that we shared for a week or so there. We had fun during the holidays, and now it’s January, and it’s actually snowing here in New Jersey, and I like snow, so that’s good. Although I realize living a life full of everyday life is actually a good problem to have in many ways, it doesn’t make for good blogging material.

However, it has all changed this week. Kevin, thanks to his ever-growing employer, is enjoying a week touring office buildings and business hotels in The Netherlands, while the boys and I are home. This is the first time I’ve parented two children alone for any extended length of time. I am slowly rising to the occasion, but it’s a steep learning curve…

For example – Kevin had been gone approximately three hours before Kiri fell down the stairs backwards, throwing a flip in there for good measure. I really thought we’d be going to the ER for sure, but once I dusted him off, stopped the bloody nose, and calmed everyone down, he was fine. He did say, “Mommy, me’s head! Me ouch!” several times during the evening while I kept a close watch on his pupil size.

Yesterday at a birthday party for one of Liam’s classmates, Kiri was running around the room with the bigger kids. He and the birthday boy collided. One of them went flying and it wasn’t our new Mr. 5. It was Kiri, and now he’s sporting a large blue bruise across the middle of his forehead. Then he did it again later on, this time ending up with a swollen lip (but we discovered nursing is a great way to calm a child and apply pressure to a bleeding lip at the same time!) There is just no stopping this boy, I tell you.

But Liam has been a great help. He’s taken a big jump in maturity recently, and he has helped me get Kiri down to sleep twice now. So that’s been fun. And Gran-Gran is coming in to town for a few days starting tomorrow night. We’re all looking forward to that!

All of this is the long way of saying tht I had nothing to blog about, but now I am aquiring some material, and I am hoping to post more regularly in the next few weeks. Just to prove my point, I leave you with our winning cute kiddo story for today….

After dinner, Kiri was wandering around being sad and saying, “DaDa? Hhhhhmmmmm? Dada? Me’s Dada? Dada?” (No, Kev, if you are reading this, I am not trying to make you feel guilty. But the boys and I sure miss you!) I hugged him and told him Daddy would be home soon, and then I said something about about how he’s talking up a storm and growing up way too fast and please slow down.

Liam chirped in, “Why are Mommies so sad when their children grow up?” I explained how part of every mom is proud of her kids growing up, while part of her wants to keep them little and next to her forever. Liam looked confused. He thought about that for a while. And then, evidently happy that he had found something cheering to say to me, said:

“Oh, Mommy, you don’t have to worry. I still have to get through the teenage years. And Kiri has to get through 3.”

He’s right. We’ve got lots of adventures ahead of us.

Hopefully I’ll post some of them in the near future.

Big Bird and Nursing

lieslf — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:35:00 +0000

The thoughtful Karen over at Nine Texans just sent me this link saying, “Big Bird is on board with ‘the agenda‘ too.” Check it out…

…and while you’re at it hop on over to Karen’s place and leave her some cheerful notes. She’s in her first trimester and is having a rough time of it. Thank you, Karen, and hang in there – pretty soon you’ll have another little baby to rock and nurse!

One Way To Pay For College

lieslf — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:38:00 +0000

Liam (who’s been attending La Leche League meetings since he was eight weeks old) saw a woman bottle-feeding her baby…

Liam: “Why is that baby not drinking from his mommy?”

Me: “Well, not every mommy nurses her baby.”

Liam (eyes wide open): “Why?”

Me: “There are lots of reasons.”

Liam considered this for a moment….

Liam: “Mommy?”

Me: “Yes?”

Liam: “You need to go over there and show her how to nurse her baby. Or else you could nurse the baby yourself. I don’t think he likes that bottle.”

How much do you think I could contribute to the boys’ college fund if I signed on as a wetnurse or impromptu lactation consultant?

The Power Of One…

lieslf — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:41:00 +0000

…happy nursing couple!*

“Breastfeeding is a mother’s gift to herself, her baby and the earth.”

Pamela K. Wiggins, IBCLC
Breastfeeding: A Mother’s Gift

******************

Inspired by yesterday’s post at Nine Texans.

A Quick Conversation…

lieslf — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 01:28:00 +0000

…in honor of World Breastfeeding Week.

Liam: “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Come, Mommy!”

Me (teasing, looking all around): “What Mommy? I don’t see any Mommy!”

Liam: “You! You’re the Mommy!”

Me: “I am?? How do you know that?”

Liam (all seriousness now): “Weeeeellllll, um, you have long hair.”

Me: “Aha. And?”

Liam: “You carry babies and kids around all day. And sometimes ferrets.”

Me: “Mmmmmmhhhhhhhmmmm, and?

Liam (triumphantly): “And!!! You have the milk! That makes you the Mommy!”

I almost broke a rib laughing when I heard that!

The Rest Of The Chicago Story – With Pictures

lieslf — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:27:00 +0000

Here are the pictures I promised the other day…

Kevin and Liam spent a morning at the Chicago Children’s Museum. It seems Liam’s new best friend, Big Bird, came along for the ride. Actually, Big Bird was very helpful this trip – he pecked elevator buttons right and left, and also “ate” his way down Ontario Street one afternoon and trimmed away excess shrubbery.

A fun time was had playing drums.

And here’s Chef No Name Diesel Engine creating a tofu stir-fry at the wok station.

We had lunch outside at the Navy Pier one day, and Liam had fun letting his little brother play with his hair.

A quick shot of the older son at lunch.

More brotherly goofing around.

The conference ended as well as it began, and I just wish it could have been a bit longer. The last morning of the conference, Kieran and I caught a cab to the Hilton. The cabbie turned out to be a recent immigrant from Somalia. He saw Kieran’s Maya Wrap, and then he asked me if all the mothers at the Hilton this week were American. I told him not everyone was, but the majority were. He thought that was interesting, as apparently he’d never seen so many babies in slings outside of Africa, and he asked what the conference was about. I told him it was about breastfeeding and other aspects of raising babies and young children. He got me with this comment…

“Why do you need a conference about nursing and carrying babies? Isn’t that just what you’re supposed to do with them?”

Yes, sir, it is, but not everyone has that idea yet. We’re working on it.

(And then I realized some parenting frustrations are universal. Our cabbie went on to ask, only half in jest, if I knew of any conferences discussing how to get five-year-olds to brush their teeth and go to bed at a reasonable hour.)

We had one extra day in Chicago, and we had the distinct pleasure of a playdate in the park with Amy, Kevin, Carter, and Archie. Amy and I have known each other on-line for almost four years, and I have always admired her parenting style, so it was exciting to finally meet in real life. The boys got to burn off some steam playing ball, the adults got to visit, and a fun time was had by all. Thanks for the meetup, you guys. I hope we can do it again next year!

We then played around at the Navy Pier a bit more, and then that night we walked up to Watertower Place and had dinner at a 50′s-style diner that had the best mushroom burgers I’ve ever eaten.

The next morning we came home, fortunately without major problems. There was my ID issue. My wallet was never found, and my passport was safely tucked away in the safety deposit box at our bank (no, they wouldn’t let anyone else in to get it, even with our permission), so I had no picture ID. When we checked in at the airport, no one even blinked an eye. It turns out you can fly without ID. You just have to be willing to go through the extensive hand search (Kevin and Amy, you two were right!) That was all kind of a relief, but Liam wasn’t prepared for me to disappear for as long as that took. Kevin ended up trying to convince a crying 3-year-old to go through a separate line with him and Kieran. No one was happy until the four of us were back together again, and then all was well.

Today we’ve been doing the laundry and opening all our mail that accumulated during our trip. And lookee what came:

This bracelet was made by the lovely Kate as my prize for guessing how many odd socks her boys had squirreled away in their room (28). It is gorgeous – I love the color of blue, and the heart clasp – the picture does not do it justice, trust me. Thank you, Kate! It’s is so pretty, and it fits perfectly.

And that is the tale of Chicago ’07. I hope we get to go to Chicago again, whether it’s for a conference or not, and I hope there is another La Leche League International Conference in the next few years, whether it’s in Chicago or not. And next time I won’t lose my wallet!

Big Brotherly Advice

lieslf — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 00:21:00 +0000

I saw Liam lying next to Kieran on the floor this morning, holding his hands and telling him something with a very serious look on his face.

Liam: “Kieran? Baby Puppy? I have to tell you something.”

Kieran: “Goo!”

Liam: “It’s a secret. Daddy is much better than Mommy at playing ball. Daddy will also let you climb the ladder when he’s trimming the bushes…”

Kieran: “Goo!”

Liam: “Yes, but, you are still so little. You need to stick by Mommy. She’s the one with the milk. It’s very strange and odd. Daddy has nipples, but no milk. So stick by Mommy for now, OK?”

More Evidence Of Overthinking

lieslf — Tue, 22 May 2007 16:35:00 +0000

So I saw an ad from a natural gas consortium showing scenes of wholesome daily American life (powered by natural gas, natch). The take-home lesson from the ad was that we need to conserve natural gas. Amongst the scenes in this ad was one of a mom heating up a bottle for her baby. So I thought proudly to myself, “See? I am so not wasting America’s natural gas supply heating up formula for my baby. And further, formula manufacturing requires a significant energy output not only in making the formula, but in taking care of the cows, and also in raising the grain they eat. So, self, you are good person!”

Just for grins and giggles, I then calculated the carbon footprint for our family. We’re a bit below the average American family in carbon emissions. Now, we’d be significantly below except for the fact that I just bought four plane tickets for us to go to Chicago in July. Air travel is not easy on the carbon emissions budget.

Now the irony of the situation is that we are going to Chicago to attend the La Leche League International Conference. All these breastfeeding advocates, a lot of whom also favor environmentally friendly lifestyles, contributing to carbon emissions by the very act of travelling to the Conference. It’s bothering my overactive brain and my hyperaware conscience.

Maybe we should walk to Chicago?

Where’s The Video Camera When I Need It?

lieslf — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 19:32:00 +0000

Liam and Kieran were lying next to each other on a blanket. Liam turned his head to kiss his brother. Rooting reflex triggered, Kieran latched onto Liam’s nose. And didn’t let go.

Liam: “Mommy! Mommy! Make him stop! He’s eating me to death! Tell him I’m not milk! I am not milk! I am Leonard! HEEELP!”

Really, truly, I’m not laughing at you, Leonard…