summer days

I'm feeling pretty lucky that our good friends who live just 10 minutes away have a pool, and that I'm able to spend summer days enjoying the sun with my boy. Today was our 2nd time swimming together in their pool, and it was such an improvement from last time! On our first attempt Kyle didn't want to be in the water unless he was clinging to me like a koala - and even then he wasn't really feeling it. But today he was much more comfortable, and had a great time floating in his raft and smiling away! Cheers to an amazing summer ahead!

end of an era

Kyle is no longer nursing and I'm sad.

It's been 8 days since we stopped. Since he was around 13 months old we were nursing first thing in the morning and at night, with whole milk bottles during the day. But then we would start skipping sessions now and then, and last week we skipped even more. So I decided it was a great opportunity to wean him, since he didn't seem to mind. After I made that decision, he only asked for it one time --  and wasn't even upset when I said no.

I should consider myself lucky since we were able to nurse for nearly 16 months, and that when it was time to stop it happened naturally. But I can't help but to feel a pang of sadness when I think about the sweet times I spent nursing my little baby boy. Some of my favorite memories of him as a newborn are the days where it was just me and Kyle, home all day long. He would nurse for 45 mins or sometimes a full hour, and then sleep in my arms or on my chest for hours at a time. (Ahh, the luxuries of maternity leave with your first born!) I think I was holding on to nursing him because it was the last shred of little baby left in my big boy, who is growing so fast before my eyes.

It's a funny thing when you stop nursing, because it's not a big deal to anyone but you and it's not really something you talk about very much. It just happens, and you might mention it to people close to you, and then you move on with your life. But to me, it's turned out to be a very emotional thing and in a way I feel like I'm mourning a loss -- even though I'm so happy that my boy is growing up so healthy and strong. 

Kyle and I struggled at the beginning with latch (he used a nipple shield for 6 months!), and had a couple of rough spots: first with supply when I went back to work and missed some pumping sessions, and then when I had an extremely painful milk blister for almost 2 months... but overall, I loved our experience so much (minus washing all that pumping equipment 100 times a day, and pumping frantically in a yucky restaurant bathroom). It was our bonding time together and sadly it's over. But I know it was the right time and I am so proud of us and our experience.

mommy & Kyle - 2 months old

stripes on my clothes and feet

I am in love with this photo because it represents everything I love about this summer - relaxing days, pool time, sandal tan lines and my sweet boy by my side. All that's missing is an hour alone to sneak away for a pedi :) Happy Wednesday!

16 months

Almost every day either Brian or I says to the other "our kid is so cool!" Of course he has his moments, but at the end of the day we always chat about our times with him and what a fun boy he's turning out to be.

Here's some thoughts about our boy at 16 months old:

• He is so into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. So much so, that sometimes he will climb up on the couch, hand me the remote and point to the TV! He has also started to smile and laugh at the funny parts, which melts my heart. As a mom, I'm so torn about spending time watching TV in the house, but he loves it so much that we let him watch a few episodes a day, especially when it's time to wind down or when we all need a break (or mom needs to get some work done).
• Kyle loves to watch and learn. When we do something new, it takes him a little bit to warm up. He'll sit on the sidelines and observe, but by the end of our stay he's usually out there having a blast. He'll also watch Brian and I very intently do things until he has the hang of it himself.
• He's slowly starting to communicate using words. He says "bup bup bup" when he wants up, or more commonly when he wants me to get up (which is inevitably 1 minute after I sit down). He also says "down" and always says "ball" whenever he sees any type of ball. He loves to say "bop!" when he's popping bubbles (in real life, in a book or on the iPad). He says "bottle," even though I usually call it a "baba," which cracks me up. No baby words for him! It sounds more like "bah-doo." He is saying the word "more," along with the sign. And my mom told me that when she was babysitting the other day he said "Penny" clear as day!
• Speaking of the iPad, we've introduced him to a few games and he loves it, of course. He taught himself how to use the home key and swipes the arrow to open it. He calls it the "pad pad." I was reluctant to let him play with it, but it's pretty cool to watch him learn things, like animal sounds and puzzles. Everything in moderation, right?
• This kid is a pointer. He points at everything, and usually points appropriately! He points at the moon, at birds, cars driving by, or when he wants something out of the fridge. He also points at things in his book when he wants us to tell him what it is. 
• He LOVES being outside. He asks to go outside all day long and gets so bummed when we have to come back in the house. We take Penny for tons of walks (in the wagon, or with his tricycle) and go to the park every day to run around and play on the playground. We also hang out in the back yard and play with the water table, and Kyle loves to be in the garage with Dad. He gets to sit in the cars and touch all the tools - boy stuff.
• At almost 16 months Kyle stopped nursing, which was harder for me than it was for him. He pretty much weaned himself when we skipped a few night or morning sessions, and then just stopped asking for it. At this point he wasn't nursing very often/much anyway, but we were continuing because it was still working for both of us. But it's been about a week, so I think I can officially say he's done. Tear.
• Recently, Kyle has had a hard time saying goodbye to me. When he knows I'm leaving for work, he clings to me and puts his head down on my chest and won't let anyone touch him. He does fine once I'm out of sight and he stops crying, but the initial separation has been rough. He never used to be like that, so it's been hard having to break away from a screaming baby. Hopefully it's just a quick phase.

I'm really looking forward to having tons of fun this summer with my big boy! I'm sure by the time fall rolls around, the list of things he's doing will be 10 feet long. It's so amazing how fast this time is flying by, and how quickly he's growing and changing.

relax to the max

Yesterday, Kyle asked me to turn on his Baby Einstein farmer DVD and decided he wanted to get extra comf. He laid down like this to watch the entire video. I folded all of our laundry, and then sat there and watched him chill out with a huge smile on my face. He looked so old and cute!