Boobs Win Again

Ok, so I know that not all moms can breastfeed ... and of course not everyone enjoys breastfeeding because it's demanding and difficult in the beginning. So combine the sleep deprivation with new-mom anxiety and throw breastfeeding on top of that, it is VERY hard for a lot of women to continue nursing past the first few weeks/months after having their baby. I know I was miserable a lot when it came to nursing and waking up every 1.5 - 2 hours.

But that being said, I made the commitment because I knew breast milk was better for Brandt nutritionally and that it provided him with the very important antibodies he needed to stay healthy and build his immune system. So I continued. Even though I was an emotional wreck and delirious the first 6 weeks. But I also had the added perk of burning an extra 500 calories a day just because I was lactating. Nice. Even though 'lactating' is such an awful word. Moo.

Here's another reason why breast is best:
Melamine in Infant Formula

And I know this doesn't help mom who use formula feel better about their decision, so I'm not trying to make people feel bad. I'm just making a case for breastfeeding, and how very important it is.

The Ultimate First Dance

Dooce

If you've never read her website, I urge you to take a quick peek. I'm fairly new to the blog world, so if you're thinking to yourself, "duh, Karen ... we know who Dooce is," then this entry is not directed toward you.

Baby #2

No, I'm not pregnant ... and let me tell you my reasons for not being pregnant:

1. Probably the most significant reason is money - lack of it. Mostly the concern is how expensive the medical costs would be because Joe's insurance isn't very inclusive.

2. I like wine. And coffee. And beer. And Ny-Quil. Since I stopped nursing back in April, it's been so nice to be able to take any kind of over the counter medication I want. You'd be surprised what is off limits to nursing women - and if you're pregnant, forget it. Even cough drops have a disclaimer telling you to seek medical advice before consuming if you're pregnant or nursing.

3. I think I might lose my mind. Brandt is tons of fun and super sweet, but there are times when I want some "me" time. I think with two kids you can throw that dream out the window until they're both in school. Right now I can take a few minutes here and there when I put Elmo on TV for 15 minutes.

It's funny that once your first kid reaches a certain age (usually over a year) people start casually prying about "when are you having another one?" and they get super suspicious of any move you make to see if you *might* be pregnant. Like whether or not you skip that glass of wine at dinner.

And to be completely honest, it's not something Joe and I haven't talked about. Or even attempted (take a deep breath, Mom). It just hasn't happened, and given our current situation I think we will hold off a little longer. I look forward to enjoying my wine this holiday season.

The Very Needy Cat

Early one morning a very needy cat woke up. Like way too early - before 5am. He wandered into the living room and began rattling the blinds because he enjoyed the sound they made, and he thought for sure the humans would wake up and come play with him. After a few minutes of rattling the blinds, he was discouraged because the humans had stayed in bed making a concerted effort to try to fall back asleep.

The very needy cat then decided to try another way to get the humans to wake up. He went into the bathroom and pawed at the cabinet door. He knew that because of the child locks, the door would never open and it would continue to bounce back and forth making a very annoying thud. Surely the humans would wake up now.

"Oh here one comes now! He looks mad. He's waving a pillow at me. This can't be good. I should run and hide and give the humans a few more minutes of peace."

After five generous minutes, the very needy cat began wandering around the house meow-ing. He knew that the humans loved spending time with him and that by politely asking them to come out and play he would be able to enjoy their company.

No such luck. He heard one of the humans whisper loudly, "Boston! Be quiet!!"

The humans were very concerned that the very needy cat would wake up the baby, because the humans enjoyed sleeping past 6am when the baby would let them .... and this morning the baby was sleeping in.

The very needy cat decided that the humans would rather have him come to them, so he jumped onto the bed and stepped on top of them. He walked on top of their heads, climbed over their shoulders, and tried to curl up next to their ears so he could groom himself.

He quickly tired of these activities when he realized the humans were not interested in his attempt at being friendly. He decided to jump from the bed to the nightstand and reach over to paw at the blinds near the nightstand. He of course had to maneuver around the lamp and stack of books on the nightstand, as to not knock anything over. He was careful to not annoy the humans.

By this time it was close to 6am, and the humans were mostly awake although they were trying to keep their eyes closed in bed to make a feeble attempt at falling back asleep. No such luck. The baby began to stir and the very needy cat was happy because he knew the humans would have to get up soon. It was at this point that the very needy cat curled up at the foot of the bed and fell asleep.

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I know why Eric Carle didn't write these types of stories - they might end in violence and be inappropriate reading material for small children.

The Start of the Holiday Shopping Season

I work at a Hallmark store part time. Today I had the pleasure of spending 5 minutes listening to a customer explain some of his favorite things:

me: "Hi, how are you today?"

him: "Oh, fine. Just looking at all your Christmas stuff. This is really cool - I like that song a lot. It's from ... what is it? Oh yeah, Fantasia."

me: (or The Nutcracker, but whatever ... Fantasia is more recent, so sure.) "Yes, it's a nice song."

him: "I have a laserdisc of Fantasia that I'll watch sometimes. That's a cool movie. I just got a new TV so it's a lot better. 21" flat screen. It's not high in definition or anything, but it makes everything look a lot better."

me: (nod)

him: "Hey, are these trees for sale? I really like that tree."

me: "Um, no I don't think so. That one is just for display."

him: "Oh, well it should be. I would buy it. I really like that tree. Or even something like this little tree."

me: "That one is for sale."

him: "Oh, ok."

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I don't know which was more entertaining for me: the part about the laserdisc, his Fantasia reference, or when he used the phrase, "high in definition."

Not-So-Subtle Jab

Today at the gym there were a few side conversations about the election results. I enjoyed listening to what everyone had to say. And though I voted for McCain, I really do want to believe that Obama will turn everything around. I just hope things don't get screwed up and turn our country into a socialist nation.

For our cool-down track today, the instructor chose her version of an appropriate song:

"We Are the Champions"

Subtle, huh.

The Very Reluctant Frog

He wasn't really into it this year.

Last year he just went with the flow because he was only 9 months old.























This year he put up more of a fight.

He looks pretty pissed off.