Mothership Confessional

Pumping. It's not my favorite mommy duty. But of course, I'll do anything for baby! I had a lot of luck with breastfeeding and pumping in the beginning. I had a great supply, and I found that I was quickly filling up the freezer with baggies of liquid gold. But then it occurred to me, why am I pumping all of this if I am not going back to work? I don't need a giant stash! I did a lot of reading on breastfeeding and all the ins and outs about it. I read that my body will produce exactly the right milk  for what Ava needs at each stage in her life. The right amount, the right chemical make up for what her body and brain needs at that time...it was really interesting to read about that. It's like our bodies are in sync with each other, even though she is not in my belly anymore! So then what was I going to do with all the milk I pumped in the first 2 months or so of her life? It wasn't what she needed anymore. "Newborn" milk would not be right fo...

This last month seems to have dragged on forever. And I guess that's a good thing, because I don't want Ava growing up too  fast! I'm pretty sure the reason it seemed so long was because of her sleeping issues. For a week and a half, napping was such a struggle. Her normal routine of being rocked to sleep and then carefully placed in her crib was no longer working...and neither was anything else I tried. So then I decided to sleep train her. Yeah. That was a long week, too!! But now she can put herself to sleep...without a swaddle...in her crib!!! !!!!! The majority of the time, she now babbles herself to sleep with only mild fussing. Once in a while she cries, probably because she'd rather play than nap. So life is a little easier since I don't have to wrangle a crying babe 5 times a day, everyday. Her naps are a little longer! She still naps for 30 minutes the majority of the time, but at least her 20 minute naps are a thing of the past! For now.....