6/15: Thoughts from the week
Someone is obsessed with my purple glass water bottle.
I take it with me everywhere, and now, whenever I open it to take a sip, little Liv opens her mouth too. I put the bottle to her mouth and let her drink water, and even though I’m mostly holding it, she puts both hands around to hold it. It’s the cutest thing ever. Not so cute? When she backwashed sweet potato into it the other night. I learned to give her her own sippy cup with dinner.
She’s been teething for a while -no teeth yet, though!- and some days are more tough than others. Humphrey’s teething tablets have been lifesavers, along with the teethers that go in the freezer.
Today, she just wanted to play instead of nap, so I took her to bed with me and played for a while before attempting to put her to sleep on my chest. I failed miserably.
I think pumping may soon be coming to an end. Part of me is obviously devastated because I pictured things going much differently. The rest of me feels damn proud of myself for sticking it out as long as I have. I’ve been pretty much exclusively pumping for the past couple of months, which doesn’t do the same thing to your body as a baby nursing, but considering everything, I know that I’ve done the best I could and am going to finish it out until I’ve got nothing left. One thing I’m looking forward to: no longer taking 19 pills per day to boost my supply.
I also won’t miss the Lady Gaga bra or the “whomp whomp whomp” of the pump.
Liv’s hair is growing in, which is kind of fun. She still has a few very long strands that were left from birth – a lot of it fell out- and it’s filling in. I thought she would be bald for a while, since I was a baldy until my first year of life. Looks like baby ponytails aren’t too far away!
Speaking about baby ponytails, I’m really excited that my aunt, uncle and two cousins are coming to stay with us next month. Liv will get to learn the ways from her cousins (both little girls)- they all look so much alike, it’s really amazing. We can’t wait to see them <3
Did you or do you live near your family? We were on the other side of country for a while in Georgia, but I’ll always be so thankful that we had the chance to be near family for the first few years after Livi’s birth. We have no idea where we’re going or what’s happening next, but we’re lucky to be here now.
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Ponytails and pigtails on babies and toddlers are heart attack inducing and worth every palpitation. I still die when I see the 2.5 year old I babysit in then. Killer cute. <3
I unfortulatly live away from family. I have a grandmother that lives near by but she can be more of an annoyance then a grandmother (just being honest!). But other then that my family lives all over. I have family in Vermont (I live in Boston) who I am very close to but only get to see them a few times a year. My other grandparents live there too. I have one cousin who lives in Albania where my family is from. My other aunt and uncle and a whole slew of cousins (9 biological and 2 cousin in laws. 2 first cousins and 7 second cousins. I call the younger 2 my niece and nephew) live in Florida. I am very close to my cousins and I miss them terribly. Then there is a cousin in Afganistan (he’s Army) and a whole other group of family that I dont know or have met once! my favorite quote is “No one understands your crazy family quite like your cousins!”
Oh man do I feel you on the pumping! I exclusively pumped for 4 months after 4 months of batteling breastfeeding and production issues. It was tough! I used to envy the other moms who could just whip out their boobs to satisfy their little ones while I had to wake up early to spend 30-40 minutes pumping then spend an hour and a half pumping on and off every evening. Not to mention the many times during the day whenever I had a chance. Good job for making it as long as you did! You did an awesome job! Sometimes I swear I still hear the “whomp whomp whomp” sound. Ha!
You should be nothing but PROUD of yourself for sticking with pumping this long, you did not have an easy road. Exclusively pumping (which I did too) is really really difficult and time consuming and you are a rock star for doing all you;ve done so far. Whatever you decide, you are doing a great job!
Cutest picture of you and the beebs!!
My husband is RCMP and we are stationed out in yarmouth, nova scotia right now. Both of us are from Windsor Ontario so it’s about a 26 hour drive to get home where all our friends and family are. Or two extremely expensive plane tickets lol.
I’m 25 weeks pregnant right now and I have found the hardest part about it is not being able to go to my mom whenever I’m feeling a little “homesick”. But I’ve got an incredible husband and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Your family page has been a godsend throughout the whole thing too, I always find myself referencing how your workouts and eats have changed!
Good for you for breastfeeding/pumping for this long! It’s definitely a challenge – especially with full ta-ta’s in the HOT weather!!
I think you should go online and order Liv her own purple bottle. They have them for babies and toddlers too. When I purchased my first bottle at WF I did not know it was a baby bottle, I just loved the size and color.
YES for baby pony tails and baby piggy tails!!
That picture of you two is absolutely adorable!!
Gina, I want to just say that you are a fantastic mother and wife. I know you’ve received both positive and negative feedback here on the blog (which I suppose is to be expected), but it is evident that you love your family so much. My older brother is also a military pilot, and my sister-in-law is handling his deployment with my 7-month-old niece. People often recognize the military (as they should), but families should also be recognized. I love that you are thankful and realize how lucky you are to have the pilot home during Livi’s first stages of life. I don’t really know what precipitated this comment, but I just wanted to shout out and let you know, you rock. Your blog balances everything from workouts to family stuff to fashion–much like you are able to keep these things in balance in your life, which is SO important. I don’t yet have children, but my when I do, I hope I’m half as good of a mama as you seem to be <3
I started exclusively pumping last month and I will continue until the one year mark but is, SO OVER IT!! It’s my sacrifice though until my baby boy turns one. Stick it out withme !!
I have the same water bottle in light blue and my son also wants it as soon as he sees me take a sip.
I’m impressed at how long you’ve been pumping! My son had to be topped off with a bottle at the beginning due to his small size and poor latch, so I think I was pumping after every feed. Luckily things worked out and he’s nursing and eating solids now at 9.5 months, but I’m so glad I don’t have to pump anymore! Good for you and Livi for pumping for so long!!
We live in Canada (Vancouver, BC) and our family is in Europe (Germany and Sweden) and, honestly, I’m glad that’s how it is. 😉 I actually enjoy having no one around to question my parenting style and lifestyle choices. Sure I miss them every now and then, but I’m much happier living here than when I was still living in Germany. Your family seems to be getting along so well together though.
Get used to the open mouth baby bird “share with me Mommy” face. It happens more often as they get older and start eating more solids. I remember when my daughter would just sidle up next to me on the couch with her mouth open when she saw I had a snack. Now at three, she says in her sweetest voice “Want some please, Mommy”.
And ending pumping/breastfeeding is super hard, especially before the one year mark, but giving your baby as much as you can for as long as you can is better than never trying when you have the option.
I grew up very close to 90% of my family but after graduating college, the closest I’ve gotten to family is when I visit…sometimes it’s okay, sometimes it’s lonely.
My daughter is 7 months and I had to exclusively pump after she hit about 2 months. We lasted until about 5.5 months before I finally called it quits. At first I was devastated–I had wanted to make it 12 months–but now I am just happy. She is thriving, and I am sane (now that I’m not worried about pumping every 3 hours) and proud that I made it so far after having such a hard time with low supply and a defective left side. We all do the best we can for our kids, and the decision to breastfeed is not what decides if someone is a good mom or not–it is so much more than that.
I live in central NY state…my parents moved to Florida a few years ago but recently decided to move back! I am so excited!
With everything you do, you seem to find a way to excel at it. It has been such a pleasure seeing you as a mother; Livi is so blessed to have you. I love being a mother and enjoy seeing others enjoy it as well. BTW, she seriously gets more adorable with each pic you post! Congrats on pumping and breastfeeding so long. I was only able to do it for about 6 weeks with my twins. I had such high hopes and am so in awe when I hear of others succeeding. You sound like you are the most patient person ever. I know sharing all this is not easy, with all the comments, but judgements are really just a reflection of the person posting and nothing to do with you. Thanks for being you!
Oops, forgot to answer the question. 😉 Both my family and my husband’s is about 40-45 minutes away from us and we love it. I am actually closer to his family and they play a huge role in our lives. I feel very blessed to be near them.
Congratulations on the pumping! I know it’s not the most of parties 🙂 on a separate note, where is your shirt from that you’re wearing in the picture with Liv? Loving stripes right now– thanks!
Don’t feel bad about how you feed your baby! You do your absolute best for her and that is all anyone can be asked. I had a really hard time nursing I the beginning – it took 8 weeks for my girls to
Get it. Now at 20 months they dont want to stop. I have been told on numerous occasions that it is disgusting and damaging to my children to still nurse them. It is no ones business how you feed her you do what works and what works is what is best! You’re a great mum!
That’s not disgusting. Go you! My SIL nursed her first for 2.5 years. The second weaned herself at about 8 months. However, I saw a program on TV called ‘extraordinary breastfeeding’ with one mother who was still nursing her 12 year old, and had nursed her other daughter until she was eight. That one I .. well, I had some judgemental thoughts…
12?! shoooooooot
girl, you are amazing! i would love to be able to go 20 months. keep doing your thing, and thank you for such a sweet comment <3
Thank you! No way I’m going til 12 though! Haha that is nearly high school!
Hooray to you for pumping for so long!! I despise pumping. Are you on Domperidone or what 19 pills do you take?
That pic of you two is precious!!
mega doses of fenugreek and blessed thistle. i was going to do domperidone but you have to order it online here, which freaked me out a little
It’s funny, isn’t it, the way the heredity of looks happens. I look so much like my cousin but nothing like my sister (who is tall and model-like, which proves that life really is NOT fair). I also look like my Aunt and my niece, but not my mother. All of my nieces and nephews look only a little like their siblings/half siblings but quite a lot like their cousins of the same gender. I wonder if it’s something evolutionary that would enable you more easily to pick out close relatives that you might have become separated from..
aww so cute! we live far away from family, but we have a big family reunion every 4th of july at our lake home in wisconsin! i can’t wait…it’s so soon!
I’m from South Carolina (Hilton Head Island) & live in Santa Barbara, CA – so very far away from family. I’m the oldest of 5 siblings, and am close to my aunts, uncles, & cousins in SC as well, so it is hard to be so far away. My baby is almost 1 & we’ve been to SC six (6) times this year! We won’t be able to sustain this level of visitation though (nor would we want to), so I’m hoping my fan will come out here to visit more. My mom & sis are coming next weekend for Scarlett’s 1st b-day, but after that – I might not see them till Christmas 🙁
I mean “fam,” not “fan!”
You’re amazing for pumping that long! I just started pumping once a day so that Patrick can feed Tripp a bottle at night and even that feels like a pain sometimes. Mornings are the best time for me to pump so I usually just stay up after his 5am feeding to go pump the other side, even though my bed looks soooo enticing.
How old was Livi when you started implementing a schedule as far as her feedings, naps and bedtime routine? I’ve heard everything from the day you come home from the hospital to 6 months. Tripp is only 3 weeks and it seems a little crazy for me to not feed him because its “not time”.
we started a “routine” immediately, and from there a schedule fell into place. even though it sucks (literally) the constant nursing is going to help your supply. it’s around the clock for a while, and then (soon!) it will seem like it’s not so often. try to play with him a while after he nurses to try to get him into the “eat, play, sleep” routine if that’s what you’re going for. we also always kept the bedtime routine the same so she knew what to expect- we read her a story, turn on the jewel cd and give her the last bottle right before she goes down
xoxo
That’s what we’re going for and he’s been waking up more for play time after he eats….but sometimes he is just dead to the world haha. I figure if he’s out cold he must need the sleep so I just put him down. He gets so angry if I don’t stuff my boob in his mouth immediately after he wakes up though! We’re working on the bath and story before bottle….it’s a work in progress.
I pumped for ages. Gotta love those handsfree devices and I assume the 19 pills was Dom. Yep, did that, too. Good for you for making it so far, Gina. Every drop is precious and you gave her lots of drops. Congrats 🙂
And we live on the other side of the country from our families so a totally different situation that yours but hey, we love San Diego and would never live in the cold where our families do!
I have the same water bottle and love it. Liv just keeps getting cuter. You can tell from her smile that her personality is really developing 😀
Gina,
I think you’ve done an amazing job so far! I’m proud for you that you stuck it out this long. Even if you didnt make it this long, i still wouldnt judge you for it. but you know how it goes…people will either say you did it too long or not long enough. Or if you dont do it at all, look out! Those women take a lot of heat. I wish people would really think before they make comments. You never know someones WHOLE situation. Your a great mama and Livi knows that. That’s really all that matters 🙂
I don’t live near my family or friends. I didnt realize just how much I miss them until I had my baby. He is 3 months old now and some of them still havent seen him. Its tough because I dont really have any help with him. But we make it work! Luckily, I have a great hubby that does his best to help out.
Breast feeding is challenging in itself, whether it’s direct nursing or pumping or a combo of both. You should be super proud of yourself for going as long as you have already!
We live near my family – about 45 minutes away – and see them all the time! My hubby’s wonderful fam is 1,800 miles away, so we have to rely on Skype and frequent flyer miles, but we see them a lot and make it work! My MIL is coming to stay for 10 days in August after my c-section to keep our 2 year old entertained while we get to know our newest little lady. It’s going to be a lifesaver!
As for the ponytails and pigtails… I had to wait forever for them! My 22 month old baldy finally has enough hair to scrape together a little pony. Definitely worth the wait – super adorable! Unfortunately, she’s also old enough to be pretty adept at removing ponytail holders and hair clips, so they don’t last long.
Glad to hear that you are honest about feeding Liv. I am weaning from the boob and also from pumping and will use the pumped milk I have frozen while we switch to formula. I am sad about it, but look forward to having my whole body back to myself for the first time in so long. Everything you do for baby is great.
You’ve done an amazing job in all aspects of mom-ing, Gina. 🙂 Anyone who would dare to tell you
otherwise because you might not breast feed until she’s old enough to order her own food just
needs to be shot. 😉 (Just playing but the breast feeding fanatics get on my very last nerve.)
I live within an hour of all of my family – parents/brothers/sisters/aunts/uncles/cousins (and grandparents
when they were still with us). We’re in the Houston area and some are in the city but most of us are in various
little towns on the outskirts. Sometimes it can be a pain with everybody knowing your business all the time but I
can’t image living away from them. The only babysitters we ever had when we were little were grandparents and
aunts.
Congrats on BF for so long! Don’t for one second be devastated (I felt the same so I understand) but seriously you ROCK, be proud! I EBF after I went back to work…I lasted until 6 months and beat myself up over it, so stupid of me. I should have been proud of myself. I wish someone would have told me how great it was that I BF for so long.
Again, be proud of yourself it will make the tradition much easier:)
Love the summer shape up girl!!!
I meant will make the “transition” easier:)
Our families live 2 hours away – every single one of them, and not a one in the same area. It’s hard because there are no built-in babysitters, and almost every weekend we end up having to drive to see someone. When we’re finished, we start again.
I love all these posts, Gina! It’s so great to read everything you’ve gone through, decisions you’ve made and how you’ve had to roll with things that didn’t work out as planned. All good info, advice and food for thought for when I have a little one come along! I live an ocean away from my family- my husband is British and I’m Canadian, and I always think it’s so sad that we have to choose between being close to my family or his. Thankfully we both have loving and supportive families! I’m so happy for you that you’re able to spend the first year or so near your family- especially with your lovely first, Livi!
I have a random formula question for you. Did Liv take to formula right away? We’re going to have to start supplementing because I can’t keep up with how much my daughter, Sierra, drinks is in daycare, but she.won’t.take.it and I’m starting to freak out about it.
she drank it straight away but it took us a while to find one that agreed with her stomach. one thing that helped a TON was giving her breast milk second, as “dessert.” this way, she wakes up and is hungry and will chug the formula and i’ll give her the breast milk second (if i know she’ll drink 6-7 oz, i’ll give her the 4 oz of formula first then 3 oz of b milk)
The pic of you and little Livi is adorable! I can definitely see the resemblance. Where is your striped top (in that photo) from? I can’t add enough stripes to my wardrobe lately.
Pumping is harder than bf-ing, I think! Kudos to you for doing it exclusively!
We’re a military family and right now, we’re 4 hours away from family, which is nice. When my kids were younger (2 and newborn), we lived in Florida and our families were in Virginia. That was way too far.