week 5 of the Ari



a tad less floppy: building some muscle for the inevitable:
The Sit Alone/The Unassisted Sit




Pretty much his favorite position: On mommy with easy access to breakfast/lunch/dinner/late night snacking.




I apologize for the silly, generic, stereotypical boy onesie. Blech...
but LOOK AT THOSE EYES!




The Mad Family Four on a Ferris Wheel -go 'round and 'round.
(stopping by the county fair)




"Hey guys, look at mama!  SMILE! I SAID LOOK AT MAMA! OVER HERE!"
click...




CLOTH DIAPERS!
It's a bold move, baby!

We have taken la plunge! As each diaper and its accessories (12 diapers, 1wet bag, detergent, inserts) arrived on our front door, the more nervousexcited I became about moving forward in the cloth diaper revolution.  And although, to date, it's only been a couple days I have to say I LOVES IT!  It's really not as hard/disgusting/time consuming as some would say it would be.  For me, what's another load of laundry?



there will always be laundry.
(Look at my cute sleeping baby!!)

  I'm so impressed with how clean they come out of the wash, how easy they are to use, and how much money we're going to save!  Oh, and one less diaper in the landfill...

In full disclosure, I am still using disposables at night.  This might change later...but for now it's just easier not dealing with the bulk and the snaps when you're half conscious...

In the next few weeks, I'm planning on switching over to reusable wipes as well.  Rumor is I can throw them into the laundry along with the cloth diaps.  Super easy, ya'll...

Who knew I'd be the co-sleeping, baby wearing, cloth diapering, breastfeeding mama that I've become?!  I certainly didn't set out to become a card carrying member of "Attachment Parenting" but HERE I AM!  Turns out this babe (and myself) are just a happier, calmer, more well rested (sort of ) unit than otherwise.  Bottom line is it works for our family and as individuals.  And that's how you get through the day.  And the night...so we're going wit-it.

on the breast

Due to tongue tie and a sleep deprived, impatient, and anxious first time mom, Milo was not breast fed.  So I took the road less travelled and pumped 7 times a day and supplemented with formula.   Yes, it was a major pain in the ass.  I knew with Kid Dos that I would not go down that ridiculous road again.  If Ari wasn't into it and I wasn't into it, then formula would be measured and poured into the loving arms of a sterilized bottle.

However, Ari has been a super champion -let me show you how it's done- feeder of the breast.  I now "get it" when other moms speak highly of breastfeeding.  I used to think they were lying.  And I will breastfeed until it no longer works for one or both of us.

Or until he turns 5.  Whichever happens first.  (haHA!)

In the past month, here a couple few things I've learned:

You know you're a breastfeeding mom when...

-You're not embarrassed to push on your breasts in public to see which one you left on.

-You here the catch phrase, "The baby is fussy...he wants some of that 2%."

-You feel the tingle/burn of your milk coming in and think, "He must be hungry." -AND THE BABY IS SLEEPING.

-When you tell people, "He drinks from the tap."

-You go visit your brother and need to nurse.  An hour later when you nurse again, you notice you're missing a nursing pad.  As you're leaving and saying your good-bye's you add, "I lost a pad somewhere in your house.  Sorry 'bout that."

-You leave the house sans cleavage and then develop amazing cleavage within hours.

-After nursing in the car you forget to snap your bra and pull down your shirt.  And then you walk out, in public, totally oblivious to it.

-You shamelessly re-snap or unsnap your nursing bra in public.

-You have perfected your hide -n- seek skills.

-You wake up at night to feed the baby and can't tell if your sweating or if its breastmilk all down your chest/stomach/sheets.

-When your toddler finds your pump and pretends to express milk from his own chest.

-You're out of reach of some nursing pads, so you use whatever towel/shirt/baby blanket to stuff in your bra.

-Your baby unlatches because he's choking due to a strong let down.

-"Crying over spilt milk" has a new meaning to you.

- You wake up in the middle of the night and see a pond of milk on the sheets, milk pouring out of baby's mouth and pooled in his neck, boob hanging out...but you're too tired to care so you just shift the both of you to the side and go back to sleep.

-You swear it's like 90 degrees in your house.

-You marvel at nearly every diaper change that this poo/pee came from YOUR milk. AWESOME!

-You love how accessible, easy, and FREE the milk is!  And maybe it's just me, but breastfed babies are just way, way cute:



Case in point

 


It doesn't get any more delish-ness.