Hello, please allow me to re-introduce myself since I have been away for far too long. I’m Courtney, your favorite mommy blogger with a virus ridden computer, nice to see you again. Ok, let’s celebrate the fact that I’m back with a new computer and I can jump right into complaining about motherhood again. I have a glass of wine.
I love my kids. So much. That being said; can we discuss our latest growing pains? Ok, is 12 months the magical time when babies suddenly decide they’re so over two naps and just want to torment their parents by being awake more hours in the day? Because my little Leo is suddenly becoming the WORST napper when I try to put him down for his morning nap. I’ll nurse him to sleep, he’ll be sound asleep, and the minute I lie him down in his crib he’s all; COMEBACKMAMA, DONTYOULEAVEME, WAH!!!!
I always rock and nurse Leo to sleep for nap time. Some days he might sleep 45 minutes to an hour, many more days than I care to think about, he naps for shorter times, like 10-25 minutes. Mainly I think he gets a solid cat nap in while I’m nursing him for 20 minutes, so he’s rested enough to get up and ransack my house some more. I swear, sometimes I get so aggravated that I just figure; hey, this is your nap time, if you choose to cry the whole time, so be it. BA-BYE!
Leo’s all; I’ll show you lady. I’ve got lungs for days. He wins, he always wins.
Help mamas, do I cut out nursing and rocking before nap time and just put him down and let him exercise dem lungs? I so wish I could just place him in his crib at nap time and leave and he’d go to sleep on his own.
To further screw with his nap situation is the fact that we’ve transitioned from the infant car seat carrier to a big boy car seat. My little manny has nearly outgrown his infant carrier, not to mention it was breaking my arms to carry him around in it. But keeping him in the carrier allowed him to fall asleep in the car and be carried into his room, undisturbed, for a nice long nap. Annabelle and Leo both napped at the same time in the afternoon, giving me a little window of “me time” to shower, water plants, fold laundry, watch Ellen, whatever. Now, if Leo falls asleep in the car even for just 5 minutes, there goes a legit nap. He’s rested enough to power through to bedtime. It’s amazing how much a kid’s nap, or lack thereof, can rock a stay at home mom’s world.
Nursing a TODDLER!
The next growing pain isn’t so much a “pain” but a transitional period that has been weighing heavily on my mind lately. To breastfeed or not to breastfeed past one year, that is the question. I weaned Annabelle at exactly one year and it was the right time for us. I started weaning at 6 or 7 months by dropping feedings and cutting out daytime pumping while at work. By the time we hit one year Annie B was only nursing once a day.
But little Leo has had his mommy all to himself for his first year. We’ve happily, exclusively nursed all year long and are still going strong at 12 months. I’ve dropped one feeding, going from 5 to 4 in a day, but I’m torn on how quickly to continue the weaning process. I always said I’d stop nursing at one year because that’s what I did with Annabelle. I also just really want my body back. I want to wear a nice bra and not some saggy nursing bra not holding up my sagging nursing boobs. One year is such a great feat and I’m really proud of that. Seriously though, where did 12 months go? I still feel like Leo is a baby. I don’t see him as a toddler that I’m hanging on to for dear life. His first birthday has totally snuck up on me.
Just when you think things are getting easier, a whole new set of growing pains enter the picture welcoming you to the next stage of a baby/toddler’s life. I remember being excited as Annabelle entered each phase from baby to toddlerhood because it was all new to me. But for Leo, it all makes me a little sad and clingy to his infancy. I realize now how fast it all happens. I knew I’d have another baby after Annabelle and would experience it all again. With Leo, that part has yet to be totally decided, but as of now I look at all these phases as the end of an era. It sort of feels like the door to mothering a baby is closing. My favorite Graco stroller frame and yes, that dang infant car seat are just going to collect dust in the garage until they’re sold in a garage sale. I could cry right now just thinking about it. So I guess what I’m saying is; yes, I’m going to cling to my baby for dear life and if you see me in 3 years breastfeeding Leo on the cover of Time Magazine, you know why. Coz he was my last one, and mama couldn’t let go. I just hope he’s able get on a good nap routine between now and then!
I think we have the same child. 🙂 I don’t understand why the kid hates sleep so much. As far as breast feeding after 1, which is coming up in a few weeks, my plan is to stop pumping, but still nurse at home. But I really don’t know how I am going to transition him. I anticipate us going for awhile if my supply hold up because my kid loves it.
My wee one is the same way. He is a terrible sleeper, waking up 2-10 times a night. And we are 5 weeks away from his first birthday and showing no interest in weaning.
Yikes! I feel your pain Victoria! I finally had to let Leo cry it out at 7 months because he would get up 3 times a night to nurse! My pedi was like, hell to the no, you gotta C-I-O!! I used to be pretty steadfast about weaning by one year, but we’ve just passed the date and we’re still going strong 4 times a day. It feels like I’ve really cut back nursing even though I’ve only cut out 1 nursing session! ha
Hi Courtney!
I used to read your blog all the time when I was a working mama – you may remember me from your post when you were trying to decide the best time for baby #2 (I told you October was a great time to have a baby – and you obviously agreed – haha.) At that point my son was a few months old (can’t remember anything anymore). Oh, how things have changed. Baby #2 (girl) is almost 5 months and I am now a SAHM. I’m catching up on your posts since being home (less time to BS on the internet as you know) and OMG in my head you and I are BFFs. Lol – OK a little creepy, but seriously I feel the same as you do, and had very similar experiences as you – loved to party/drink, got pregnant, was a working, pumping mom, got preggo again, became a SAHM, now I constantly obsess over when BF will end (I always say “BF sucks!!”) since it really cramps my style – I’m so with you on being so over the granny nursing bras; I obsess over the budget that my husband imposes on me since I am so not used to a budget; I also cringed during the episode that Wendy Williams painted SAHM life out to be a luxurious one. OK I’m done sounding like a cyber stalker. Time to go to bed (it’s not even 10pm) before baby wakes up crying, which is usually about 20 minutes after I fall asleep of course. Please keep blogging – you speak the mind of all the SAHMs out there – OK, well at least mine. And you really are so good at it.
P.S. Sorry about my mangled writing style – my brain has turned to mush 😉
Awww, hi San, welcome back!! It’s so weird, because reading your comment I TOO felt like we were BFFs! lol! Yes to hating on sagging nursing bras, nursing clothes, budgeting, being a bored SAHM, etc. But if it was all totally awful we’d be doing this differently, right? We BF coz we really do love the mommy/baby connection, and if anything, the weight loss?! And we might have a lot of boring days at home, but we also get to enjoy a beautiful 80 degree day at the zoo on a Tuesday! I have nothing good to say about living on a budget though, because that sucks no matter what, ha! Congrats on baby #2!