Just because...

Our little monkey at 6 months old

Happy Birthday, Mom & Dad!

Grandma and Grandpa visited a week after their (shared) birthdays on August 28th.  

We were so happy to celebrate with them!  It was a big one this year too...a "milestone" birthday for my Dad.  But he didn't really want to be reminded of it so we won't mention it LOL.

Anyway, Dad helped Jeff take down some trees and limbs in the backyard, while Mom hung out and played with the baby.  We shared some meals (NOT CHICKEN...after 33 years I have finally realized my dad likes chicken only about once a week!!) and had some naps.

The baby loves to touch mouths and lips, and put his fingers in your mouth - so he LOVED to touch Dad's beard and play with his face.  It was seriously so cute :)

It was a great weekend of relaxing and spending time together!

Ethan at 6 months old

Where did the last 6 months go?!?  He is growing so fast, yes - cliche but true.  Moreover, we are finally starting to feel like ourselves again.  My post partum anxiety is better (not gone but better), Jeff is finding his groove as a SAHD, and Ethan is well, Ethan.

Mostly sunny, with a chance of severe thunderstorms

Loves to play

Starting to sit up like a big boy 

and not so sure about real food yet

We are venturing out and about more, and maybe - just maybe - starting to get the hang of this thing.  Of course as my mom reminds us - that means everything is just about to change.  But we'll ride the wave for now!!!

4th of July Family Vacation - Part 2

What happened to the past few months.  Seriously.  It seems like we were JUST on vacation for 4th of July (E was 4 months old)...and I am just now putting up pictures?!? #mommybloggerfail

First we had to survive the road trip across the state (6 hours from Sioux Falls to the cabin with minimal stops, made it an 8+ hour trip with the baby).  He did great until he melted down at Wall.  PS, there are no baby changing stations in the freaking bathrooms of the gas stations.

Before going all the way to the cabin, we stopped to have dinner with Jason and Bobbie at a sports bar.  Now, we don't let the baby watch TV but in a place like that it is inevitable.  He was in heaven.

Then onward to the cabin.  Aka the happiest place on earth.  We had a super wonderful time.  No visits to Mt. Rushmore.  No 1880 train rides.  No gambling in Deadwood.  We were just a family.

...cooking breakfast...eating together...playing with the baby...

...celebrating summer...more eating...grandma babysitting for the first time...

...spending time on the deck watching deer and playing with the baby...

.................And off roading............

#Butfirstletmetakeaselfie

...Spearfish Canyon Lodge, an old rail bed, snowmobile trails and beautiful overlooks...

...where we happened upon this terrifyingly steep waterfall that had no guardrails...

...even Ethan was indoctrinated (thanks Grandpa!!)...

...I love my family...

...and we were in God's Country for sure.

Baby Led Weaning

Now that Ethan is SIX MONTHS OLD (!), we are starting the process of introducing solids.

I want to follow the principles of Baby Led Weaning, which in general are to let baby put food in his own mouth, and everything is mushy/steamed and cut to pieces 2-3 inches long and as wide around as your thumb (or so).

We tried banana.  Too slimy - he couldn't grab it, so we made a bit smaller pieces.  He was still not impressed and I'm pretty sure didn't swallow anything.

We have tried prune juice in his bottle to facilitate a BM...he is hip to that program now and won't drink it.

We are going to try avocado next. 

We tried this apple slice - it was too slippery so I held it while he sucked on it.  That is about the only thing he has liked so far!!

For now, he seems content to to continue with nursing and bottles, and to sit up at the table in his highchair, playing with his toys.  And that is fine.

Our mantra lately is to "Let Ethan Be Ethan".  Some days that is happy, some days that is sleepy, some days that is super interactive, some days that is cuddly, some days that is alone play time, some days that is curious, some days that is very loud and babbly.  We are just trying to respect him and meet him where he is at.  Trying.

Badass Breastfeeding

Labor Day antics

We had a fun Labor Day weekend!!!  Who doesn't like more time off with their family?!

We hosted some friends for dinner.................

we flew Daddy's RC airplane at a nature preserve, while E watched birds, had a nurse, and napped outside.................

we took naps......................

we BBQ'd again.........................

I love our family time!!

5-6 month old...

Ok, moms - when do you stop counting by weeks and start counting by months?!  Ethan is 24 weeks old, so is that 5 or 6 months old??

Anyway, here is a day in the life of Little Duck at 24 weeks old!!!

• Daily Baby Pilates by grabbing his toes and pulling them to his mouth
• Puts everything in his mouth, including your fingers
• Rolls onto his back to tummy and is STUCK (even though he used to be able to roll tummy to back!!)
• Giggles and smiles when you chomp on his fingers and toes
• Gives open mouth slobbery kisses to mommy and daddy's cheeks and necks
• Has become a side sleeper

• Holy distractable nursing, Batman.  Hey, was that Daddy?!  Hey, the sun came out from under a cloud!  Hey, I think I heard air blow!  I better look!
• Loves to stick his fingers in your mouth and grab your nose
• Tries to move the paci and bottle nipple over to the side to chew on it
• Fiddles with his ear when sleepy nursing
• Loves to suck on his toes, even better if he is in jammies so he can make the fabric all wet
• Kick, kick, kicks during bathtime and gets half the water out onto the counter and Daddy

• Favorite songs and rhymes: Jesus Loves Me, Skinnamarinkydink, My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, Daisy Daisy, All God's Critters, Itsy Bitsy Spider, The Bright Sun Comes Up, Are You Sleeping, Ethan-Ethan-Bo-Bethan, and he LOVES Pharrell Williams Happy and Iggy Azalea Fancy (I know)
• Favorite books: The Going to Bed Book, Are You a Cow?, OhmyOhmyOh Dinosaurs, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Brown Bear Brown Bear
• Favorite toys: Daddy, Butterfly, Squiggle (below picture), pull-apart rings, O-ball, stuffed Tigger, Mommy's blankie, baby jumper, play gym dangles

4th of July Family Vacation - Part 1

We packed up the baby and headed HOME to South Dakota for the week of 4th of July!!!!!!!!

We spent the first part of the week in Sioux Falls, seeing lots of family and friends.  We stayed with Jeff's sister's family, and had a wonderful time...we saw Ethan's aunties, uncles, cousins, and grandma and grandpa, and then Mommy's friends and their babies, and also Mommy's aunt and uncle and cousins (and girlfriends)!

Oldest cousin Nick, Grandma, and Ethan (in mommy's favorite Little Duck jammies) 

(ps - the baby literally never got put down!!)

Here's Ben!  The boys love Uncle Jeff because he plays with them like crazy!  

Auntie Jen loves baby bath time - we were more than happy to let her do it.

Grandpa and Baby - that right arm gets a firm grip on the chubby thigh!

Mommy's friend Emily, snuggling a baby that could be a twin to her own baby Max!

Little Miley (she is a Spit.Fire.) and Max

Marne, Miley, Mommy, Ethan, Max, and Emily

It was so fun to chat and watch the kiddos play - it's still hard for me to believe we are all mommies!!!!!!!!!!

This was soooo adorable - these 2 babies were cheesing at each other.  One would grin, which would make the other one grin, and on and on :)

Jeff took the boys on an adventure and found a turtle.  Because, of course they did.

Aunt Kathy was so in love immediately!!!  She would stroke his little hands - a perfect doting auntie.

Uncle Bill of course got thrown up on.  

They graciously hosted us for a dinner at the farm, with my cousins and girlfriends.  

It was so nice to catch up with everyone and introduce Ethan to so many people!  It was wild, and hectic - and this was only the first half of the trip!  We spent the 2nd half in the Hills (more to come).

All of this does make me wish we lived closer to family...and therefore we contemplate moving home every time we visit.  We need to visit when it's yucky - 20 below and snowy - because South Dakota is really wonderful in the summertime!

Nursing Strike

On Sunday, Ethan fussed and cried in the late afternoon when he was hungry.  And refused to nurse.  Even though he was hungry.  

I was concerned, but it had happened once or twice before, where he just wouldn't latch and be patient enough.  And it wasn't a big deal before. So we gave him a bottle.  He nursed fine later in the evening, overnight, and in the morning.

Last night, Monday night, it happened again.  I came home from work, we played, and he showed hunger cues.  So I got ready to nurse him - like I have over 900 times before - and he SCREAMED.  Pushed.  Grabbed.  Arched.  Cried and kicked.  So we gave him a bottle.

Both times I tried to console and reintroduce nursing when he was calmer, multiple times.  Nada.

Then, during our bedtime routine, he started down this path again.  He wasn't super hungry and was acting really tired, so I decided just to put him down, and then try to feed him again when he was sleepy / asleep.  It worked.  So did all the overnight and morning feedings, again in the sleepy state.

I did a ton of reading about nursing strikes last night.  I was really, really, really upset.  Nursing has been such a struggle, but it has been such a complete joy when it is going well.  I am not ready to stop.  I can't believe he is either - babies don't wean out of the blue, this early.  

He is just growing, and changing.  Like he should - and like I should too.  

From my reading I found - 

1.  This is a temporary thing.  It is not calling into question - "Am I good mom?".  Or "Does he still love me like he used to before I went back to work?".  Or "Will I be able to do this parenting for the long haul?".

2.  We need to be patient with each other.  I've never been a nursing mommy before, and he's never been a 5-1/2 month old baby before.  We are in it together.

3.  I am not alone.  This happens to a lot of mother-baby dyads.  And we will get through it.  

4.  There are specific things I can do to try to encourage him to nurse, but ultimately, he will be loved, fed, and taken care of, and that is most important.

5.  My feelings of apprehension, inadequacy, guilt, fear, sadness are all normal.  Validating my feelings is huge.  (There is a good life-lesson for me in this one as well.)

Wish us luck today.  I'm hoping this is temporary, but we will work through it no matter what.

Photo credit