Sam’s First Birthday–The Decor

 

Happy Friday, friends! My first (almost) full week of work is in the bag and I am REALLY ready for some undivided time with Sam this weekend.

A week ago today the house was covered in birthday paraphernalia as we got ready to celebrate Sam’s first year of life.

I love to plan and organize and that includes a party. I had known a LONG time ago that the theme of Sam’s birthday was going to be “Green Eggs and Ham”. It’s a pretty hard theme to decorate with because there is very little in the traditional party section at stores. So, I had to get creative but (as you could guess), I didn’t want to spend a whole lot of money! Here is what I did.

This awesome chalk board sign that adorned the kitchen? Free! It was bought and made by a good friend that I met through social media! I loved it and have it in storage for now!

As you have seen before, the balloon wreath. I hope that this wreath will be hung in our home for every birthday! It was very inexpensive to make because the only material that I had to buy was the balloons from the dollar store!

I had a couple of green table clothes that worked for our kitchen and dining room table. I had made 14 tissue paper pom poms and hung them randomly around the house. The tulips were a gift from my Mom for Easter.

A few years ago Ryan and I put our home on the Christmas House Tour. It was SO fun to show off all the work that we had done to our house. In order to demonstrate to people the amount of work we had done, I had printed and framed “Before” pictures to place in each room. I kept those frames for the last 3 years and haven’t done anything with them. I took my “Green Eggs and Ham” book to our office and photo copied a few pages and framed them in the old frames. I placed these frames around the house in every room. A fun and FREE decoration!

A couple dollar store table clothes decorated the food table. My table is wood so I could easily staple the tablecloth to the table and not worry about it moving. I REALLY scored at Target during their store closing clearance. Straws, napkins, plates and cutlery all came from target at 50% off!

One of my favourite things to do during the last year was taking Sam’s monthly pictures! I loved to see how he has changed during the last 12 months of his life. I took 1 picture from each month and printed it on regular computer paper, cut it out and used the frames on our closet doors in the kitchen.

It’s been a tradition in my family that every year you get a tin foil number hung in the kitchen representing your age! My brother and I have continued to carry on the tradition in our own homes. Here is the story behind tin foil numbers.

Balloons were ones I snagged when making the wreath.

More tissue Pom’s and a “Happy Birthday” sign that I made and painted from cardstock that I already had and old paint from when our bathroom was orange.

This chair was a huge score! My brother has had it in his attic forever and he didn’t know where it came from. He was actually planning on tossing it because it was in such rough shape! I quickly grabbed it before it hit the trash thinking that if I could fix it up a little, it would be cute for Sam’s birthday! Some hard scrubbing and old bathroom paint that was left over and this beauty was the perfect throne for the birthday boy!

My dad was taken aback when he saw it and asked where I got it. I said Jared was going to toss it so I took it. He said that he was pretty sure it was my grandfathers (and his sisters) highchair that was handmade. A quick call and sure enough, this highchair has been in the family for almost 100 years! I am so glad that I gave it a chance because its in great shape now and will continue to be in the family for many more years.

The banner was just something I quickly made the day before Sam’s birthday!

I loved how the Green Eggs and Ham themed turned out! Lots of touches or orange and green! The best part, EVERYTHING cost me less than $50. Now that’s a cheap way to throw a party! It just shows a little bit of time, searching around and elbow grease can make a big difference in spending a little or a lot of money! Sam won’t remember his first birthday party but I hope that one day he will look back on the pictures and know how much I did to make the day special for him.

Have a great weekend!

xo

Random 5 Pregnancy Things On This Friday!

 

SAY WHAT? No, I’m not pregnant. But I had to laugh this Friday as I was going through old drafts. Two of which were pregnancy related posts that I had started that I never got finished because Sam arrived! So on this Friday, I figured I would share a few of those pregnancy things!

1. I had started writing little notes about third trimester! It vividly brought back how it felt to have that big ol’ bellly! Here are some third trimester thoughts I had wanted to share:

- You calculate your every move! If I drop a pen…you better believe I need another reason to pick it up before I bend down to get it!

- Sign up for a Day care spot in the second trimester..

- Farts are unexpected. Really, they aren’t so embarrassing after a while.

- Nothing is sexier then a woman waddling around, sweating and trying not to pee your pants.

Ryan: Ya I am so sore from sledding all day. I’m waddling like you do now! – death stare

2. It was no secret that I didn’t LOVE being pregnant. I loved the outcome but I was never a huge fan of actually being pregnant. Somehow this morning I looked back on these photos and it made me smile and SORT OF KIND OF JUST A LITTLE BIT..made me miss the belly. It brought back the pre-Sam memories and it made me think how excited I was to learn if it was going to be a boy or girl!

3. As you may all remember from my birth story, the day before Sam’s birthday I had gone to get a pedicure! I jokingly insisted that they try to hit all those labor inducing pressure points! It obviously worked but what I didn’t mention was that was one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life (yes, labor included). Sam was so low it was SO hard to sit in that position for long and lifting my feet at that angle was so sore. I was a sweaty mess by the end of it.

4. The weekend before I had Sam I had to find something respectable to wear and go out in public as it was my nephew and godsons dedication day. I felt LARGE and in charge. My trusty black maternity shirt was stretching to the limit! As you can see by the white tank poking through! Again, another super uncomfortable day. I remember vividly getting up to use the bathroom every 15 minutes and actually fighting with my niece to let me pee first! Proud moment right there! ha ha! Right after the service we had a get together at my brothers but you better believe that as soon as it was acceptable, I was back into my husbands joggers and tee!

5. A couple people have mentioned how great I looked when Sam was born. Truth be told, I shared only the best one. In reality I was EXHAUSTED after 2 hours of pushing. In the picture you can’t see below my waist where the doctor spent another 2 hours stitching. The photo below also doesn’t show the makeup that I applied about 12 hours before (HA HA HA!). But it does show my dark bags under my eyes, pale face, sweaty hair, blood on my sports bra. The other thing it shows? The happiest moment of my life and the most beautiful baby boy I had ever got to finally meet.

Happy Friday!

xo

How Life Has Changed For Tucker

 

Happy Wednesday everyone! It’s only Wednesday but the week has been busy, making it feel much later in the week!

It’s no secret that I’m a new mom and that Sam is the biggest thing in my life right now. You may have been able to guess that by the abundance of “Sam” posts and pictures on this little blog. I’m sure that would be the same for any new Mom. There are just so many exciting things that are going on in our world. It’s a whole new experience for us and we are learning something new everyday.

The thing is, Sam and Ryan weren’t always the main dudes in my life. This little guy use to be pretty high on my pedestal as well!

My first “fur” baby, Tucker. Or Tucker Beans, as I affectionately call him. I bought Tucker when I was lonely and living out west in 2008. When I decided to travel home he joined me in my red Jeep for the drive across Canada.

For years he has been my closest companion (yes, not even Ryan) and we were never apart. To say that Tucker was a little bit of a spoiled pooch, would be an understatement.

It’s not surprising that my Chihuahua isn’t the most friendly animal to strangers. This fact made me nervous about his transition into big brotherhood.

When we got home from the hospital, Tucker had gotten Sam some beautiful flowers! A sure sign of a friendly acquaintance? Not so much!

Tucker has been cautious of Sam since day 1. He hardly even gets close enough to take a sniff of him, let alone let Sam tough him. He actually seems a little scared of Sam. Any time we are sitting with Sam in our laps, he stays far, far away!

Sam on the other hand, LOVES Tuckers. If he is in the room, Tucker has Sam’s full attention. I can tell, whether our puppy likes it or not, someone will be trying to get close to him.

Trying to balance everything in life with a new baby is hard. That includes poor Tucker. We try to get out playing with him but truth is, it doesn’t happen every day. I can’t even remember the last time we gave Tucker a bath. We have been discussing our family Halloween costume and unfortunately, that doesn’t include Tuck.

I always thought that my relationship with my fur baby would never change, despite a child. The lack of time and the work it takes to balance our new family dynamic, has put a strain on the attention our pup gets. He is still our responsibility and we are working on making sure he gets what he needs. Our hope is that one day Sam and Tucker will have a friendlier relationship. I always grew up with a dog in my life and I hope to give that experience to Sam as well.

Happy Wednesday!

xo  

I’m Just That Kind Of Mom

 

Happy Friday everyone! The weather here has dropped and according to the forecast, it doesn’t look to be rising anytime soon! I am busting out my boots, big sweaters and scarves today!

I’m over 5 months into this “motherhood” thing. I am FAR from figuring it all out but I can say that I am feeling comfortable with what I do. There’s something that happens even before you have a baby. Everyone feels the need to tell you what you are doing wrong and how to fix it. 5 months in and I’ve learnt that what I feel is right, is in fact the way to go. There is no body who knows your baby or you, better then yourself.

1. I’m still a clean freak!

When I was pregnant a couple of people joked that I should start getting rid of my OCD ways. That I should accept that my house is going to be a mess for the next 10 years. I even saw messages on social media that gave the message of letting the mess lay around for a while because babies are only little for so long. The truth is? I can’t! I believe in snuggling my baby AND keeping my house under control. Laundry is still folded right out of the dryer, countertops are wiped off and I still NEVER go to bed with a dirty dish in the sink. Am I neglecting my baby because he is playing by himself in his excersaucer while I fold a load of laundry? I like to think that I’m not.

2. Desperate times call for co-sleeping!

Doctors, nurses, books and regular people all said not to let a baby sleep in bed with you. It will spoil them and you will never get them to sleep on their own. I tried to follow this rule for a while but after a night of of zero sleep you need to do what you can to get a little shut eye. After hours of trying to get a baby to sleep/stop crying, discovering that I could get 2 solid hours of shut eye if I snuggled with Sam in bed was golden. I threw that co-sleeping rule out the window and in the future had no hesitation to have  him sleep next to me if it meant I could get a little sleep.

3. Introducing food to your baby is so confusing!

The doctors and books say not to start food until 6 months, yet most think you are starving them if you don’t feed them food starting at 4 months. There’s purees, baby-led-weaning, feed them cereal, don’t need cereal….the list goes on and on! Since I haven’t given Sam anything but breast milk, I have had to reassure many people that I am not starving my baby. We’ll be starting with cereal at 6 months and I’ll be doing purees and a little baby-led wearing. Basically, I’ll be doing whatever I feel comfortable with. I’m pretty sure he’ll be fine. 

4. I don’t put my husband first.

When I was pregnant I had read all about making sure to still put your husband first. That it was important for him to know that even though you had a baby, he is still your number one. Maybe this will change with time but right now, Sam is first. Really, it’s not a race but Sam needs me more then Ryan does right now. I try to take time out to make sure Ryan and I still have time together after Sam goes to bed. However, Sam is dependant on me for one of his basic needs. I’m so tired sometimes that I hardly have time to remember to brush my teeth, let alone make sure  Ryan knows he is number one.

5. We don’t cry-it-out.

For the most part, Sam goes to sleep (and back to sleep after a mid-night feeding) pretty easily. There are times though that after placing him in his crib, he starts to cry. The “experts” say to put your baby to bed awake. To not rock or nurse them to sleep first. Putting them to bed like this allows them to self sooth and learn how to fall asleep. If a baby begins to fuss that you should let them “cry-it-out”. There is even a whole schedule to follow in order to teach them to self sooth. We tried it and Ryan and I both agreed, we can’t do it. Every night Sam gets nursed and then rocked to sleep before we place him in his crib. If he does wake up, we let him cry for only a couple of minutes to see if he will fall back to sleep. If he doesn’t, we go in and re-apply the soother and rub his head. We repeat until he falls asleep. We have both agreed that letting him cry for 10 (or more) minutes is not for us.

Parenting is an adventure. No matter how much you try to teach yourself before you have the baby, you just need to figure out what works for you. Babies are not all the same and therefore a manual will not work for every family. Expect fingers to be pointed and opinions to be expressed but listen and take those thing lightly. The first little while after baby is all about trying to figure out the kind of parent you’ll be.

Happy Friday!

xo

Cloth Diapering–The Why And Supplies

 

I wish that I could say that I started doing cloth diapers because of the environmental impact. I’m not 100% sure as to why I decided to buy some. Maybe it was my delicate state during pregnancy? The hormones? I had read a lot from other blogs that I follow about their experience with using CD. Some were good and others were bad.

I took a day one weekend and did a lot of research. I looked at costs, where to buy, up keep and tried to read more about people’s experiences online. With all that in hand, I sat down and talked to Ryan. He was VERY sceptical and said he thought it wasn’t a good idea. To him, it just didn’t make sense to spend the money on something I may not even do. He figured I would give up within the first few weeks and go to disposable. Realistically, it was a good possibility.

Despite Ryan’s opinion, I ordered our cloth diapers and was so excited when they arrived! I washed and got them all organized so that everything was ready whenever I decided to start.

The baskets where they are all stored!

Here is what I have in my stash:

- 6 Velcro all in ones by Bumgenius in gender neutral colors

- 6 Snap pocket diapers by Bumgenius in gender neutral colors

- 6 Fuzzibunz snap closure, pocket diapers in gender neutral colors

- 4 Blueberry snap closure, pocket diapers in Giraffe and Cow print! (made in Canada)

 

22 diapers in total! And so far, we have never run out. This number of diapers allows me to diaper Sam successfully and do laundry once every 3 days.

When Sam was first born it was important to me that we established a good breastfeeding bond and that I healed from birth. My mind was in so many other places (and fatigued) that the last thing I wanted to do was worry about learning how to use cloth diapers!

Like I have mentioned before, I kept Sam’s little bum in size Newborn diapers for about the first month. One day I realized that I had no more diapers and would have to take take the 30 minute trip (each way) to grab some. I decided to get us by a little longer, I would try a cloth! I mean, that’s what they were there for! Getting cloth diapers were one thing, using them was so much more intimidating!

After that first diaper, I realized how easy it was. There was literally no difference between a cloth diaper and a disposable for usage! From then on, we have been a cloth diapering family. We still use our fair share on disposables for trips away from the house and night, there are just some situations where disposables make more sense! But I never have to worry about running out of diapers and making a special trip to get some. They are easy, if not easier, then disposable! We have yet to have one explosion out of cloth (we have from disposable) or any diaper rash! Can’t say enough good things about our experience with cloth so far. 

Next – Maintenance and Routine

Happy Wednesday!

xo

My Unconventional Breastfeeding Essentials!

 

Happy Friday everyone! This week has flown by in a flurry of activity! Looking forward to a quieter weekend ahead!

Sometimes I get questions about breastfeeding and truthfully I feel like somewhat of an expert now. It wasn’t a smooth journey for me and I have researched and experimented with so many different things to help different problems! I know there are many “breastfeeding” essentials lists out there on the internet. They would contain things like nursing pillows, nursing bras/tanks, nipple cream and pumps. Sure, you need that stuff…but there are things that a lot of people might not consider! Here is my list of some of the things that have really helped me!

1. Sippy cup, or at least the adult version of it! I was always someone who had water with me but now I NEED this cup near me. After I am done nursing Sam, I am parched! It is like there is sand in my mouth.

2. Cheap tank taps!

I had bought a couple “nursing” tanks at Target. They have this nice little built in shelf which would be really great for extra support if you wore a size B cup!! When you are “well endowed” like myself, it doesn’t fit over your girls! Being that is not comfortable, I now find myself just wearing some stretchy tanks that I can pull down!

3. Oatmeal

This one is kind of weird but a long time ago I once read something that said, “a bowl of oatmeal a day will keep your milk supply high”. I guess it kind of stuck in my head because it is now my breakfast nearly every single day! It’s kind of a lazy girls guide to Oatmeal. Cereal bowl, 1/3 cup of oats, 2/3 cup of water and microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds! Just like that, a warm breakfast! I’ve had to get creative with my creations as to not get sick of the same thing! These are my favourites:

Apple Cinnamon

Peanut Butter and Banana

Blueberry Maple Syrup

4. IPhone or Kindle!

Yup! I am that Mom! I get SO bored sometimes feeding Sam! At the start, it could take up to 45 minutes! I’m sorry, I love him but that is a lot of time to sit at start at the same spot on his head. If for some reason I am not feeding him infront of the TV (my favourite spot), I have some sort of electronic device in my hand!

I started out by reading a normal paper book while nursing but sometimes the heavy book was hard to keep up (and not falling on Sam’s head) with one hand! A lot of the time while I am feeding Sam I am surfacing social media, texting, responding to emails, banking, watching Netflix or even reading on my Kindle!

5. A pillow, of any kind! I use a nursing pillow while I am feeding Sam in his nursery! I am not going to cart that thing everywhere I go though! Holding a 16 pound baby up to feed for 15 minutes? Not fun! So I will either roll up a blanket or use a pillow of any kind to support Sam.

6. Booze.

Ok, ok… Don’t go all child-protective services on me! It is honestly for a good reason. At the beginning my milk wouldn’t come in and then when it did I had a really slow let down. You know what can cause that? Stress! Truthfully, I am a stressful person to begin with. I am very A-type. Lists, organization and always punctual. Adding a baby into my sweet little routine can make someone like me go bonkers.

One night I was SO fed up and it actually led me to a bottle of wine. I don’t even like wine at all unless its fruity stuff. But I poured myself a BIG glass (aka:half the bottle) in a beer mug,on ice and slugged it back. You what happens when you haven’t had anything to drink in 10 months? You are a lightweight! Let’s just say I was no longer stressed, about anything!

So I am not saying that I still have a glass of wine every time I am stressed and need to feed Sam. But that one time I did! I needed to relax in order to do the job of feeding my son!

Truthfully, it is all about what works for you! You find your own little tips and tricks as you go and experiment. These are just a few of the things that have helped me!  

Happy Friday!

xo

My Unconventional Breastfeeding Essentials!

 

Happy Friday everyone! This week has flown by in a flurry of activity! Looking forward to a quieter weekend ahead!

Sometimes I get questions about breastfeeding and truthfully I feel like somewhat of an expert now. It wasn’t a smooth journey for me and I have researched and experimented with so many different things to help different problems! I know there are many “breastfeeding” essentials lists out there on the internet. They would contain things like nursing pillows, nursing bras/tanks, nipple cream and pumps. Sure, you need that stuff…but there are things that a lot of people might not consider! Here is my list of some of the things that have really helped me!

1. Sippy cup, or at least the adult version of it! I was always someone who had water with me but now I NEED this cup near me. After I am done nursing Sam, I am parched! It is like there is sand in my mouth.

2. Cheap tank taps!

I had bought a couple “nursing” tanks at Target. They have this nice little built in shelf which would be really great for extra support if you wore a size B cup!! When you are “well endowed” like myself, it doesn’t fit over your girls! Being that is not comfortable, I now find myself just wearing some stretchy tanks that I can pull down!

3. Oatmeal

This one is kind of weird but a long time ago I once read something that said, “a bowl of oatmeal a day will keep your milk supply high”. I guess it kind of stuck in my head because it is now my breakfast nearly every single day! It’s kind of a lazy girls guide to Oatmeal. Cereal bowl, 1/3 cup of oats, 2/3 cup of water and microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds! Just like that, a warm breakfast! I’ve had to get creative with my creations as to not get sick of the same thing! These are my favourites:

Apple Cinnamon

Peanut Butter and Banana

Blueberry Maple Syrup

4. IPhone or Kindle!

Yup! I am that Mom! I get SO bored sometimes feeding Sam! At the start, it could take up to 45 minutes! I’m sorry, I love him but that is a lot of time to sit at start at the same spot on his head. If for some reason I am not feeding him infront of the TV (my favourite spot), I have some sort of electronic device in my hand!

I started out by reading a normal paper book while nursing but sometimes the heavy book was hard to keep up (and not falling on Sam’s head) with one hand! A lot of the time while I am feeding Sam I am surfacing social media, texting, responding to emails, banking, watching Netflix or even reading on my Kindle!

5. A pillow, of any kind! I use a nursing pillow while I am feeding Sam in his nursery! I am not going to cart that thing everywhere I go though! Holding a 16 pound baby up to feed for 15 minutes? Not fun! So I will either roll up a blanket or use a pillow of any kind to support Sam.

6. Booze.

Ok, ok… Don’t go all child-protective services on me! It is honestly for a good reason. At the beginning my milk wouldn’t come in and then when it did I had a really slow let down. You know what can cause that? Stress! Truthfully, I am a stressful person to begin with. I am very A-type. Lists, organization and always punctual. Adding a baby into my sweet little routine can make someone like me go bonkers.

One night I was SO fed up and it actually led me to a bottle of wine. I don’t even like wine at all unless its fruity stuff. But I poured myself a BIG glass (aka:half the bottle) in a beer mug,on ice and slugged it back. You what happens when you haven’t had anything to drink in 10 months? You are a lightweight! Let’s just say I was no longer stressed, about anything!

So I am not saying that I still have a glass of wine every time I am stressed and need to feed Sam. But that one time I did! I needed to relax in order to do the job of feeding my son!

Truthfully, it is all about what works for you! You find your own little tips and tricks as you go and experiment. These are just a few of the things that have helped me!  

Happy Friday!

xo

My Breastfeeding Journey…So Far

 

I am certainly FAR from being any expert. Truth, I’ve only been at this new gig for almost 4 months. I figured that if we (Sam and I) only make it 4 months in our breastfeeding journey, then that in itself is a huge accomplishment. It is certainly a lot farther then I ever thought we would get.

The OBGYN that I saw during my pregnancy is a huge breastfeeding advocate. One of the first questions he asked me during my first visit was if I planned on nursing. Of course I had PLANNED on nursing. I knew the statistics, I had read the books…it was what was “best”. The truth however, I was both scared and intimidated.

Like there aren’t enough pressures for a parent, they also throw breastfeeding into the mix. It is pounded in your head about how it is the best choice, the number 1 choice and how you are basically giving your child super food! I would have been so guilt ridden if I hadn’t succeeded in breastfeeding.

The thing they neglect to tell you, how hard it can be! 

It was no secret that I didn’t absolutely love being pregnant. Labour and delivery went great for us and almost exactly how I wanted. Recovery was hard though. I was sore, tired and genuinely uncomfortable in my own skin. I had given my body to pregnancy and delivery and now it had to continue as I was the sole responsible one for keeping this baby nourished.

It all started in the hospital. As great as I found our hospital to be, not one professional come in to show to how to breastfeed. I did it how I “thought” it was suppose to happen, how I had seen in pictures. It wasn’t until a few hours before we were released that a nurse came to check me and kindly mentioned that I was holding the baby the wrong way!

Like any baby, Sam lost birth weight. But I was assured that my milk would be in around day 3 and he would re-gain his weight in no time.

On day 3, I assumed that my milk had come in. I had never experienced engorgement before but for some reason I wasn’t sore like the books suggested. Well, there was a very good reason for this. My milk didn’t come in.

The nurse came to weigh Sam at our home and noticed he had lost weight again. She looked at me with concern and then said she would be back in 2 more days. For the next two days I attempted to feed him every hour! Finally the day the nurse came back, my milk arrived! But again, he was down weight which made her want to come even more often to make sure he was growing.

It was smooth sailing for a while after I had milk. It was by far harder mentally then physically to nurse. I had to get up and feed Sam every 1 1/2- 2 hours, including at night! A session would take about 30 minutes. So pretty much, I would be running on 30 minute increments of sleep. I remember listening to Ryan snoring in our bedroom as I was nursing Sam and felt like smothering him with a pillow. I was so jealous of the freedom he had but to mention the sleep!

The nurse visits kept coming and she kept telling me “it shouldn’t hurt”. I felt like slapping her. I’m sorry but my nipples had never had this much “attention” before and they were SORE! I would tense up when Sam would latch on but within 30 seconds the pain would be gone. Thankfully, my Mom nursed her children and said that the soreness that I was feeling was normal, despite what the nurse said!

Everything was going smoothly when all the sudden Sam stopped nursing on one side. He would scream his head off and refuse to latch on that one side! I was frustrated and so was he. It was during this time that I SERIOUSLY considered quitting. I kept thinking was it worth the stress, the frustration and the tears? Was it really worth my lack of sleep? I asked the nurse and showed her how Sam wouldn’t latch. You know what she did? She took a book out of her bag and tried to read what could be wrong. She suggested I may have thrush as I had 2 of the 5 symptoms! Really? Geesh!

It took ALOT of Googling on my part and trial and error. Finally, I figured out the only thing that helped was putting a heating bag on the one side to help with the let down. Sam eventually learnt to suck harder to get the milk (lazy bum! Ha ha!).

Those first 6 weeks of parenthood was tough enough but adding in the stress of learning to breastfeed made it extra hard. Once 6 weeks was over? WOW! What a difference. All the sudden I had confidence and realized the ease nursing brought us. I would pump a little but learnt how much I hated the added chore of washing parts and bottles. I never needed a heat source to warm bottles and I was gaining comfort with nursing in public.

At almost 4 months into being the sole nourishment source for my son, I am now starting to imagine life when he starts to eat, a point where I can cut some calories (and hopefully a few pounds too) and where someone else can take the responsibility of feeding him. My ultimate goal is to make it to 6 months where Sam gets solely breastmilk.

Looking back on the last 4 months, I can’t say it hasn’t been very easy. In fact, I think breastfeeding has been one of the biggest challenges of my new parent life. Now that things have gotten comfortable and easy, I LOVE breastfeeding. I love those quiet moments with Sam, the pride I feel for my persistence and the awe that I feel knowing that I have been able to continue to nourish my baby with my own body. While I am SO glad that it has worked out for us, I have 100% understanding to those who formula feed and feel that it gets a bad rap…For those mom’s, I’m sorry.

If there is anything that I have learnt since becoming a Mommy, it is that everyone has their own story. Everyone has their own take on pregnancy, their own special labour experience and their own hurdles to overcome afterwards. We lucked out and I am so thankful that I have been able to be a breastfeeding Mom.

Happy Wednesday!

xo