My Birthday Tomorrow

It's my birthday tomorrow.  I haven't really been thinking a lot about it, overall.  My own birthday has been not so important to me the past 3 years.  First it was because of infertility (which made my birthday suck), and then last year because I had 12 day old little baby.  My birthday last year was wonderful.  I didn't receive any gifts, because I'd gotten them all months ahead of time.  But I was so happy to be with my little Monkey Boy.  It was just the best birthday.

The past couple of days I feel like I've been reflecting about my birthday a little more than usual.  This year I feel like it's special.  Not because I'm one year older, but because I'm one year more experienced as a mother.  Last year on my birthday I had a 12 day old baby.  I loved him fiercely and would have done anything to protect him.  I knew him as much as you can know a 12 day old baby.

But this year, I have this baby walking toward me...

This baby?  I KNOW this baby.  I have spent all day of every single day of the past year and 12 days pouring my heart and soul into caring for this child.  I have never felt anything as intensely as the love I feel for this baby.  I would do anything for him.  I would take a bullet, walk through fire, chop off my own arm... anything.  And he would do just about anything to get to me, because I am the greatest, the be-all and end-all in his little life.

I know this Noah much more deeply than I knew that teeny tiny Noah a year ago.  If you had told me a year ago that I would love Noah a thousand times more by my next birthday, I would have scoffed at you.  But it's true.  I do.  Maybe it's because there's more to know and more to love now that he's a toddler.  Maybe it's because so much more of me has been invested now.

Whatever it is, there is something about motherhood and my intense love for my son that makes this birthday seem special.

I really do love my kid more than anything in the world.  My birthday could be totally unacknowledged by anyone else, and I wouldn't care.  Because I'm a mom.  And that continues to be the best birthday present I could ever get.

1 YEAR OLD!

I am getting really bad at posting these on time. 

At 12 months old, here is what Noah is up to:

-He weighs 21lbs even, totally naked, on March 14 (he was 21lbs 11oz with his clothes and diaper on, which I then weighed, and they were exactly 11oz).

-He is still about 31.5 inches long.

-He wears size 3 diapers during the day, size 4 at night, which he often leaks through. 

-He still nurses 10+ times a day, and signs for it a lot more often that that!

-He still has just one formal "meal" of solids - mostly purees - at dinnertime. The rest of the day he snacks on various things, usually what I'm eating, as he wants them.. He's still about 90% breastfed, with solids making up the other 10%.

-He wears 18 and 24 month clothing, depend on the piece.  For example, he wears 24 month footless sleepers, but 18 month footed sleepers.  He wears some 18 month onesies, some 24 month onesies.  It just depends on the piece.

-He still has  just 8 teeth, the four top and four bottom.  He hasn't gotten a new tooth since before he was 8 months old.

-He goes to bed at about 7:30pm, sleeps until sometime past 4:30am (sometimes as late as 6:30am), nurses, and goes back to sleep again until about 7:30am, give or take.  The time changed a couple of weeks ago, and I don't think I'm interested in shifting everything the entire hour.  I think I'll keep bedtime at 7:30 for the spring and summertime.

-He has two naps a day, ranging from 30 minutes to an hour. The first nap is about 3 - 3.5 hours after he wakes up, and the second nap is about 3.5 hours after he wakes up from his first nap.  He can handle awake periods that are a lot longer, with no problem, but we have to fit in both naps so I make sure he gets down on time.

-He is fully walking, all over the house, turning corners, going in circles, waving objects in the air... it's so cute, but it makes me sad!

-He loves to throw balls (and anything else), play with his baseball bats, score points on his basketball hoop, hit his baseball off his Little Tikes Talking T-Ball tee, and practice stick handling with his mini-sticks and hockey puck.

-He "talks on the phone" by putting the phone (or an object that resembles a phone) all the way behind his head.  It's sooo cute!

-He's still cuddling with us a lot, which we obviously love!

-He still loves to give Mommy kisses (sometimes Daddy, sometimes other babies, and once even Gramper!), but he's not as obsessed with it as he was at 11 months.  I've found it comes in waves, ever since he started bakc at like 7 months old.

-He's still a mommy suck, but he is getting a little better about his separation anxiety.  I don't always have to be in the same room as him if other people are around.

-I can now shower with him in the bathroom with me and he doesn't scream!  Instead he stands at the side of the tub and throws shampoo bottles, toys, and one time even a magazine, into the tub with me.  This is a very welcome development.  Not the toy-throwing, but the lack of screaming while I'm showering.

-He loves to play in the curtains.  He breathes really excitedly, giggles, and pops his head out with a huge smile when I say "Where's Noah?!"

-He is still lounging on the floor like a lazy toddler, rolling back and forth and just enjoying being a goof.

-It is so hard to change his diaper.  He often starts screaming, and won't lie on his back.  I've taken to trying to change him while he's walking around.  Every diaper change is a dreaded battle.  Thank goodness he doesn't poop very often.

-It's always hard to know exactly how much an 12 month old understands, but we know for sure he knows the meanings of: Mom, Dad, nurse, up, night-night, hug, kiss, no, this, book, "say hi," "say bye," and "lean back". He demonstrates understanding of those words through his actions. I'm guessing he knows a lot more, but I can't tell.

-He says "Uh oh," "Dis," "Dat," "Mama," and "Dad" or "Dada". It seems like he says all these things in the right settings, but he also uses them at other times, so I don't know if he's really using them as words or just sounds.

-He loves to "read" (flip through his books independently) His favourite book for us to read to him is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?  He gets a huge smile on his face when we start it.


Well, it happened.  My baby turned ONE.  Over a week ago. 

It makes me so happy, and it makes me sad.  I love each new stage that Noah goes through (well, I guess not every stage), but it makes me so sad that I can never experience his infant-ness again.  People tell me to have another baby, and while I'm happy that I will (hopefully) experience another baby (or two), it's still not baby Noah.  And that's what I want.  To experience baby Noah again.

With that being said, I feel like being a mom just  keeps getting easier and more enjoyable.  The past year of my life has been phenomenal, and I couldn't be happier.  Nothing in my life has ever been as 'worth it' as being Noah's mom has been.  I love that kid to pieces!

The Walking Ill

Noah is still really sick.  He looks like someone beat him up, with his raw, red nose and his raw, red bruises under his eyes.  On Monday he had diarrhea 20 times in 24 hours and ended up with the worst diaper rash all over his bottom.  He's still having diarrhea, but not nearly that often.  He is still really congested, coughing, sneezing, and snotting.  Advil seems to actually give him a slight break from the intense snot production.  This didn't make sense to me at first, but Justin said something about how mucus and sneezing are inflammatory responses, so an anti-inflammatory could help those things.  I guess that makes sense!  I've never noticed it to be true for myself, but every single time I've given Noah Advil in the past 4 days, things have improved shortly afterward, but only for the length of time that the Advil would actually be effective for.  Interesting.

Thankfully his sleeping is still really good.  Even though he's coughing fairly frequently throughout his naps and at night, he is still not getting up to nurse until sometime after 4:30am, his normal time, and he is still sleeping until 7-7:30am.  Yesterday, Tuesday, he even had 3 naps!  Two 1 hour long naps and one 35 minute nap.  He hasn't had 3 naps in a day in ages. 

Today Noah was a little more content and active than he was in the previous 3 days.  He is walking nonstop now.  He still crawls about 25% of the time, but he is mostly walking.  He is walking across the entire house and going around corners and into different rooms and everything.  He never falls or bumps into anything, because he is a very careful kid.  He started taking steps 2 months ago, but he is so cautious that whenever he felt a little bit unbalanced, he would stop and carefully lower himself down.  If he was braver, he would have been fully walking a month ago.  Instead, he practiced a little bit everyday, and then waited until he was fully confident.  No drunken sailor walks in our house!


It has occured to me that if we hadn't decided that I am staying at home permanently, Monday would have been my first day back from maternity leave (I was due to start back after March break).  I wouldn't have been able to go.  I couldn't have abandoned Noah when he was so sick and just wanted his Mommy.  Besides that, he is pretty much refusing solids (just a couple of tablespoons at dinner), wants to comfort nurse frequently, but is only taking in about 2/3 of what he normally takes (that's an estimate, obviously, since my boobs aren't equipped with any measuring devices).  I really couldn't have left him this week, unless I wanted him to get malnourished. 

Justin and I never stop being thankful for our decision for me to stay home.  Yes, it's a struggle.  We have had to cut back on a lot, and Justin has to do a lot more training during his free time in order to make us more money so we can make ends meet.  But we wouldn't have it any other way.

New Carseat Guidelines

The AAP has put out new carseat guidelines.

Check them out here.

Are you going to follow them?  I know a lot of parents who had/have their children forward-facing before the previous 1 year of age recommendation.  I'm not so sure how well these recommendations are going to go over, despite the fact that there are good reasons for them!

My Poor, Sick One Year Old

Um, yeah, you read that right.  He's sick.  AGAIN.

It started out with extreme fussiness on Friday, his birthday, then a fever in the evening.  Then on Saturday, the day of his birthday party, it had progressed to what seemed like a mild cold, with a fever off and on.  By Sunday it was a bad cold, with some diarrhea thrown in for good measure.  Now, Monday, it's worse. 

I'm thinking he maybe has the flu.  He has congestion, a runny nose, lots of sneezing, a bad cough (that makes him throw up), fever, he had chills at one point on Saturday night, and he has crazy diarrhea.  He has had over 15 runny poops in the past 24 hours.  The last few diapers have had streaks of blood in them.  He has zero appetite for solid food - not even fruit.  He's just been nursing often, for comfort, but he's not even that hungry.  Luckily he is still about 90% breastfed, so I have more than enough milk.  I'm not worried about dehydration or him not getting enough nutrition.

Because of all the diarrhea I was worried about how last night would go.  It actually wasn't that bad, but we did have several diaper changes.  Noah didn't make a peep until 4am.  When I went in, I could smell the strange scent of his dirty diaper (it really is a strange scent right now).  I changed his diaper and it was FULL of runny poop.  I don't know if it was all from one poop, or several poops.  He tends to not really care much when he has a dirty diaper.

So he was screaming and choking on mucus while I was changing him, as I expected - he hates getting his bum changed in the middle of the night.  Then I nursed him, and he pooped again (a smaller runny poop this time) while I was nursing him, so I had to change him again after that. Then he asked to nurse again, but didn't really want to nurse; he just wanted comfort.  He acted like he might have pooped again, so I checked and didn't see anything (it was dark, though). Then that whole process got repeated again, but by then it was half an hour later and he was really tired, and I didn't smell anything, and he was just closing his eyes in my arms, not nursing, so I just put him to bed. He woke up at 6:45am, but went back to sleep in a couple of minutes. He woke back up at 7:30 and had a lot of runny poop again. He was screaming and choking and throwing up while I was changing his bum. Then I nursed him, and he did a big runny poop again.

I think you're getting the picture.  That was all mostly for my own benefit.



I think this is the sickest he's ever been.  I cancelled babysitting Aubrey tomorrow, because a) I don't think she wants to get this, and b) I can't take care of another baby right now.  Noah is very needy and cuddly and huggy and upset. 

Poor little kid.  Not a very nice birthday present:(

Mommy and Noah

Mommy and Noah at 10 months old...

That's love.

Happy Birthday, Noah!

On March 18, 2010, at 1:54pm, our lives changed forever for the better! This past year has absolutely been the best year of my life, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!!  I am so thankful to be able to say...

Happy first birthday to our dear son, Noah!!  You were worth the wait :)


For this child we prayed, and God has given us what we asked of him. – 1 Samuel 1:27.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights... - James 1:17

I Dislike Drama

Why do some people like drama so much?

Not long ago, Kendra at Miracle of the Moment linked to another post about having thin skin.  I don't have the energy to go find that original post, but I did read it at the time, and I've been thinking about it a lot, lately.

I have thin skin.  I never thought about it much, and I used to like to think that I didn't care what people thought of me.  But it's not true.  I mean, I don't care to the extent that I will change who I am or what I believe in and how I live my life.  But I do care what people think of me.  When people are jerks, it hurts my feelings.  When people say mean things about me, it hurts my feelings.  When people don't like me, it hurts my feelings.  If I even am aware that someone thought something unflattering about me, it hurts my feelings.

I really need to grow some thicker skin.

I hate drama.  I am not a dramatic person, and to avoid drama I have always kept my circle tight.  I'm not friends with everybody.  I am friendly with a lot of people, but I tend to keep my distance from all but a few people, because I find the more people you're friends with, the more drama leaks into your life.

Facebook is becoming a problem for me.  Mainly because I can't choose which information is shared with which people.  Why can't you choose who can see your links, and who can see which pictures you "like," and who can see what you post on other peoples walls and pictures?  They used to have that option.  I used to have it so that no one was notified when I did anything - except the person who's wall/photo/status I was commenting on.  Then they took that option away.

When I make a comment on someone's status or photo, I don't need EVERYONE on my friend's list to see that.  Here's an example: I like the FB page called The Leaky B@@b.  I think it is a great place for breastfeeding moms to come together and support each other and answer each other's questions.  However, I do NOT need everyone on my friend's list to see every time I comment on someone's post or question, or everytime I "like" someone's picture of breastfeeding their baby!! 

My mom called my house today and left a message saying that she was getting all these pornographic posts on her wall from me.  I thought I had a virus.  I called her, and she was making a joke about the breastfeeding pictures I had "liked".  I didn't think it was that funny, because I take offence when people compare breastfeeding to pornography.  Maybe that's an area where I should grow some thicker skin.  But I also didn't think it was funny because I don't need my entire friend's list to see every flippin picture I "like"!  I pressed "like" because I wanted to support the person who posted the picture - not so I could show my 270 friends all the pictures!!!

I have been slowly deleting friends because of some of these issues.  But I am having a hard time deleting more friends.  A lot of these people I am interested in, and they are interested in me.  But I don't need them to see every single move I make on facebook.  Seriously.

I don't know what to do?  Stop supporting breastfeeding moms on facebook, or delete 3/4 of my friends?

Furthermore, one of my husband's longtime friends (who he was supposedly so "close" to that he had to call her the day we got engaged so he could inform her personally) has decided to take it upon herself to be a total bitch to me.  She apparently thinks she can say anything she wants to or about me, and that's okay.  Apparently she doesn't realize that if you are FRIENDS with someone, you should be respectful towards his wife.  This all started because of that flippin breastmilk ice cream newstory I posted on my wall - the one that caused all the drama a week ago.  I would like to just delete her off my facebook completely - heck I'd like to delete her off my husband's facebook, as well.  But I don't know which is more dramatic - her being deleted, or her being a snot.

Anyway, I have two different agendas on facebook.  One is to be part of external communities on parenting and other similar topics.  Another is to keep up with friends and family.  Frankly, I don't want the two to mix.  Apparently I don't have a choice.  So do I grow some thicker skin, and not care what my "friends" see me comment or "like" with regards to various parenting issues?  Or do I stop being an active part of those communities?

I don't think I like facebook all that much.

"Breastfeeding Saved My Son's Life"

I just read this amazing post, called Breastfeeding Saved My Son's Life. 

It wasn't what I expected, and was really an amazing story.  Go check it out!

Walking Update

It's been awhile since I wrote about Noah's walking.  Last time I wrote he was 11 months and 4 days old, and had started taking up to 8 steps at a time.

He is now 11 months and 3 weeks old, and in the past few days has started to walk a lot more frequently.  He is very very careful when he walks, which means he sits down as soon as he is uncomfortable with how unsteady he feels.  But he is attempting it often.  Almost every chance he gets.  He has taken more than 8 steps at a time - at times he has walked as far as 9 feet.

He can also stand up out of nowhere.  He doesn't need to hold on to anything or be near anything.  He'll be crawling around, then he just gets himself in a squatting position and stands right up!  That started right around 11.5 months.

I don't know when you consider a baby to be a "walker."  I kind of think its not until they choose walking over crawling as their primary mode of transportation.  Either way, he is definitely walking!

Just a Clarification

When I post anything on breastfeeding, it is not meant to make any formula feeding moms feel guilty.  I don't judge any of my bloggy friends for formula feeding.  My posts on breastfeeding are just intended to educate people so maybe they will more thoroughly understand the whole practice of breastfeeding - especially toddler breastfeeding.

I think there are many ways to be a good mom, and breastfeeding is only one section of motherhood.  Not breastfeeding does not make you an inferior mother.  So far every single mother I have encountered in the blogosphere sounds like a terrific mother, and I admire all of you!

I feel the need to clarify this to make sure that you all know that I am in NO way trying to offend any formula feeders.  And if you are sensitive to the topic of breastfeeding, please feel free to skip my breastfeeding posts.  I don't want anyone to think that I'm trying to make them feel guilty!  I recognize that how you choose to feed your baby is a personal choice, and one just hopes that everyone will make an informed choice and try their best to make the healthiest choice that fits with their family and life.



I just really got into it on facebook when I posted a link to the newstory about breastmilk icecream.  Without getting into the situation too deeply here, because there were 30 very long comments posted on the link, suffice it to say that several girls chose to take all of my words and absolutely twist them and turn the whole situation really hostile.  It was really unfortunate, because offending anyone was not my intention, and I really cannot believe the direction things went in.

I just wanted to send all the mamas (breastfeeding and formula-feeding) and mamas-to-be all my love and respect!  You're all doing a fabulous job!

More on Breastfeeding

The following is an excerpt from The American Academy of Family Physicians 2008 Position Paper on breastfeeding-

"Note that breastfeeding at least until the second year of a child's life is not considered 'extended' breastfeeding. Rather, breastfeeding until the bare minimum age of 2 years is the norm and anything less... brings about... detrimental consequences.

Human milk for growing human babies is expected (physiologically) by the baby's body in order to receive all that is needed (and only found in human milk) for this important period of rapid brain, body, and immune system development. It is estimated that the natural weaning age for humans is between two and seven years. Family physicians should be knowledgeable regarding the ongoing benefits to the child of extended breastfeeding, including continued immune protection, better social adjustment, and having a sustainable food source in times of emergency."

This CANNOT Be Happening!

Yeah, I know, third post in one day.  This one is important.

I JUST GOT MY PERIOD.

I am so FREAKING pissed off. 

I nurse more than 10 times a day.  Noah's nutrition is still 90% (OR MORE) from breastfeeding.  I still nurse OVERNIGHT.

I am really ticked.

I don't remember if I mentioned how 2 weeks ago I had REALLY sore nipples.  Horribly sore.  I was dreading every nursing session.  It came on really suddenly, lasted about 5 days, and then went away really suddenly.  I also had a lot of egg-white CM during that time.  I was just saying to Erin today that it seemed like my body was trying to ovulate.

Then tonight I've been soooo cranky, and really crampy. I told Justin it felt like period cramps. Just now we were in the kitchen, and he was trying to be nice to me because I've been so ticked off all evening. Then I told him I had to go to the bathroom because it felt like I was bleeding.

AND THEN I WAS BLEEDING.
 
I'm really pissed off. I nurse 10+ times a day. I nurse overnight. And I don't WANT to have another baby right now. I don't have that burning desire in me right now. So what's the point of the stupid period?!?!?!

I DON'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN RIGHT NOW! I HAVE CRAMPS AND I FEEL LIKE CRAP.
 
 
I'm really ticked off.


(Noah is 11 months, 2 weeks, and 3 days old)

Nursing Wardrobe

I have been nursing for a year now, and plan to keep going probably at least another year.  Noah still nurses a lot, - 10+ times a day - so I figured it was only fair for me to invest in some better nursing-wear.  For the entire last year my nursing wardrobe has consisted of 3 wrap sleep bras that actually fit (and 2 that don't), 2 regular nursing bras that are too big, and one kind of lame nursing tank top that I could never wear alone and wasn't a great length.

That's right, I've nursed for a year with that crappy collection.

I actually really like the sleep bras, but they offer almost no support.  I'm small chested, so its not a huge deal, but wearing them out in public is not wonderful because you either see little boobs and nipples, or little boobs and the outline of a nursing pad.  I actually would NEVER go out in public in a sleep bra without nursing pads, because a sleep bra is basically just a sling to keep your nursing pads in place.  It's been the most convenient thing to wear because I can open and close it - with the nursing pad in place - with one hand.  And I don't almost hit sleeping Noah in the face with the cups, like I do with my regular nursing bras.

My regular nursing bras are too large.  I don't know about all those women whose breasts are bigger when they are nursing.  With the exception of the morning, when my boobs are really full, my boobs are the EXACT same size as before I was pregnant.  They were much bigger while I was pregnant. 

Lest you tell me that I am 12 months into my nursing career, I feel compelled to mention that my boobs have been at pre-pregnancy size since about TWO WEEKS post-partum.  This could have something to do with the fact that I am one of those freaks of nature who gained 16lbs in pregnancy and lost almost 40lbs in the 2 weeks after birth, putting me at a weight I hadn't been at since about grade 10.  Regardless, my boobs are small.

I have other issues with my regular nursing bras - besides almost smoking Noah in the face with them after he's fallen asleep on the boob - that make me not want to buy more of them in a different size.  The cup coverage is crazy - it covers sooo much chest, making it visible in a lot of scoop necked tops.  The cup is also too firm and formed, and it doesn't fold down easily.  After the first fold down the cup is still almost covering my nipple.  I have to fold it down twice to expose enough breast.  Not a fan.

You might wonder why I have gone so long with such a crappy nursing wardrobe.

Where we live there are NO maternity stores, and the only possible place to find a nursing bra or tank is Sears or Walmart. And its not good stuff.  I found a store in L-town - an hour away - that sold Bravado nursing bras and tanks.  I was pumped.  Yes, it's expensive, but Bravado stuff has amazing reviews and is strictly dedicated to nursing.  I was willing to pay $60 for the right bra.  We planned to stop in L-town quickly on our way to Elijah's birthday party.

After perusing the Bravado website I found The Essential Nursing Tank, which has a real built in bra, as opposed to the shelf bra in most nursing tanks.  I read 69 reviews, every one of them raving about the tank.  I figured this was the answer to my problem.  I wanted tanks, and I wanted bras, and this was BOTH.  I was totally cool with paying $55 for one tank.

Then I tried it on.  Apparently my boobs are very different from the boobs of those 69 reviewers.  This tank did not fit me properly.  I tried a 36B/C, which fit my ribcage well, but the cups were ridiculous.  They were tight against the perimeter of my boobs, and then the middle of the cup was just a big wrinkle of loose fabric.

I moved down to the 34B/C, which was much tighter around my ribcage, but the cup fit a little better.  Still not perfect, though.  What probably would have been perfect is a 36A/B.  But they don't make them.  Frick.

I tried a bunch of Bravado bras.  I liked The Bliss Nursing Bra the best, but it was a little too big in B/C.  I could have used a B, but the suckers don't MAKE straight B's.  So annoying.  I also liked The Body Silk Seemless Nursing Bra, but it wasn't quite what I wanted.  It would have been great for around the house, but it still wasn't quite what I want for my boobs when I'm outside of the house.  And what I really wanted were tanks so that my stomach isn't always bare.

I ended up buying two 34B/C Essential Nursing Tanks, because I was in a huge hurry and Noah was being a huge suck and crying unless I held him.  Not Dad, me.  So I decided to buy them, see how it went at home, and return them if I had to.  Even if I have to make the drive again.

The verdict is still out on those tanks.

Because my Bravado plan was not very successful, we went to Motherhood Maternity.  I got 3 nursing camisoles there and one nursing bra, just because I don't have any regular nursing bras that fit properly. But I don't really like the bra.  The cup wasn't very flexible, so its hard to fold down. I need a thinner foam. The Bravado bras were great for folding down out of the way, they just didn't fit me right.

I'm pretty disappointed in the whole trip.  We spent an hour and a half shopping, and were therefore an hour and a half late for Elijah's party.  And with all that time spent, I didn't end up with what I was hoping for.

My favourite purchase are the nursing camisoles from Motherhood Maternity.  I like the length, they're really easy to undo and do up (so my boobs are very accessible), and they're pretty supportive for a camisole.  Of course, they flatten me right out and there's zero foam lining, so I don't know that I would want to use them as a bra if I were leaving my house. 

I haven't decided if I'm keeping the Bravado tanks, and I haven't decided if I'm done searching for the perfect bras/tanks.  I probably am.  Considering I made it through an entire year with a horribly deficient nursing wardrobe, even adding three good nursing camisoles is a huge improvement.

Elijah's 2nd Birthday

On Saturday, March 5, 2011, my nephew Elijah turned 2!  His parents, my brother Nick and his wife Hilary, had a birthday party for him at their house, which is 2 hours from our house.

Our day was super busy, but fun!  We left when Noah was ready for his nap at 11am.  Noah slept in the car from 11:08 until like 11:50 when Justin yelled (it was a windshield wiper fiasco).

We had planned to stop as quickly as possible in L-town, the halfway point between our houses, because I desperately need new nursing gear.  That is a whole other story, which I'm going to tell separately, but we ended up spending an hour and a half there.  I was hoping for 30 minutes.

We didn't get to Nick and Hil's until 2:30. Noah had a great day (so did we), but he never had another nap.  This is about the 3rd or 4th day that he's gone with only one nap. I didn't even bother trying for a second one because he was having so much fun playing, never fussed once, and the house was so noisy it would have been hard to get him to sleep.  Then I would have had to sit there holding him the whole time since he refuses to nap anywhere but in his own crib. 
 
Desite the lack of sleep, he did wonderfully.  He wasn't even that attached to me.  He was going all over the house, playing with everything.  He would come back to me for some cuddles or nursing, but he often left my sight, on his own, and never freaked out.  It was good. 
 
We left at 6:40pm with Noah in his jammies, and he fell asleep within 45 seconds of driving. He stayed asleep the whole way home. I just had to reach my hand back to touch his head once when we were almost home because he gave a little cry. He immediately fell back asleep, though.
 

Oh my gosh, the drive home was SCARY!  It was so weird. It was totally fine until about 35 minutes from home.  Then suddenly there were tons of ambulances and cars were in the ditch everywhere. There were at least 15 cars in the ditch in the span of about 3km.  Some of them were flipped onto their hoods! The roads were so weird. They would be completely bare and dry and then suddenly black ice. We never actually felt any slipperyness except when we drove on a bit of snow, but it was terrifying to see so many cars going in the ditches around us. My stomach was in knots.  Especially when a stupid transport truck swerved into the lane right in front of us and then completely stopped.  Smart thinking, buddy.

 

We got home at 8:50pm. I took Noah out of his carseat and laid him on his sleepsack on our bed, and he stayed asleep the entire time.  At least, his eyes were closed and he was barely moving.  That is NOT like him.  Normally if I even put my hand near his head while he's sleeping he will stir and almost wake up.  It's not like he was limp, he was moving, but he wasn't waking up. I could have just put him straight into his crib from his carseat (which I normally could never do), but he needed to be in his sleepsack, because our house goes down to 64 degrees at night. When I started putting his arms in the holes he must have woke up just a little more because he kept his eyes closed but he lifted one hand to sign "nurse". I was planning on nursing him anyway, so I nursed him for about 8 minutes and put him in the crib, and he stayed totally asleep.  He slept until 7:15am, just getting up to nurse once at 4:30am.

 

It was a fun day.  I really like this age that Noah is at.  He's a lot easier to do things and go places with, because he takes fewer naps.  And he is sooo much fun.  And so much more independent.  I can actually visit with people now, instead of 75% of my time being spent caring for Noah.  I feel like I just got used to that, and now we're past it.

 

Elijah's little brother, Josiah, is 5 months old.  I was holding him and saying "You're so little!" (which he's not, if you compare him to most 5 month olds, but compared to my 11.5 month old he is!).  My mom said, "Doesn't holding a little one like that make you want to have another one?" 

 

It doesn't really.  I mean, yes, I want to have another one.  Hopefully two - but not at the same time.  But not right now.  Noah is still a baby.  And a 5 month old is so useless.  Maybe if he was a newborn my uterus would be tugging a bit.  But a 1 year old is a lot more fun than a 5 month old, especially when he's my 1 year old, and it's someone else's 5 month old.  I love this stage in Noah's life, and I am in ZERO hurry to disrupt our lives and start into the fertility treatment madness again. 

 

I think it's weird that I don't have that burning desire to have another baby right now.  I love that I don't have that feeling.  I do want to have more children, but I am not in a hurry for it to happen.  It's such a nice change from the feeling I had trying to get pregnant with Noah. 

Sleep Regression Over...?

I think it's safe to say the sleep regression is over.  Noah hasn't had a bad night since Saturday night (it's now Friday).  Sunday night seemed to be the turning point.  So we have survived yet another bump in the sleep road, and come out on the other side unscathed.

He's been sleeping fantastically, actually.  I think he was trying to actually catch up on all the sleep he lost the week before, because on Sunday night he slept 13 hours overnight (getting up to nurse once at about 5am I think), and then that day (Monday) his two naps totaled about 2.5 hours of sleep.  He never ever gets that much sleep in a day.  That night he slept 12 hours, and on Tuesday he took two long naps again, getting more than 2 hours of sleep total.

Yay!

Nighttime sleep is still good, but he seems to have "caught up" enough for his liking, because yesterday naps were in the toilet again.  He barely got an hour of sleep, total.  But I'm not complaining.  As long as he sleeps well at night, I'm happy.