My Breastfeeding Journey

Well it's official...

I achieved my goal to breastfeed Gavin until he's 1!!! (Happy dance!)

Throughout this last year I enjoyed talking to other breastfeeding moms to hear their stories, and their experiences with everything breastfeeding (because lets be real- breastfeeding is not JUST breastfeeding, it's pumping, it's nursing bras, it's weaning...and so on.... you get it).

Everyone's breastfeeding journey is different.

That's why I decided to share my experience,
because it definitely changed over the course of time.

It started out rough. And by rough, I mean awful. And by awful, I mean- I would be on the verge of tears, cursing breastfeeding, vowing that I was "DONE WITH 'STUPID' BREASTFEEDING". 

...Ok, insert, crazy-hormonal, sleep-deprived, new mama, rambling utter nonsense at 3 am.

THANK THE LORD I did not give up, like I repeatedly said I was going to.

The First 6-8 Weeks

The first 6-8 weeks were rough hell for me for numerous reasons.
Gavin didn't have the best latch right away. I had to constantly stick my little pinky in his mouth, break the suction, and start all over until he got the right latch.
He also tended to over eat (because I have a very fast let down & flow), which resulted in some massive (well, what seemed massive) spit ups.
Also, in those first couple months my supply was kind of all over the place... during the day Gavin would eat every 2-3 hours, but at night sometimes he would sleep 5+ hours. Since we opted to not wake a sleeping baby, my boobs would get huge and very full. This is when he would tend to over eat, and we even had a couple 'projectile' vomit situations. Those situations are what usually led to the "I hate this, I'm f***ing done with breastfeeding, this is so dumb, I hate it" hissy fits.
Luckily, my husband was a trooper and always told me "it's fine, you can do it, it will get better". Bless his heart.
Oh, and let's not forget about the cracked nipples, right ladies!? If you are one of the lucky few who did not have to endure this misery...I envy you! I did everything to try and prevent cracked nipples, but I wasn't so lucky. I can still remember the pain of the first few minutes of breast feeding with cracked nipples... I would have tears in my eyes because it hurt so bad. Luckily...this phase didn't last too long and I was able to survive through the pain. But it was not fun.

On a brighter note- once I figured out a good pumping schedule- which was around the 6ish week mark, that seemed to help. Gavin was sleeping through the night at around 6 weeks, so like I said before- my boobs would get so full (and hard) it was honestly almost impossible to feed him. So, I figured out that if I pumped in the morning, and Aaron gave Gavin a bottle, that worked much better!
It also gave me a much needed "break" from (what felt like constantly) feeding the baby. 

2-6 Months

So by around 2 months, breastfeeding finally seemed to just click. I wish I had a better way to explain  it, especially to a frustrated, hopeless, breastfeeding mom- but all I can really say is give it time. I truly believe it's a learning experience for both Mom AND baby. Somewhere along the line, both Gavin and I got used to this new experience, and things clicked for us.

From around the 2 month mark to the 6 month mark it was exclusive breastfeeding. Exclusive meaning no formula. We would give Gavin a bottle of pumped breast milk here or there, but it was mostly me nursing him. I also continued to pump every morning, and sometimes a couple times throughout the day...enough that I ended up with an overflowing deep freeze full of milk. More on how I accomplished that here. *If I could go back- I would incorporate more bottles into his daily routine, because he got too used to nursing... and he didn't like to take bottles or sippy cups with milk.* 

6+ Months

At 6 months we started solid food purees, and I continued breastfeeding. This is when I started to pump less... since I already had way more breast milk stored than I needed. Originally I had planned to stop breastfeeding Gavin around 6 months, and just use the pumped milk I had stored to get us to the 1 year mark (because I had enough stored to do that), but since breastfeeding was now easier than having to thaw out and clean bottles throughout the day- I stuck with breastfeeding. :)

From 6 months on it was more of the same. Less and less pumping, until around 11 months when I completely stopped pumping. Even if Gavin would skip the occasional nursing session- I wouldn't pump.
I was ready to start the weaning process.

I started by getting Gavin on a good feeding schedule, with 3 meals a day, offering him milk in a sippy cup with each meal.

Breakfast around 7:30-8.
Lunch around 11:30.
Snack around 3-4 (as soon as he wakes up from his afternoon nap)
Dinner around 6:15.
Last nursing session at 7:30, right before bed.

To begin with, while we were working on getting this schedule set, I was breast feeding right after he ate his 3 main meals.
Once we had this new eating schedule down, I started by dropping the lunch breast feeding first.
After one week I dropped the next feeding, which was the dinner breast feeding.
Again, after another week, I dropped the breakfast breast feeding.
...and the last to go was the nursing session right before bed.
Occasionally I would need to pump when first dropping a feeding, because my boobs would get so uncomfortable!! I had to pump just enough to be comfortable, and within a day or two my body got the hint to start producing less!
I was super intimidated at first about the weaning process- but it was a far easier transition than I expected.

And there you have it.
A condensed view of my breastfeeding journey!
I should also note that we started giving Gavin sippy cups of milk with every meal at 12 months old (maybe a little sooner?) and it took him a solid month before he would really drink milk from them. He would suck down juice- but milk was a different story. Even if he would hardly touch his sippy cup of milk, we still offered it to him during every meal. After a month or so, he still doesn't drink a ton of milk- but he DOES drink it! So small, patient, baby steps with that one...

Anyways, like I said at the beginning of this post- everyone's breastfeeding journey is different.

EVERY breastfeeding mom has their own individual struggles.  

I sure have, and I've chosen to be open and honest about them, mostly because it seems to give comfort to other moms struggling with the same things I did.

It's always a big relief when you realize you are NOT the only one struggling with something.
And trust me, you are not the only one struggling with breastfeeding!!!!

 So for the struggling breastfeeding Moms: 

Stick with it!

Give it time!

Talk to someone- whether it's your doctor, your mom, a friend, a lactation consultant- trust me, this will help.

But most importantly, don't give up out of frustration!!

Need more motivation to keep on keeping' on with breastfeeding?
Check out my Motivation for Breastfeeding Mamas post.

September Updates!

How did this happen??

Where did Summer go?!

I swear, every Summer goes by faster than the one before. 

August was by far the fastest and busiest month. We stayed busy enjoying as much time in the pool as possible, soaking up every ray of sunshine we could, and I of course was busy with all kinds of house projects!
It was also my sweet baby boy's 1st birthday!! (holding back the tears...) 

Life with a 1 Year Old

It's so much fun having a 1 year old!

He's at that fun age where you can totally start to see his little personality. As in...they know how to start pushing the limits, being silly, making you laugh...etc. 

He's been walking since he was 11 months old- so now he's pretty much a pro. ;)

He loves to just walk around and explore the house- which means of course I spent numerous days baby-proofing every room. UGH. 

He's always been a bit more of a Mommy's boy...but lately he loves to cling on to my leg...and not let go. Aaron could be standing right next to me doing nothing, but of course Gavin needs to be attached to my leg as I try to bounce around back and forth in the kitchen and make dinner. 

Gavin's down to 1 nap- which is honestly something I was dreading.

Yes, I am admitting that, NO SHAME.

I LOVED that morning nap time because it was my peaceful, quiet, enjoy my coffee on the couch time. RIP peaceful coffee time. Now I get to enjoy my coffee during Sesame Street while Gavin crawls all over me and snuggles in my armpit. 

We realized Gavin needed to go down to 1 nap when we started having bad HORRIBLE, "WE ARE DONE HAVING KIDS" nights. Ya, those kinds of nights.

Gavin would wake up at 1-2am and not want to go back to sleep for 2-3 hours. Thank the Lord for coffee.

Once we went down to only 1 nap (which is currently around 1pm...and lasts 2+ hours) he went back to sleeping through the night. Hallelujah.

When's the Next One???

Speaking of "WE ARE DONE HAVING KIDS"... it reminded me of the fact that it seems like the 1 year mark is this magic mark where people feel like it's appropriate to start asking you when you're having the next one.

EXCUSE ME, WHAT?! 

Those couple weeks post-birth are still WAY TOO VIVID in my mind to want to go through all that again... and after a lot of the sleepless nights we were having with Gavin lately.... ya, the next kid can wait!!! We definitely have a time frame in mind, but I like to tell people- within the next 5 years....maybe. :)

But if you ask me after one of "those" nights, my answer is "Gavin is going to be an only child".

MomLife Updates

I'm almost done breastfeeding! Which is funny, because I now realize I can start wearing regular bras again- not just nursing bras! I also realize how much more freedom I have- and it's awesome. Not gonna lie.

All that needs to go is the last feeding right before bed.

I also find myself in that weird place where I look back at old pictures of Gavin when he was a little baby, and I think "awww, I miss that!!!" and at the same time, I LOVE the age he is now. He's so much more independent (in a sense) and honestly, every day with him is fun! I'm really, really loving the age he's at now. :) 

Other Randomness Updates

The kitchen/living/dining room update is 98% done! We have a hole in the ceiling (from the fireplace we ripped out) that needs to be patched, and 1 piece of trim left to be put on! That's that! It feels SO good to be done with it all, and we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our "new" living room!

I also am about 90% done with painting all of our upstairs trim and doors white!! The difference it makes is INSANE. We love it!

Another SUPER exciting change- we are updating our downstairs "bonus" room into a playroom. New paint, new carpet, and of course- white trim & doors! 

...and super cute decor once I finally find the time to take a trip to Hobby Lobby!!!!

I painted the entire room in 2 days. I just have 1 more coat of white to paint on the trim... then we just need to get our new carpet in!!! 

The most exciting part about this project- is all of the toys that accumulate (and don't get put away) in the living room- will be GONE!!!! I can't wait to have a room specifically for all of the toys!! I'll get my living room back!
Here's a sneak peak...

Before new paint...

...After new paint!!

Here's a non-house-project update: we took our yearly trip to the lake this year! It marked the third year we've gone to this lake with my side of the family! The first year we went Aaron and I had only been married a couple weeks! The second year we went (last year) Gavin was about 10 days old. This year, we had a 1 year old cruising all around the house... our little explorer. It was awesome to get away with the family. Even though vacations with Gavin right now aren't exactly "relaxing" like they used to be, they somehow still recharge you. 

Night Stand Project

This is my life right now:

Chase around an almost 1 year old.

Continue the never-ending process of painting our upstairs trim white.

Regular busy-ness of life.

Oh, and then another DIY project that's not necessarily a necessity...

but I decide to do it anyway, even though I have million other things I should finish first.

Yup. That sums up this project.

It's a nightstand that my Grandpa actually made for me probably 10+ years ago.

I decided I wanted Gavin to have it! 

In my opinion, it doesn't get better than having things of sentimental value. For Gavin, a nightstand made by his Great-Grandpa is pretty special.

As you can see in the before picture, it was painted all white. Which I loved...
UNTIL...
I did Gavin's dresser remodel.
Then I realized... I wanted it to match his dresser.

SO... time for a little DIY project.

I had all of my supplies left over from the dresser remodel, so it made this entire project that much easier.

(electric sander, sandpaper, Rustoleum off white spray paint, Rustoleum oil rubbed bronze spray paint, clear-top coat, stain)

Here's How I Did It:

I sanded the top down to the bare wood.

I spray painted the entire nightstand, except for the top (which would be getting stained) so it was the same off white color as his dresser.

Then I stained the top of the night stand with the same stain as from the dresser.

I also used my Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint to spray paint the little drawer knob.
...and...
VOILA!

I literally did this entire project in about 1 day.
I let it dry and cure for a couple days before bringing it back into his room.

Cheers to another unnecessary, but totally worth it DIY project!!

Gavin's Birth Story!

Somehow... this past year has flown by and I'm about to have a 1 YEAR OLD!!!!
How did that happen??!!!
So in honor of that craziness, I decided to share Gavin's birth story!

So here's how it all went down...

My due date was August 16th.
I had been having braxton hicks contractions since I was about 7 months pregnant. The last month of my pregnancy I had them ALL THE TIME.
At 37 weeks in my pregnancy, my doctor checked me for the first time, and I was already dilated to 2! Gavin was already very low (no wonder my low back was so sore), and in the correct position for birth! My doctor said we could expect him really any day from that point on! So of course, I expected to have my baby within the next week! .....for sure BEFORE my due date....
Nope. Not even close.

...At 38 weeks I was dilated to 3...

...At 39 weeks we didn't even check, because both my doctor and I agreed, "what's the point...this baby will come when he's ready, and he seems to be taking his time". 
Before you know it, I went past my due date, and we were in talks about inducing me.

40 weeks pregnant, laying poolside in my bikini
...in the privacy of my parents back yard! ;)

I absolutely did NOT want to be induced.

My original "plan" was to have an all natural, drug-free birth. I wanted to labor at home (out at my parent's house in their soaker tub) for as long as possible, and not go to the hospital until later in my labor.
I had read about all of the possible interventions that result from being induced, I also heard all of the women's horror stories about Pitocin. But, we knew we had a bigger baby on our hands, and my doctor wasn't comfortable going past 41 weeks (which to be honest, neither was I, because I literally was not comfortable anymore...I couldn't sleep, my back was so sore, I could feel Gavin was super low, and I was just over being pregnant...).

So even though I still really did NOT want to be induced, I caved, and during my last doctors appointment on August 18th, we scheduled an induction for 8:00am, Thursday August 21st (5 days past my due date).

When we left that doctors appointment, my doctor said as we were walking out, "Hey, you're water will probably break the night before"....I responded with "I hope so... fingers crossed!"

So, it's Wednesday, August 20th, the night before my scheduled induction. We were all packed (for the most part) and ready to leave for the hospital bright and early the next morning. It was about 10:30pm and I was crawling into bed, feeling so let down that I didn't go into labor naturally. It was a lot of mixed emotions, but mostly just a huge disappointment that I didn't go naturally. 

My head was of course spinning with all kinds of excitement and thoughts about the next day...I somehow finally managed to just doze off when, it all began....

10:50pm, I woke up to......MY WATER BREAKING!!!!!

I was so excited!!! Our doctor totally called it! ;)

The relief and happiness I felt about going into labor naturally is hard to even put into words! I was thanking God, A LOT!

I quick said to Aaron (who was sleeping), "Babe- I think my water just broke!" 

It was in this moment that I have never seen Aaron move faster- he FLEW out of bed, got fully dressed, and literally ran over to my side of the bed and just stood there before he even said one word.
I busted out laughing...which only caused me to lose more "water"- which was the strangest feeling, because it literally just feels like you're uncontrollably peeing yourself, so that in itself made me laugh even more...and now you can see how that became a viscous cycle...
I ended up having to make Aaron leave the bedroom, because he just kept making me laugh, and I just kept (what felt like) peeing myself.
I finally managed to get myself out of the bed and to the bathroom. We called my doctor (the world's greatest doctor, by the way), we updated him, and told him I would labor at home for as long as possible. 

I hadn't experienced any contractions yet. 

11:10pm: after my water broke, I'm still sitting on the toilet at this point because my water is still uncontrollably leaking. To kill the time while just sitting there, I called my mom to fill her in on the exciting news! I remember I could hardly talk because I was SO excited! I was shaking and my head was just spinning! After I hung up with her, at about 11:15pm,
I finally had my FIRST REAL CONTRACTION!
I remember thinking, "ok, so THAT'S what a real contraction feels like, braxton hicks are a joke compared to that". 
From that point on, my contractions were consistently every 3 minutes apart, noticeably getting stronger, with each one lasting at least 30 seconds. My water at this point is STILL leaking (a lot), but I wanted to go out to my parents (about 15 minutes from our house) and labor in the super awesome soaker tub my mom has. 

Thursday, August 21st 
(5 days past due date, the day I was scheduled to be induced)

12:15am: We finally had made it out to my parents house. Mind you, the entire way out there with every, SINGLE, freaking contraction, I felt like I was losing about a gallon's worth of amniotic fluid. My sweat pants were drenched, and I'm not even kidding, my flip flops were wet (ya eww, I know). 
At my parents house I immediately went right for the tub- and my mom, being the angel that she is, tossed my sweats in the dryer!
I had envisioned soaking in the comfy tub for hours....relaxing, and feeling 'great'...oh my lord was I wrong. The water was too hot, the water was too cold, I couldn't sit, I couldn't kneel, I spent about a total of maybe 8 minutes in the tub before I stood up and said to Aaron, "We're going to the hospital NOW, and I'm getting the epidural".
Yup, my idea of a natural, drug-free labor & delivery went out the door pretty quick.

At this point labor was getting "real". I couldn't walk or talk through contractions. Things that I would have found sweet and comforting were the exact opposite... for example, leaving my parents house for the hospital, my dad walked down the hall with us and put his hands on my shoulders, nicely massaging them, and in the pain of the moment I just said "nope, don't touch me". They all laughed and I think I faked a smile. I didn't mean it to be rude, but honestly at that point I just didn't want to be touched I guess. Don't worry, my dad knows I love him. ;)
On our way to the hospital Aaron proceeded to take, what I swear, is the bumpiest road in the state (poor planning on our part). I was quiet, and not talking a whole lot, but in my mind I was most definitely cursing at every single bump we hit. I pretty much kept my face buried in a towel on the entire drive, focusing on my breathing, and repeatedly telling myself "you're almost there, you're almost there, you're almost there".

1:30(ish)am: We arrive at the hospital, and I make Aaron run in and grab a wheel chair (yes, I even told him to run). Contractions were about every 1 1/2 - 2 minutes, with each one getting noticeably stronger, and lasting about 30-45 seconds. My once dry sweats, were again now drenched, and my flip flops were successfully soaked as well. Yup, that's right, with every contraction, ALL THE WAY TO THE HOSPITAL (20ish minutes), my water leaked. A lot.
I remember almost being pissed, thinking "in all the baby books I read, they say if you're water breaks it's just a light leak!! WTF, they LIE!!!!" 
(labor is so not glamorous)

While we were getting registered at the front desk in the Emergency Room, I remember all of a sudden feeling nauseous. I remember thinking, "great...so not only do I look (and feel) like a total mess right now, but I'm about to start throwing up.....fantastic...". They gave me a pretty little green puke bag, that luckily I didn't need. Well...that is, until we got up to my laboring room. Then it was put to use.
I was in the bathroom trying to change into my attractive hospital gown- amidst my almost constant contractions, and on top of that, repeatedly puking. (doesn't labor sound fun!) Meanwhile, Aaron (who is supposed to be helping me change) is hunched over in the corner of the bathroom with his eyes squeezed shut and his hands over his ears because he "doesn't do puking". So not only is he unable to help me change, but he's about to start puking himself! I finally was able to catch a break between the contractions and the puking, and told him to leave before he started puking since he was of no help to me in there! 

1:45am: I managed to make my way out of the bathroom. The nurse checked me and I was dilated to 5! Anesthesia was on it's way with the epidural, and I remember just telling myself, relax and breathe. I was super quiet during my labor, I didn't yell, I didn't swear, I somehow managed to stay extremely calm. I just focused on my breathing during the contractions, and kept telling myself the epidural was on it's way!
 (ps- the breathing technique that I read in one of my books is what saved me during labor. It's the only thing that got me through the contractions... breathe in for 4 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds and count them out in your head. This was my life saver).
The epidural didn't go quite as planned the first time around, it ended up in a blood vessel, which meant the doctor had to start COMPLETELY over. As in get all new supplies, re-scrub the area, re-tape the area, re-inject the needle, and re-do all of the little tests they do to make sure it's working and placed correctly. It was NOT fun having to sit hunched over the side of my hospital bed for that long, having to "be still" during contractions (but it WAS worth it...).

2:45am: The epidural is finally working like a dream, the nurse checked me again and I was already dilated to 8! (in one hour I went from 5 to 8...you can imagine my excitement!) My nausea was gone now, and I had zero pain. All I could feel was my stomach getting tight with each contraction.
I noticed I had the shakes, and that my entire body was still super tense. As soon as I relaxed my body, the shakes went away. It was kind of weird, because even though I felt zero pain, I still had to focus on staying relaxed and not tensing up! I had remembered reading in all of my baby books that when you keep your body tight and tense, it only slows labor. I worked on keeping every part of my body relaxed.
(it was during this time Aaron took a nap...I tried, but who are we kidding- who can sleep when you're in labor for the FIRST time and only hours away from finally having your baby!!??...ya, not this girl!)

The next time the nurse checked me was at 5:00am and I was fully dilated. She said I was ready to push, if I felt the pressure to push. . . But I felt zero pressure. So we decided to wait, and what they call "labor low" (continue with contractions, and relax until I felt the pressure to push...the more contractions, usually the less pushing...so of course, I was game for that).

6:00am: My doctor arrived, checked me, and said Gavin was "right there" and it was time to start pushing! I still had zero pressure to push, which they couldn't believe, because it was apparently most definitely "time"! Both my doctor and my nurse said my epidural was the best they had ever seen! I had zero pain, felt zero pressure, and yet I had TOTAL control over moving my legs and lower body. It was awesome.

We started off the pushing slow, more or less just practicing. It was actually super hard, because with the epidural I had no sense of "pushing". I honestly couldn't tell what the heck I was doing- if I was even "pushing" or not. I had no feeling! ha! So thank God my doctor and nurse were great coaches! :)

It was probably about 6:15am, still early in the pushing and just my nurse was beside me helping, when Aaron decides to ask our doctor "is there any coffee around here?"  Our doctor is seriously the most awesome, laid back guy in the world, and he responds with "oh yeah, come on let's go get some". So the two of them leave, and go enjoy some coffee together in the lounge. The nurse and I just laughed, and I'm sure I wouldn't have such fond memories of that situation if it wasn't for my epidural.  ;)
It wasn't a long coffee break, that's for sure- they managed to make it back pretty quick, but I just thought it was funny that Aaron thought that was an appropriate time for a coffee break. (....only my husband...)
Pushing got pretty exhausting, more than I expected. But...

6:59am: The moment I had been dreaming and praying about for 9 months, Gavin Daniel was born and laid on my chest!!!
That's a feeling that's just out of this world.
There's no other way to describe it...
Our doctor actually let Aaron "deliver" Gavin and lay him on my chest (have I mentioned how awesome our doctor is??)!

Gavin was a whopping 9 lbs 11 oz and 21 1/2 inches long!
Big, healthy boy!!!

Aaron's a Chiropractor, so Gavin got his first
adjustment at about 2 hours old.  :)

So there you have it... a pretty detailed, but still very condensed, story about the day that totally changed my life!
It was such an amazing experience.
It was totally different than I had "planned", but even if I could, I wouldn't change ONE thing!

I can't believe my tiny little baby is already almost 1!
It's bittersweet...

Randoms from the Past Month

1. Gavin is one busy boy.

He's into everything.

Everything being the dog food bowl, the kitchen drawers, the toilet, the dog kennel, Mom's bathroom drawers (of course not Dad's drawers because tampons and breast pads are way more fun to play with and throw around than anything in Dad's drawer...) and pretty much anything else within his reach.

He loves to walk behind his little walker toy, but he has yet to master the art of "turning around", which means every 10 seconds he's hit a new obstacle and needs Mom to turn him around.

Need I say anymore?

This kid keeps me busy, all day, every day.

2. Fourth of July was AWESOME!

Again, the day did not go as Mom & Dad had planned- Gavin put his own little spin on our plans.

Long story short- Gavin would not go to sleep for his afternoon nap at my parents house, so we drove all the way home for Gavin to sleep. Being the little stinker that he is, as soon as we got home and he was in his crib he slept for over 2 hours.

Once he woke up, we went out to my Aunt & Uncle's for some yummy 4th of July food, then headed over to my parents for some swimming and a bonfire with just our immediate family (my parents, siblings and nieces & nephews)! 

I had about 4 s'mores and probably 4 burnt marshmallows (there's nothing better than a black, burnt to a crisp marshmallow if you ask me...) maybe more, I honestly didn't keep track, but it was the first time that I felt sick from eating so many marshmallows... Maybe it's just 'cause I'm getting old...?

We kept Gavin up about 2 hours past his bedtime, but he was happy as can be! He loved the sparklers and the fireworks! It was a super fun night :) 

Much different than past 4th of July's...but that's to be expected with a baby.

3. We're Making Friends that are at the Same Stage in Life as We Are.

This is probably lame to some people who just happened to go through the new life stages (marriage, kids...etc.) at the same time as all of their friends.

But for Aaron and I, it's a big friggin' deal.

Aaron is roughly 10 years older than me...so for him, a lot of his friends have been married and already have older children.

For me, I was the first one in my group of friends to get married and have a baby.

We literally had zero of the same friends that were at the same point in life as we are.

FINALLY, we've had some other friends that have gotten married, and have recently had little munchkins of their own.

It's great having those few people to confide in, and realize, "ok, so we're not the only ones whose lives have drastically changed because of a baby". 

(no, everyone's lives drastically change once they have a baby...some are just better at hiding it than others)

4. DON'T CREATE A NIGHT FEEDING HABIT!!!

If there is one piece of advice I would give to someone regarding older babies and sleeping... 

it would be this:

DO NOT CREATE A NIGHT WAKING HABIT!! 

What do I mean by that? 

Well, we had a baby that was sleeping through the night at 6 weeks. He was a great sleeper- until he hit about 6-7 months old. Whether it was teething or a growth spurt- he just hasn't been as good of a sleeper. About a month ago (so Gavin was about 9-10 months old) when he would wake up in the middle of the night- we started just feeding him. Aaron would bring him into bed with us, I would breastfeed him for no more than 15 minutes, and we would have a precious sleeping baby again. Aaron would go lay him back down in his crib- and voila. A super easy way to get our baby back to sleep.

NO!!! NO!!!! NO!!!!!! 

Don't do it, unless you're fine with waking up numerous times every night for who knows how long, weeks...months....who knows!

We finally realized once he was waking up a couple times every night, that this had to end.

We realized WE created a nasty habit.

Instead of being able to soothe himself back to sleep- Gavin was used to snuggling up next to Mom in bed and getting a nice full tummy.  

It was a couple nights of hell, trying to get him back to sleep without feeding him. LOTS of crying, and very little sleep for Aaron and I... no wonder we went through so much coffee lately...

We just started this process 4 nights ago. The first two nights were the rough ones. The past two nights he's slept through the night without making a peep... so I guess we're crossing our fingers that this nasty night waking phase is over!

Gavin recreating what I must have looked like
those couple days- FACE IN THE COFFEE CUP!!

5. Planning a 1 Year Old's Birthday!!

This one comes with mixed emotions!

I'm so excited for Gavin's birthday, because I love planning, and decorating for parties!

I've got all sorts of fun ideas, and honestly have been thinking about this day since Gavin was about 6 months old!

At the same time, my heart hurts a little because I'm realizing how fast my baby is growing up.

I honestly can't believe it's been almost 1 year since he was born.

WHAT the WHAT?! How is that possible!?

I can remember every part of that night spent in labor, and that morning when he was born like it happened yesterday! 

Wow, cue the emotional mommy sappiness, right?!

(see the benefit of having other "mom" friends is when we start talking like this, and I realize I'm not the only mom who thinks this way!...much to my husband's surprise!)

6. Hope You Are Enjoying Your Summer!!!

Bonfires, fishing trips, ice cream, s'mores, sunshine, beaches, lakes, suntans, country music...

I hope you're enjoying it all like we are!

10 Months as Mom

Alright, 

I finally feel like I've had this "mom" thing down for awhile now.

I'm used to protecting Harley the dog from a wild-child 10 month old who wants to pull on his ears and chew on his tail.

I'm used to having to speed vacuum because I have a baby chasing and climbing on the vacuum (he loves when I vacuum- super easy entertainment).

There's no more online shopping if Gavin's awake- because the computer is way too cool and Gavin can't resist pulling, pounding, and chewing on it.

I'm used to plans changing because of a teething, sassy baby.

I'm used to leaving birthday parties early for bath & bed time 

(for Gavin...not me.......).

I'm used catching only about half of the conversations I'm apart of because I'm too busy chasing down my 10 month old child who's about to eat the dead bug off the floor over there.

I'm also VERY used to no longer sitting still, because Gavin is way to busy exploring everything, everywhere.

I'm used to being tired every night by 9pm 8 pm 6pm.

Nap time is still like a sacred time to me. Peace. Quiet. Relaxation. I love it, and kind of dread when he goes down to 1 nap a day...(selfish, I know).

I've become a pro at pumping on the go. As in, in the back of my sister's minivan driving down the interstate on our girls trip to Stillwater, MN. Yup, that's right.

I recently realized I needed to stop pumping, because I have over 3,500 oz of breast milk stored in our deep freeze. . . and I'm still nursing Gavin & plan to until he's 1. 

(I feel like I represent the great state of Wisconsin well...me & the cows, we're milk producing freaks over here)

Spit up, dirty diapers, baby boogers, drool, being peed on- eh, what's the big deal? It's all in a days work now.

I still am slightly amazed that I can feel like I had a crazy busy day- but never even left the house. 

I guess multiple loads of laundry and a 10 month old baby can do that to you.

It's so much fun being Mom.

It's hard work and it's tiring most days, 

but there's nothing better than spending that time with your baby 

and catching all of those smiles & giggles.

I know I say this in probably every post regarding Gavin...

but the TIME FLIES!!

And maybe I'm just a huge sap compared to a lot of other moms-

but I find myself constantly thinking about how fast Gavin is growing up!

When I see older boys I picture that being Gavin some day- and oh my gosh, it kind of tears at my heart! (pathetically sappy, or normal mom brain??)

Anyway-

I love being a stay at home Mom, even if it means spending a lot of my days in sweats, no make up, hair on the top of my head, and chasing around a 10 month old child all day.

Not even going to lie-

I wouldn't change a thing.