Remember my book review of Shanghai Girls and I said, "there must be a sequel coming because it ended on a cliffhanger?" Yeah - apparently both the first book and the sequel were written a few years ago, ha. So I didn't have to wait!
Dreams of Joy by Lisa See
This book literally picks up the second after the first one ended. And I was glad about that because I didn't want to skip over the logistics of how these women were going to get into communist China from America. I should say, though, I think this book could stand on its own (ie, you wouldn't need to read the first) because any time there might be a question about the past, they explain it a little. You would get the characters more if you read both, but whatev.
So anyway, this book is told from two different, 1st-person perspectives: Pearl (the mother/older sister who narrated the first book) and her daughter Joy. I enjoyed having 2 perspectives this time, but I have to say, Joy was so freaking naive it drove me crazy! Naive to the point of stupidity at times. She does redeem herself a bit as the book moves forward, but still, there were multiple times where I wanted to scream, "you stupid, stupid child!"
But other than Joy, I enjoyed the book. Actually, I feel really interested in reading more books about China. This one took place amidst Mao's "Great Leap Forward" and all the consequences that followed. It was fascinating to read about early communist China - also heartbreaking, because as we all know from history class, there were millions of deaths due to famine (which was a result of very poor leadership). I know this book is fiction, but Lisa See did a ton of research (as noted in the foreword and afterward of the book), so it feels a little more like historical fiction.
Our library has one other Lisa See book available for e-checkout (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan), which I have on my kindle and plan to read once I finish our book club book for this month. So I think the fact that I want to read more books by her is endorsement enough - but I would definitely recommend this book. Like I said about the last one: it isn't "high literature," but it also isn't crappy chick lit. And I'd say to definitely give it a shot for the historical aspect.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Wonderful Mother's Day Weekend
After so many years on the giving end of Mother's Day, it's fun to now be showered with love and presents on a random day in May.
My mom came in town to celebrate with us this year, as well. So really, the whole weekend was nice! It was great to see my mom, and she helps us so much by taking a lot of childcare duties when she's in town (including Bates' early morning wakeup so we can sleep in).
Friday night we hung out at home. And Saturday morning we went to the zoo. Then, after watching the 4pm Grizzlies game on tv, Jonathan and I went to the new Local in Overton Square and sat at the bar and had dinner. It's nice to have nights out like this every now and then to remind ourselves that at one point we weren't just Bates' parents, but people with things to do and people to see.
Sunday morning I had to be at church from 9-9:30 to rehearse for Confirmation. When I got home, blueberry lemon pancakes had been cooked up on the griddle! Yum! Then we went back for the actual church service/confirmation at 11. After church my mom headed back to St. Louis and I vegged a bit while Bates snoozed.
We spent the later part of the afternoon at Overton Park blowing bubbles and flying a kite. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was about 70 degrees. There was no place I would've rather been than right there. Later, we closed out Mother's Day with Indian takeout for dinner and a cupcake (as my mom had bought a half dozen on Saturday).
Bates and Hank gifted me with a pedicure certificate to be used asap, as my feet look horrible. I also got a new suitcase last week which is pretty awesome and was desperately needed. My mom gave me this cool framed poem about a baby's hands and then she had Bates do a handprint at the bottom. She has the same little project from when I was a toddler.
All in all, it was an awesome weekend. I'm still loving the cold Spring and am spending every possible second outside that I can. Also, I need to do some major detox this week after having 2.5 cupcakes, eating way too much junk food, and having a few porters at the bar. Well worth it, though.
My mom came in town to celebrate with us this year, as well. So really, the whole weekend was nice! It was great to see my mom, and she helps us so much by taking a lot of childcare duties when she's in town (including Bates' early morning wakeup so we can sleep in).
Friday night we hung out at home. And Saturday morning we went to the zoo. Then, after watching the 4pm Grizzlies game on tv, Jonathan and I went to the new Local in Overton Square and sat at the bar and had dinner. It's nice to have nights out like this every now and then to remind ourselves that at one point we weren't just Bates' parents, but people with things to do and people to see.
Sunday morning I had to be at church from 9-9:30 to rehearse for Confirmation. When I got home, blueberry lemon pancakes had been cooked up on the griddle! Yum! Then we went back for the actual church service/confirmation at 11. After church my mom headed back to St. Louis and I vegged a bit while Bates snoozed.
We spent the later part of the afternoon at Overton Park blowing bubbles and flying a kite. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was about 70 degrees. There was no place I would've rather been than right there. Later, we closed out Mother's Day with Indian takeout for dinner and a cupcake (as my mom had bought a half dozen on Saturday).
Bates and Hank gifted me with a pedicure certificate to be used asap, as my feet look horrible. I also got a new suitcase last week which is pretty awesome and was desperately needed. My mom gave me this cool framed poem about a baby's hands and then she had Bates do a handprint at the bottom. She has the same little project from when I was a toddler.
All in all, it was an awesome weekend. I'm still loving the cold Spring and am spending every possible second outside that I can. Also, I need to do some major detox this week after having 2.5 cupcakes, eating way too much junk food, and having a few porters at the bar. Well worth it, though.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Bates' 2-Nap Day
Everyday, my baby boy is growing more and more into a big boy. Most recently this has been illustrated by the transition to one nap a day. I'm sort of excited since one nap really opens up the day for activities, but it still reminds me he isn't my little bitty helpless guy anymore. We're also transitioning him from bottles of cow's milk to all sippy cups, which some might argue should've been done at 12 months...but we didn't do that, so here we are now.
Anyway, since we hope to have another baby(ies) some day, I want to write down his 2-nap schedule while it's still fresh in my mind. So I guess you could say this post is more for me than you, reader, but please feel free to read about our schedule if you're interested. :)
Wake up (usually 6am) - bottle first thing
Breakfast about 2-2.5 hours after wake up
Morning nap: when he was younger, right after breakfast (so he'd never be awake more than 3 hours at a time); when he was older, nap about 3.5-4 hours after wake up
Bottle right when he wakes up from nap
Lunch about 2 hours after wake up/bottle
Afternoon nap: when he was younger, right after lunch (so he again wouldn't be up for more than 3 hours); when he was older, it kept getting pushed later and later*
*This was how I knew he was ready to transition to one nap: the afternoon nap kept getting pushed later and later because he would sleep longer stretches in the morning (maybe 10-11:30), and then wouldn't want to go back to sleep. At first I could still get him to sleep an hour (maybe 3:30-4:30), but the late afternoon nap kept getting shorter until it was often only 20 or 30 minutes.
Bottle right when he wakes up from nap
Dinner at 6pm
Start bedtime routine between 7 and 7:20 - routine includes: bath, bottle, books, rocking, and then in the crib
-He's drinking 22 ozs of milk/day (4 bottles: 6ozs, 5 ozs, 5 ozs, and 6ozs)
-Even though he often wakes up at 6am, we never get him out of his crib before 6:30
Anyway, since we hope to have another baby(ies) some day, I want to write down his 2-nap schedule while it's still fresh in my mind. So I guess you could say this post is more for me than you, reader, but please feel free to read about our schedule if you're interested. :)
Wake up (usually 6am) - bottle first thing
Breakfast about 2-2.5 hours after wake up
Morning nap: when he was younger, right after breakfast (so he'd never be awake more than 3 hours at a time); when he was older, nap about 3.5-4 hours after wake up
Bottle right when he wakes up from nap
Lunch about 2 hours after wake up/bottle
Afternoon nap: when he was younger, right after lunch (so he again wouldn't be up for more than 3 hours); when he was older, it kept getting pushed later and later*
*This was how I knew he was ready to transition to one nap: the afternoon nap kept getting pushed later and later because he would sleep longer stretches in the morning (maybe 10-11:30), and then wouldn't want to go back to sleep. At first I could still get him to sleep an hour (maybe 3:30-4:30), but the late afternoon nap kept getting shorter until it was often only 20 or 30 minutes.
Bottle right when he wakes up from nap
Dinner at 6pm
Start bedtime routine between 7 and 7:20 - routine includes: bath, bottle, books, rocking, and then in the crib
-He's drinking 22 ozs of milk/day (4 bottles: 6ozs, 5 ozs, 5 ozs, and 6ozs)
-Even though he often wakes up at 6am, we never get him out of his crib before 6:30
Friday, May 3, 2013
Book Reviews Up In Here!
I've been seriously slacking on my book reviews lately, but I really want to have a list of what I've read this year - so I'm going to hit you with three (and a half) today!
1) The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon
This was our book club book 2 months ago. It's the first book Michael Chabon ever wrote (in fact, it was his senior thesis [or maybe master's thesis?] in college). And I sort of have a hard time reviewing the book not thinking about that. Basically, this is an awesome first book. It has little glimpses here and there of the incredible writer Chabon would become a few books down the line. But I'm not sure I would necessarily recommend this book. I'm not unhappy I read it - I actually really enjoyed the story - but it felt a little juvenile, maybe? Chabon himself, when asked about the book, responded with something along the lines of, "dude, I was 22 when I wrote it." Enough said.
One aspect of the book I really enjoyed, though, was the homosexual plot line. I haven't read a lot (or any??) gay fiction, so this felt refreshing and new. And fun fact: Michael Chabon, who is now married to a woman, said he's had both heterosexual and homosexual relationships in the past.
2) The Round House by Louise Erdrich
Read this book. Go to the library/bookstore/amazon Kindle site and get yourself a copy. This was one of the best books I've read in a long time. The writing was great, the plot was engaging, and the characters were unique and memorable.
It's the story of a native american family who live on a reservation. A horrific rape takes place and we see its impact on the family through the eyes of the 12-13 year old son. It's a little bit of mystery, a little bit of coming-of-age, a little bit of social commentary on Indians vs. white men, and a little bit of a call for justice regarding laws for prosecution of on-reservation crime. This was the first piece of native american literature I've ever read and really, truly enjoyed. And I've read a fair amount.
Side note: in the afterward at the end of the book, the author says 1 in 3 Indian women who live on reservations are raped by white men. 1 in 3! I'm horrified and disgusted by that number - I thought you might be, too.
3) Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
My friend Brooke really likes Lisa See and offered Shanghai Girls as an option for February book club (we decided on Mysteries of Pittsburgh instead). But I decided to read this anyway. Lisa See has a ton of books, so I figured she must be appealing to the masses if she keeps getting published.
I enjoyed this book and read it in the same fast way I fly through YA fiction or chick lit. It's not necessarily chick lit - but I also wouldn't say it's "high literature" the way Michael Chabon or The Round House are.
It spans many years of two sisters' lives. It begins in pre-war Shanghai and ends in 1950s Los Angeles. The sisters' relationship is the stand-out aspect of the novel. I loved getting everything from Pearl's perspective (the older sister), but then hearing what May (younger sister) had to say when the two would have arguments. May would call Pearl out on something she was doing wrong, and as the reader (since I'd only been in Pearl's head), it was like, "oh - wait - she's right!" I also loved seeing what the American racism against Chinese people felt like from the inside.
This book ends on a serious cliff hanger - so it's clearly part of a planned series (or at least a set of two). And I will most certainly read the follow-up - I'll also probably check out more of Lisa See's books.
3.5) Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
This book is just a .5 because I didn't finish. I came upon this because we've recently discovered the public library's e-book collection (which, by the way, is awesome for e-books users - check it out in Memphis or your own city). The selection of really good literature is heavily outweighed by Harlequin romance and books like one I found called "Baby Momma." So when I saw a title I had heard of, Swamplandia, I added it to my queue.
This is the story of a family who own an amusement-type park in the Florida Keys called Swamplandia! that is on the steady decline. The mother (and star of the park) has just passed away, the grandfather (and founder) has been sent to a retirement home, and the dad and three kids are left to fend for themselves and try to keep the park alive.
It's kind of a weird story. The writing is pretty good, but as hard as I tried, I just couldn't stay super interested in what was going on. In fact, it was a little depressing in a real-life sort of way (that is, yet another family business going under and having serious financial concerns). Couple those things with the fact it was a library book (and thus had an expiration) and I didn't finish. I don't really have any desire to go back and finish. But that being said, I don't necessarily suggest you avoid the book. It's quirky - if you like quirky books this could be right up your alley. And I definitely laughed out loud at some of the parts related to the brother - so maybe there's more of that as you continue reading?
1) The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon
This was our book club book 2 months ago. It's the first book Michael Chabon ever wrote (in fact, it was his senior thesis [or maybe master's thesis?] in college). And I sort of have a hard time reviewing the book not thinking about that. Basically, this is an awesome first book. It has little glimpses here and there of the incredible writer Chabon would become a few books down the line. But I'm not sure I would necessarily recommend this book. I'm not unhappy I read it - I actually really enjoyed the story - but it felt a little juvenile, maybe? Chabon himself, when asked about the book, responded with something along the lines of, "dude, I was 22 when I wrote it." Enough said.
One aspect of the book I really enjoyed, though, was the homosexual plot line. I haven't read a lot (or any??) gay fiction, so this felt refreshing and new. And fun fact: Michael Chabon, who is now married to a woman, said he's had both heterosexual and homosexual relationships in the past.
2) The Round House by Louise Erdrich
Read this book. Go to the library/bookstore/amazon Kindle site and get yourself a copy. This was one of the best books I've read in a long time. The writing was great, the plot was engaging, and the characters were unique and memorable.
It's the story of a native american family who live on a reservation. A horrific rape takes place and we see its impact on the family through the eyes of the 12-13 year old son. It's a little bit of mystery, a little bit of coming-of-age, a little bit of social commentary on Indians vs. white men, and a little bit of a call for justice regarding laws for prosecution of on-reservation crime. This was the first piece of native american literature I've ever read and really, truly enjoyed. And I've read a fair amount.
Side note: in the afterward at the end of the book, the author says 1 in 3 Indian women who live on reservations are raped by white men. 1 in 3! I'm horrified and disgusted by that number - I thought you might be, too.
3) Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
My friend Brooke really likes Lisa See and offered Shanghai Girls as an option for February book club (we decided on Mysteries of Pittsburgh instead). But I decided to read this anyway. Lisa See has a ton of books, so I figured she must be appealing to the masses if she keeps getting published.
I enjoyed this book and read it in the same fast way I fly through YA fiction or chick lit. It's not necessarily chick lit - but I also wouldn't say it's "high literature" the way Michael Chabon or The Round House are.
It spans many years of two sisters' lives. It begins in pre-war Shanghai and ends in 1950s Los Angeles. The sisters' relationship is the stand-out aspect of the novel. I loved getting everything from Pearl's perspective (the older sister), but then hearing what May (younger sister) had to say when the two would have arguments. May would call Pearl out on something she was doing wrong, and as the reader (since I'd only been in Pearl's head), it was like, "oh - wait - she's right!" I also loved seeing what the American racism against Chinese people felt like from the inside.
This book ends on a serious cliff hanger - so it's clearly part of a planned series (or at least a set of two). And I will most certainly read the follow-up - I'll also probably check out more of Lisa See's books.
3.5) Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
This book is just a .5 because I didn't finish. I came upon this because we've recently discovered the public library's e-book collection (which, by the way, is awesome for e-books users - check it out in Memphis or your own city). The selection of really good literature is heavily outweighed by Harlequin romance and books like one I found called "Baby Momma." So when I saw a title I had heard of, Swamplandia, I added it to my queue.
This is the story of a family who own an amusement-type park in the Florida Keys called Swamplandia! that is on the steady decline. The mother (and star of the park) has just passed away, the grandfather (and founder) has been sent to a retirement home, and the dad and three kids are left to fend for themselves and try to keep the park alive.
It's kind of a weird story. The writing is pretty good, but as hard as I tried, I just couldn't stay super interested in what was going on. In fact, it was a little depressing in a real-life sort of way (that is, yet another family business going under and having serious financial concerns). Couple those things with the fact it was a library book (and thus had an expiration) and I didn't finish. I don't really have any desire to go back and finish. But that being said, I don't necessarily suggest you avoid the book. It's quirky - if you like quirky books this could be right up your alley. And I definitely laughed out loud at some of the parts related to the brother - so maybe there's more of that as you continue reading?
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Loving the Cold Spring!
Judging by my Facebook feed, and the numerous comments like "when is it going to get warm??" I think I'm in the minority. But I have to admit: I LOVE the cold Spring this year! I seriously dislike hot weather (summer is my least favorite season), so any delaying of the inevitable Memphis heat is a-ok in my book - even if that means we were in the low 40s last night.
(Our furnace and A/C might disagree, though, as they've both been turned on and off a few different times over the past month.)
But Bates and I have really enjoyed the weather. We've done a lot of playing outside. We've been to the zoo multiple times, we've romped around Shelby Farms, and we've taken Hank on a lot of walks through the neighborhood. These activities have been a little on the chilly side for April, I suppose, but I guarantee it's a lot more fun to play at the park in 60 degree weather than 110!
Two weekends ago we went to an event called Rock N Romp, which takes place about once a month. They are held all over the city and the one we most recently went to was at the Mud Island Riverwalk. It's basically a rock concert for kids. It's free (although they ask you to make a donation), there's free food (while it lasts) and free beer for the parents! It was such a gorgeous day; we all loved being down by the river, enjoying tunes, and drinking brew.
Last weekend our neighborhood hosted its annual Spring Fest. We walked down with Bates' wagon and hung out for a little bit. There was a live band, food and drink, and bouncy houses for kids. Again, it was a gorgeous sunny day and it was so nice to go out and enjoy it.
Bates adores being outside. Whenever someone opens the door, he cries if he isn't allowed to go out, too. We spend many afternoons just sitting in the front yard exploring and throwing the ball to Hank. I don't know how much he'll like being outside when it's blazing hot, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there. (Although I guess kids don't mind the heat as much as parents - it certainly never dissuaded my from playing when I was little.)
It seems like colder-than-normal temperatures are widespread this year - are you guys enjoying the cold spring?
(Our furnace and A/C might disagree, though, as they've both been turned on and off a few different times over the past month.)
But Bates and I have really enjoyed the weather. We've done a lot of playing outside. We've been to the zoo multiple times, we've romped around Shelby Farms, and we've taken Hank on a lot of walks through the neighborhood. These activities have been a little on the chilly side for April, I suppose, but I guarantee it's a lot more fun to play at the park in 60 degree weather than 110!
Two weekends ago we went to an event called Rock N Romp, which takes place about once a month. They are held all over the city and the one we most recently went to was at the Mud Island Riverwalk. It's basically a rock concert for kids. It's free (although they ask you to make a donation), there's free food (while it lasts) and free beer for the parents! It was such a gorgeous day; we all loved being down by the river, enjoying tunes, and drinking brew.
Last weekend our neighborhood hosted its annual Spring Fest. We walked down with Bates' wagon and hung out for a little bit. There was a live band, food and drink, and bouncy houses for kids. Again, it was a gorgeous sunny day and it was so nice to go out and enjoy it.
Bates adores being outside. Whenever someone opens the door, he cries if he isn't allowed to go out, too. We spend many afternoons just sitting in the front yard exploring and throwing the ball to Hank. I don't know how much he'll like being outside when it's blazing hot, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there. (Although I guess kids don't mind the heat as much as parents - it certainly never dissuaded my from playing when I was little.)
It seems like colder-than-normal temperatures are widespread this year - are you guys enjoying the cold spring?
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
How I Stopped Exclusively Pumping
I realize this post probably isn't applicable to most of you, but I wanted to write it anyway because I think there's a huge lack of information out there about women who exclusively pump breastmilk. I did all kinds of google searching when I was ready to wean myself off of the pump - and for the most part, my search came up dry.
One blogger I follow (Healthy Tipping Point) wrote about her experiences weaning off the pump here and here. I took a slightly different approach than she did...
So I was counting down the days until Bates' first birthday when I could quit pumping! One thing to keep in mind is that you might want to mix breastmilk and cow's milk together for a couple weeks after they turn one before you give the baby straight-up cow's milk (so he/she can get used to the taste). I say keep this in mind because you want to have enough breastmilk to be able to do that.
I hoped to quit breastfeeding slowly so as to avoid emotional side effects. I've heard of women who didn't have much postpartum depression, but then had a lot of trouble with the hormonal fluctuations of ending breastfeeding. I personally did not experience any postpartum depression - so I definitely didn't want to go through anything a year later. I figured the slower I took it, the easier it would be on my body. I imagine one could quit breastfeeding faster than I did (actually, that's how Healthy Tipping Point did it), but as much as I was ready to quit, I decided to take the slow route.
So. The week before Bates turned one, I took my pumping down to two sessions a day (morning and night). At that point, I was still completely emptying both breasts at each pumping session (taking about 30-40 minutes). I saw a decrease in milk supply just from dropping the mid-day session, but I was still pumping a fair amount (maybe 20 ozs/day?).
So a week or so after bringing it down to 2x/day (and getting my body stabilized there, thus producing less milk), I started cutting the time of each pumping session. That is, I would only pump for a certain amount of time, which would not completely empty the breasts. Again, I did this slowly. So maybe initially I would cut 5-10 minutes off of each session. Then I'd do that a day or two. Then I'd cut maybe 10-15 minutes off the original time, and do that for a day or two. I thought it would be super uncomfortable to quit pumping when there was still milk left, but actually, I did it so gradually that I didn't feel any pain or discomfort.
I got myself down to two 10-minute pumping sessions a day (which was a good 20-30 minutes less than my "baseline" - note that your own baseline might be different). So then I started to bring it down to one pump/day. To get there, I did a few days of pumping less than 24 hours between each pump. So maybe if I pumped before bed, I would hold off on my pump the next day until lunchtime or 5pm. Then the next day I'd pump in the morning or during his morning nap. So a little less than 24 hours between each - and still limiting the time to less-than 10 minutes.
A few days of that led to pumping once a day. For 10 minutes. And it only took a day or so for my supply to adjust to that. At this point, my supply had greatly decreased. And Bates was on 100% cow's milk, so I knew I could quit whenever my body would let me.
So then I started pumping every day and a half, and I only pumped for 5-10 minutes. But I only did that a day or two, because then I could just tell I didn't need to pump anymore. My boobs started to feel different. They wouldn't really hook up to the pump that easily anymore.
My last pump ever, unfortunately, wasn't that ceremonious because I didn't realize it would be the last time. I felt like I needed to pump (like, felt that sort of duct-cloggy feeling on the left side), and about 2 minutes in, I realized the right side did not need to be pumped, so I unhooked that one and just did the left side for about 5 minutes - enough to take the cloggy feeling away.
I had the cloggy feeling on the left side two other times (one a few days after the final pump and one about 2-3 weeks after), and I just heated it up in the shower and then hand expressed enough to get the clog out.
So like that - voila - I weaned from the pump! I'm really glad I did it slowly. There were a couple super-emotional days, but that's about it. I obviously don't know if I would've had the same emotions or worse if I would've done it quickly, but I'm glad I didn't risk it. I'm also glad I didn't get a final round of mastitis (I had it twice during the year). I think if your body has been prone to clogged ducts/mastitis during your breastfeeding journey, it would be best to cut down the time of your pumps slowly (so you aren't constantly leaving very full, un-pumped boobs before your supply goes down).
As I said in my other post, I'm so glad to be done! It was actually sort of weird to put on a normal bra again - like, it fits a lot different than my nursing bras did. And I can't wait to wear some shirts and dresses that didn't fit across my nursing chest last year.
Good luck if you're weaning from the pump! I hope this helps a little.
One blogger I follow (Healthy Tipping Point) wrote about her experiences weaning off the pump here and here. I took a slightly different approach than she did...
So I was counting down the days until Bates' first birthday when I could quit pumping! One thing to keep in mind is that you might want to mix breastmilk and cow's milk together for a couple weeks after they turn one before you give the baby straight-up cow's milk (so he/she can get used to the taste). I say keep this in mind because you want to have enough breastmilk to be able to do that.
I hoped to quit breastfeeding slowly so as to avoid emotional side effects. I've heard of women who didn't have much postpartum depression, but then had a lot of trouble with the hormonal fluctuations of ending breastfeeding. I personally did not experience any postpartum depression - so I definitely didn't want to go through anything a year later. I figured the slower I took it, the easier it would be on my body. I imagine one could quit breastfeeding faster than I did (actually, that's how Healthy Tipping Point did it), but as much as I was ready to quit, I decided to take the slow route.
So. The week before Bates turned one, I took my pumping down to two sessions a day (morning and night). At that point, I was still completely emptying both breasts at each pumping session (taking about 30-40 minutes). I saw a decrease in milk supply just from dropping the mid-day session, but I was still pumping a fair amount (maybe 20 ozs/day?).
So a week or so after bringing it down to 2x/day (and getting my body stabilized there, thus producing less milk), I started cutting the time of each pumping session. That is, I would only pump for a certain amount of time, which would not completely empty the breasts. Again, I did this slowly. So maybe initially I would cut 5-10 minutes off of each session. Then I'd do that a day or two. Then I'd cut maybe 10-15 minutes off the original time, and do that for a day or two. I thought it would be super uncomfortable to quit pumping when there was still milk left, but actually, I did it so gradually that I didn't feel any pain or discomfort.
I got myself down to two 10-minute pumping sessions a day (which was a good 20-30 minutes less than my "baseline" - note that your own baseline might be different). So then I started to bring it down to one pump/day. To get there, I did a few days of pumping less than 24 hours between each pump. So maybe if I pumped before bed, I would hold off on my pump the next day until lunchtime or 5pm. Then the next day I'd pump in the morning or during his morning nap. So a little less than 24 hours between each - and still limiting the time to less-than 10 minutes.
A few days of that led to pumping once a day. For 10 minutes. And it only took a day or so for my supply to adjust to that. At this point, my supply had greatly decreased. And Bates was on 100% cow's milk, so I knew I could quit whenever my body would let me.
So then I started pumping every day and a half, and I only pumped for 5-10 minutes. But I only did that a day or two, because then I could just tell I didn't need to pump anymore. My boobs started to feel different. They wouldn't really hook up to the pump that easily anymore.
My last pump ever, unfortunately, wasn't that ceremonious because I didn't realize it would be the last time. I felt like I needed to pump (like, felt that sort of duct-cloggy feeling on the left side), and about 2 minutes in, I realized the right side did not need to be pumped, so I unhooked that one and just did the left side for about 5 minutes - enough to take the cloggy feeling away.
I had the cloggy feeling on the left side two other times (one a few days after the final pump and one about 2-3 weeks after), and I just heated it up in the shower and then hand expressed enough to get the clog out.
So like that - voila - I weaned from the pump! I'm really glad I did it slowly. There were a couple super-emotional days, but that's about it. I obviously don't know if I would've had the same emotions or worse if I would've done it quickly, but I'm glad I didn't risk it. I'm also glad I didn't get a final round of mastitis (I had it twice during the year). I think if your body has been prone to clogged ducts/mastitis during your breastfeeding journey, it would be best to cut down the time of your pumps slowly (so you aren't constantly leaving very full, un-pumped boobs before your supply goes down).
As I said in my other post, I'm so glad to be done! It was actually sort of weird to put on a normal bra again - like, it fits a lot different than my nursing bras did. And I can't wait to wear some shirts and dresses that didn't fit across my nursing chest last year.
Good luck if you're weaning from the pump! I hope this helps a little.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Breastfeeding: A Year in the Life
I'm finally done! When Bates turned 1, I got the green light to start cow's milk with him. We did a few weeks of mixing breast and cow, and now he's completely off the breast. After a couple more weeks of weaning myself off the pump, I'm done, too.
(Well...sort of. The pump has been put up, so that portion is done. But just last Friday, I felt a duct fill up that I needed to express in the shower. My pre-pregnancy bras are fitting a little snug, still, and there's definitely some milk still in there. BUT - I'm done for the most part. I've heard from friends that milk can stick around [even if you aren't expressing it in any way] for quite awhile, so I think what I'm going through is normal.)
But anyway - what a year! It's crazy to think that almost 2 years in the life of my body have been dedicated to Bates. I have a thousand different reflections on the experience...they might be better said in a bulleted list.
1) I'm really proud of myself for doing it a full year. Bates never had a drop of formula. I don't think formula is bad (I was 100% formula fed), but I think breast milk is best if your body can produce it.
2) My main motivation was financial. (Are you judging me now?) Of course I wanted him to have the best, but I wouldn't have felt uncomfortable, I don't think, switching to formula after 6 months. But I just couldn't justify the cost of formula when my body produced such an abundance of milk.
3) I exclusively pumped for the majority of the year. We had a few weeks in the beginning when I fed him on the breast - and then the random breastfeeding session here and there - but for the most part, I was hooked up to the pump. And that made for a sort of interesting year.
4) Exclusively pumping was awesome in some ways. I was able to leave him for more than a couple hours when he was a few weeks old to, say, go out to dinner with Jonathan (because he could be fed while I was gone). We were also able to sort of manipulate the timing of his bottles so that we could give him a big one before bed - ie, we could all have a longer stretch of sleep. And given our latch troubles, it was a lot more comfortable for me to pump.
5) Exclusively pumping sucked in a lot of ways.
a) Even though, in theory, having a pumped bottle would mean Daddy could get up with him in the night while I slept, it didn't work like that because I needed to get up and pump.
b) When he got older, it was hard to pump when he was awake and Jonathan wasn't home. I had to put him in his exersaucer and he didn't like being in it so long.
c) Jonathan got annoyed a lot because he felt like he was doing so much childcare when he was home (since I tried to pump when he was home [to avoid the exersaucer]).
d) This might be TMI - but my boobs would get really engorged if I stretched the time between pumping sessions. I don't know if this is just an individual woman's thing (that is, maybe the same thing would've happened if I fed him on the breast), but all I know is that after a night of sleep (once he was sleeping through the night), I would wake up and pump 14 ounces. Every. Morning. 14 ounces is not comfortable to sleep on.
e) It wasn't easy to quit breastfeeding. I'm going to do a separate post on this. But basically, it took a lot of planning. When I talked to my sister in law about her weaning experiences with her kids (3 of them), she said when she was ready to switch to formula, she just did. Like, she breastfed one day and then never did again. That wasn't an option for me.
6) One of the worst parts of pumping was in the beginning (maybe months 1-3?) when Bates would wake up twice a night to eat. Jonathan would feed him the first time (while I pumped), but the second time I would get up, feed Bates, put Bates back to bed, then go and pump. I would get back in bed around 6am. Those were a hard couple of months.
7) Washing bottles and pump parts sucks!!
So it's been a busy year. I'm sort of curious how breastfeeding will go with any subsequent children we have. On one hand, I want to try to make feeding on the breast work for us. But at the same time, it's so hard in the beginning (maybe months 0-2?) because if you feed on the breast, you can't be away from your baby for very long. Also, it takes them so long to empty the breast when they're little. A baby's first couple weeks of life they eat every couple hours. But that's every couple hours from when they last started eating. So, let's say they eat at 1am. They'll be hungry again around 3 (even if they were eating from 1-1:45). After you get past those first couple months, I think feeding on the breast is probably easier, though.
With other kids, I also want to be more comfortable using a nipple shield in the beginning. Bates and I did well with the nipple shield, but I was terrified to use one exclusively because I heard my milk supply might not come in completely if I did that. Now that I've met more mothers, I've met a few people who only nursed with a nipple shield for months before they were able to go without one. Their milk supplies were just fine. (It's funny how important your milk supply is in the beginning - it was one of the main things I thought about for a couple months. I drank and ate things that were supposed to boost it, I read internet articles about it, I talked to other moms about it. I was obsessed.)
But all that to say, I'm glad to be done. It's so nice to be able to do whatever I want, whenever I want and not have to think about my pumping schedule. It's so nice to be able to sleep on my stomach again! I'm happy I did it a year - but man, for the first time in so long, my body is mine again. I'm going to enjoy this while I can!
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Bates at 1
My darling little boy is already 13 months and I fear that if I don't write down a life update, it won't ever happen.
So here he is on Easter - at approx. 13 months. (Note: my mother in law made the adorable outfit!)
One of the first things you can notice in this picture is that I am holding him while he stands up. At this point, he isn't standing on his own or walking yet. He is a speed crawler (seriously - many, many people comment on how fast he is), so I think he's comfortable with that as his method of travel at the moment. He pulls up on everything and cruises around while holding on to things (he also has a little walker he loves to push around), but he just isn't ready to take the plunge into walking.
He has taken the plunge, though, into talking. He babbles all day long. Lots of "mamamama dadadadada babababa" etc. He will call his bottle a "baba" and we're working on "dog" right now. He can also "roar" if you ask him what a lion says. And he'll repeat other animal sounds if you make them first.
Bates is a pointing machine. He points at everything and we tell him what stuff is. He's just a little sponge of learning right now and it usually only takes us one or two times of telling him what something is before we can say, "Bates, where's the _____" and he'll point to it.
He had a super smart moment last weekend when we were sitting in his playroom and said, "Bates, where's Llama Llama" and he went into his bedroom, got his Llama Llama Red Pajama book, and brought it out to us.
I wouldn't describe him as "snuggily" (never in his life has he been snuggily), but lately he's gotten a liiiiiittle bit more into hugging us and snuggling with us. But for the most part, he's on the move. He doesn't want to sit still. The idea of watching tv or a movie with him is laughable at this point. (I guess that's a good thing, but man, sometimes mama just wants a tiny break.)
Now that the weather is nicer, he loves nothing more than being outside. If someone leaves our house via the front door, he races over to it and cries in front of the door because he didn't get to go outside, too. We like to hang out in the front yard and throw Hank the ball.
His eating is ok at this point. He has mostly fruits and veggies, cheese, yogurt, bread with butter, and sausage or soy sausage. He hasn't really met a fruit he doesn't like. We also always offer him what we're having for dinner, but it's sort of hit or miss whether or not he's into it. He's drinking 100% cow's milk now and likes it (I'm still doing bottles with him), and then he has water in his sippy cup with his meals.
He's still taking two naps and I don't really think he's ready to drop the morning yet. He sleeps about 10-11 hours at night and rarely wakes up. When he wakes up in the morning, it's sort of funny because he doesn't really make a peep, he just wakes up and lies in his crib and sometimes plays with the bears in there. (That makes the 6am wakeup easier for mama and dada because we don't need to rush in to a crying baby.)
Overall, he's a super happy baby (as you can tell from all the pictures I post on here). He loves to make us laugh and always joins in when we are laughing at something. He's pretty free with his kisses and rarely cries. He's strong-willed (like his mama and dada) and has started throwing tiny fits when he doesn't get his way (ie, throwing himself on the floor in protest). But luckily he can be distracted in the drop of a hat, so whenever he has a tantrum, we just pull out a toy or ask him where something is, and he's back to normal.
His joy brings us joy everyday. It's crazy that 13 months ago, he was just a helpless little newborn - what a difference a year makes!
So here he is on Easter - at approx. 13 months. (Note: my mother in law made the adorable outfit!)
He has taken the plunge, though, into talking. He babbles all day long. Lots of "mamamama dadadadada babababa" etc. He will call his bottle a "baba" and we're working on "dog" right now. He can also "roar" if you ask him what a lion says. And he'll repeat other animal sounds if you make them first.
Bates is a pointing machine. He points at everything and we tell him what stuff is. He's just a little sponge of learning right now and it usually only takes us one or two times of telling him what something is before we can say, "Bates, where's the _____" and he'll point to it.
He had a super smart moment last weekend when we were sitting in his playroom and said, "Bates, where's Llama Llama" and he went into his bedroom, got his Llama Llama Red Pajama book, and brought it out to us.
I wouldn't describe him as "snuggily" (never in his life has he been snuggily), but lately he's gotten a liiiiiittle bit more into hugging us and snuggling with us. But for the most part, he's on the move. He doesn't want to sit still. The idea of watching tv or a movie with him is laughable at this point. (I guess that's a good thing, but man, sometimes mama just wants a tiny break.)
Now that the weather is nicer, he loves nothing more than being outside. If someone leaves our house via the front door, he races over to it and cries in front of the door because he didn't get to go outside, too. We like to hang out in the front yard and throw Hank the ball.
His eating is ok at this point. He has mostly fruits and veggies, cheese, yogurt, bread with butter, and sausage or soy sausage. He hasn't really met a fruit he doesn't like. We also always offer him what we're having for dinner, but it's sort of hit or miss whether or not he's into it. He's drinking 100% cow's milk now and likes it (I'm still doing bottles with him), and then he has water in his sippy cup with his meals.
He's still taking two naps and I don't really think he's ready to drop the morning yet. He sleeps about 10-11 hours at night and rarely wakes up. When he wakes up in the morning, it's sort of funny because he doesn't really make a peep, he just wakes up and lies in his crib and sometimes plays with the bears in there. (That makes the 6am wakeup easier for mama and dada because we don't need to rush in to a crying baby.)
Overall, he's a super happy baby (as you can tell from all the pictures I post on here). He loves to make us laugh and always joins in when we are laughing at something. He's pretty free with his kisses and rarely cries. He's strong-willed (like his mama and dada) and has started throwing tiny fits when he doesn't get his way (ie, throwing himself on the floor in protest). But luckily he can be distracted in the drop of a hat, so whenever he has a tantrum, we just pull out a toy or ask him where something is, and he's back to normal.
His joy brings us joy everyday. It's crazy that 13 months ago, he was just a helpless little newborn - what a difference a year makes!
Monday, March 18, 2013
Colored Jeans?
Can we talk about the colored jeans trend for a second? What's that? You were hoping to? You've been thinking about them a lot?
Well, great - you've come to the right place!
So when I was going into 6th grade, my mom gave her credit card to my sister and me and told us we could each pick out 2 back-to-school outfits at the mall. I don't remember what we got my sister, but I remember we headed straight to Limited Too to get my outfits. I ended up coming home with some cool stuff.
Outfit #1:
-black and white checkered flannel shirt
-red waffle shirt (to go under flannel - layering was hot)
-red jeans!
Outfit #2:
-White/teal/blue plaid flannel shirt
-white waffle shirt (to go under flannel, again)
-teal jeans!
I also remember I owned bright cobalt blue jeans that had a matching blue and white striped shirt. I wore all of this stuff for a couple years, max, and then colored jeans were waaaaay out of style. Like, could-not-be-seen-wearing-them-at-RVMS-no-way-no-how out of style.
And look where we are now. We've fast forwarded a few years (almost 20, right?) and colored jeans are everywhere! And I get it, most things go in and out of style over the years. But I'm having sort of a tough time with the colored jeans because I remember how quickly and strongly they went from being awesome to awful. Poof - it was that quick.
I'm also sort of curious if a non-skinny person could wear them. In fact, the only people I've seen wearing them are thin, or at least on the thin side of average. And all the colored ones I've seen are skinny jeans.
I'm thinking about myself, for example, in a pair of pink skinny jeans. And I'm thinking it doesn't look that awesome. I have a couple pairs of dark-wash skinny jeans, and they are fine(ish) because of the dark wash. But I imagine if they were light pink, they would not be fine - they wouldn't even be fine-ish. They would be awfully unflattering. But then when I read reviews on gap.com and oldnavy.com for their skinny, colored jeans, people say things like, "I'm a curvy size 16 and these fit great." So who knows?
What do you guys think? Do you own any colored skinny jeans? Do you think the trend is cool or a little too reminiscent of those early 90s years?
(I know Patti's current project is to make her own pair [because she's crafty like that] - so we can all tune in to her blog to see how they turn out.)
Well, great - you've come to the right place!
So when I was going into 6th grade, my mom gave her credit card to my sister and me and told us we could each pick out 2 back-to-school outfits at the mall. I don't remember what we got my sister, but I remember we headed straight to Limited Too to get my outfits. I ended up coming home with some cool stuff.
Outfit #1:
-black and white checkered flannel shirt
-red waffle shirt (to go under flannel - layering was hot)
-red jeans!
Outfit #2:
-White/teal/blue plaid flannel shirt
-white waffle shirt (to go under flannel, again)
-teal jeans!
I also remember I owned bright cobalt blue jeans that had a matching blue and white striped shirt. I wore all of this stuff for a couple years, max, and then colored jeans were waaaaay out of style. Like, could-not-be-seen-wearing-them-at-RVMS-no-way-no-how out of style.
And look where we are now. We've fast forwarded a few years (almost 20, right?) and colored jeans are everywhere! And I get it, most things go in and out of style over the years. But I'm having sort of a tough time with the colored jeans because I remember how quickly and strongly they went from being awesome to awful. Poof - it was that quick.
I'm also sort of curious if a non-skinny person could wear them. In fact, the only people I've seen wearing them are thin, or at least on the thin side of average. And all the colored ones I've seen are skinny jeans.
I'm thinking about myself, for example, in a pair of pink skinny jeans. And I'm thinking it doesn't look that awesome. I have a couple pairs of dark-wash skinny jeans, and they are fine(ish) because of the dark wash. But I imagine if they were light pink, they would not be fine - they wouldn't even be fine-ish. They would be awfully unflattering. But then when I read reviews on gap.com and oldnavy.com for their skinny, colored jeans, people say things like, "I'm a curvy size 16 and these fit great." So who knows?
What do you guys think? Do you own any colored skinny jeans? Do you think the trend is cool or a little too reminiscent of those early 90s years?
(I know Patti's current project is to make her own pair [because she's crafty like that] - so we can all tune in to her blog to see how they turn out.)
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
A First Birthday!
Bates turned one on February 26! We decided to have a super low-key birthday celebration with grandparents the weekend before. We're saving money this year so we can rent a pony or something when he's older. (Probably not, but whatev.)
So Saturday afternoon, between naps, we went out to my in laws house to have lunch and cake and open presents. Again, we didn't want anyone to feel obligated to get him a ton of presents since he will not remember this birthday. But he still got some cool ones.
He also got a great musical instrument set (not pictured) with a drum, maracas, a clapper, and a hand cymbal. Some mini-sized Nerf balls (soccer, basketball, and football). And a stuffed animal of his favorite llama (from Llama Llama Red Pajama).
We had to let him try cake, since he had never really had any sweets before. He loved it, as expected.
Overall, it was such a fun day. I can't believe it's been a whole year with our little man! I'll do a post about him at 12 months on another day. Happy Birthday, Batesy!
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