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People start their blogs out like this all the time, but it's true: It has been too long and the more time that has gone by the more daunting adding another post has seemed. A few big things have happened since my last post back in the beginning of July.1. He got totally weaned after that last post. I know, breath a big sigh of relief everyone. :)How did I do it? I told him it was "all gone" and did the "all done" sign. This totally satisfied him and he went on to finish his dinner and went to bed without crying that night and every night thereafter. This also made travel super hard as there was no way to comfort him during take-off, landing, and for a nap in between. I was bitten twice on my arm have a scar for life to prove it.2. I found out I was pregnant a few weeks later. This is how we told everybody:
Here's the little pinto bean on 8/27/09 at 8 weeks , 3 days old:
Our next ultrasound, the "biggie" is on November 10 when we find out if Isaac is having a little brother or a little sister. So, check back if you're curious and I'll post some more graphic ultrasound images after that visit. :)
3. Mom came to visit and we got all fancied up and went to an Il Divo concert, one of the things on my "I want to do this in my lifetime" list. What an incredibly talented group of musicians who aren't too bad on the eyes, either. All the old ladies surrounding us at the concert thought so, too. :) We had a great night and a fun visit, as usual, then mom accompanied Isaac and me on the plane back to Michigan.4. Isaac and I took a trip to Michigan. Isaac went to not just his first, but his second AND third 4-H Fairs. He got to pet his first cow, (okay hugged and loved it), poked at some goats, climbed on tractors, and mama was happy to see that the country genes are definitely in there.
We spent most of the time at the cottage hanging out with Grandma and Great-Grandma. We saw friends and kids and had a great time just relaxing and visiting. 
5. "Morning" sickness set in. Sorry, no pictures.
6. Isaac and I took a trip to Mexico. Since I was feeling a little sick we didn't do a lot of sight-seeing, but we spent a lot of time with Hector's family, which was the purpose of our visit. Isaac had a wonderful time playing with his cousins and getting to know his grandparents down in Mexico. 7. Over the next couple of months Isaac learned to play by himself - a lot - while mommy slept and threw up all day. Daddy was home and helped out - a lot - by playing with Isaac and keeping things picked up around here.8. Mommy got acupuncture and is able to join the land of the living for a couple days at a time. I'm very happy to report that at 15 weeks I'm feeling almost human again and am hoping that the fun part of pregnancy is about to begin. However, my waist is gone and I'm already busting out the maternity pants despite the fact that I'm 8 lbs lighter than my first prenatal appointment. Go figure...?
Oops! I guess I was looking for a reason to give in and nurse my baby...or maybe I really was looking for some good strong encouragement to keep going but never found it. The only real information I could gather in the last 48 hours (blogs, forums, friends), was that when you wean slowly - like, gradually decrease feedings (not go from 3 to 0 in one day) - the discomfort is relieved a bit. And, go figure! It is! :)
Day 2 of weaning...So far, so good. We made it another whole day by staying busy and staying off the couch. My little monkey went down with a bit more of a fight this time and tonight I just cried along with him. Again, I sang him a little song and laid him down with his blankies and bear. Because he was a little extra upset this time, I came back out thinking I'd make him a little chamomile tea for his cup. I poured some water in a cup, set a minute on the microwave, and by the time it was done he was out cold. Again.Now I'm sitting here enjoying some quiet time and hoping this annoying itching pain will go away soon. I wasn't anticipating a lot of the discomfort that comes along with this...both emotional and physical. For now, though, I don't think it's anything a glass of wine won't fix!
Day 1 of weaning... Well, I can't really say it's day 1 because I've been leaning towards it for quite a while now. We were down to 2 a day and I've been waiting for one of us to decide he's done...but it's not happening. I hear all the advice on how to quit nursing but I've heard even more "you're still nursing?!", "how long are you going to do that?!", "you're not going to be one of those mom's nursing their kid when he's in kindergarten, are you?!" I just laugh and say, "one of us will know when we're done." I'm not doing this because anyone told me to and I'm not doing it because I'm sick of it. I'm just doing it because I think it's time; and I think it's just going to get harder as time goes on. I'm pretty sure he's not going to let me know he's done any time soon, so I'm giving it the first good effort starting tonight. Cold turkey. At the moment he's lying in his crib crying, horrified that when he climbed up in my lap for his nighttime chi-chi, I picked him up along with his two blankies and bear, walked to his room, sang him a little song and placed him in his crib. He kept pointing back at the living room like we forgot something...we did little guy...we forgot you grew up. We've been doing nap time like this for quite a while now but for some reason nighttime is oh, so much harder. It's been by far the best part of the day for 16 and a half months now. It's the time when he snuggles up to me, holds on tight, pokes me in the eye and says, "eye", sticks his fingers in my nose and mouth and giggles with me...it's when he needs me the most and when I feel the closest to him. I'm pretty sure this hurts me just as much as it's hurting him. Actually, I think it hurts me a little more since he's now sound asleep and I'm sitting here weeping about it at my computer. How do I let go of that? All the milestones up to this point and this is the one that makes me feel sad...why am I not gushing with pride like all the others milestones? I'm sure I'm not alone. I'm sure I'm not the first mommy who had a hard time "letting go", but I sure do feel awful.
We'll see what happens. We'll see how tomorrow goes...
I had a wonderful 2nd Mother's Day this year. Last year was a tough one - being my first one, I had some mighty big expectations; flowers, a complete house-cleaning, a day at the spa, a parade. Obviously, 3 months of being a mom is nothing compared to a year and 3 months which in turn is just a speck in time compared to the many years to come.
To me, this 2nd Mother's Day was just a day for me to reflect on the last year, absorb the changes in Isaac and me and to know that all I can do is love my son. That being said, when Isaac came waddling up the hallway Saturday night dragging a bouquet of white tulips and then lifted them up to me with that big smile and those bright eyes I was fulfilled. It's not about pampering and thanking and parades. It's about the every day things, the smiles, the hugs and the rewards of knowing inside me that I'm doing a good job. We had such a great day! The Las Vegas weather was gorgeous and after an always perfect brunch on the patio at Mon Ami Gabi, we took a walk on the strip by the Bellagio Fountains. Isaac was a perfect little monkey the whole day. No drama at the restaurant and sweet as pie in his stroller or waddling alongside us on our walk. Motherhood has been perfect so far and I'm looking forward to many more rewarding days, weeks and years to come! 
Isaac and I took a trip to Florida to visit his 'Nana', get some R&R and rid ourselves of the darn end-of-winter colds that had been nagging us the last month or so.
A fever, two new ear thermometers, Motrin, one and a half new teeth and
approximately 29 temper tantrums later - including the one that I believe ended our eating out days forever - Isaac got used to my mom and his new (unfortunately temporary) surroundings.
Yay - I could finally walk around the condo without a 14 and a half month old appendage on my hip or wrapped around my leg. Sure, we had been swimming in the pool and playing on the beach all week, the toys were out pretty much the entire time in the living room and naps dictated our days, but there was a definite turning point. By day 8 or 9 Isaac let go of his inhibitions and let Nana in. 
He followed her around the condo, out the door, cried when she left and allowed her to get him out of bed (without taking it out on me later). He actually preferred Nana over me when it came time to play. It was wonderful; then 3 days later we had to leave.Neither one of us wanted to get on the plane when it came time to go Saturday. I was a little concerned the days leading up to our flight that we might contract the Swine Flu and contemplated staying another week...or two...or three... ;) but alas,
I missed my husband, my home and my scheduled life. The island way of life was really starting to rub off on me and at a certain point on Saturday I didn't care much if I ever planned another trip to the grocery store, meal for my family or play date. But I sucked it up and got on the plane. The flight wasn't so bad. Ask the guy in front of us and you'll get a different story, but I was very proud of my little jet-setter! 
We were lucky enough to be moved to the last row and have it all to ourselves the entire ride home. At one point Isaac even sat on a couple of pillows with his seat belt firmly fastened and ate a snack! He was pretty proud of himself and I was too, of course. He looked so grown up. One great tip I hope I never forget is that M&M's work wonders for take-off and landing. Isaac is too big now to snuggle up in those little seats and nurse anymore, so I had to come up with something that he would *for sure* suck on and swallow to save his little ears. M&M's is all I had and that was what it was. They saved my sanity and my co-passengers ears, and I believe they will make an appearance on all future flights as well. On the 3 1/2 hour flight from Houston to Las Vegas Isaac actually fell asleep before take-off and I was able to lay him down on the two empty seats next to me. I then proceeded to read an entire US Weekly magazine and watch the movie "Marley and Me" - yes people, the whole thing...I was finally on vacation!
Seeing my baby loving on his daddy all day Sunday, walking around grinning from ear to ear, playing with his doggies and even showering cranky old Buddy with kisses made me realize how sweet home really is to a 1 year old. He loves his routine - and his peeps - that's for sure.
This is a funny video I just had to post of Isaac and his little friend Ellery. We were on the way to a birthday party in Boulder City and he had her cracking up in the back seat. Little did I know what he was doing...stinker little monkey. :)
Our next ultrasound, the "biggie" is on November 10 when we find out if Isaac is having a little brother or a little sister. So, check back if you're curious and I'll post some more graphic ultrasound images after that visit. :)
6. Isaac and I took a trip to Mexico. Since I was feeling a little sick we didn't do a lot of sight-seeing, but we spent a lot of time with Hector's family, which was the purpose of our visit. Isaac had a wonderful time playing with his cousins and getting to know his grandparents down in Mexico. 
