World Breastfeeding Week

Happy World Breastfeeding week! Have you all been overwhelmed with all my FB breastfeeding posts this week? :)

I've decided that I've turned into a hippy. Well... A breastfeeding hippy! I never thought I would feel so passionate about breastfeeding and now here I am, encouraging people to nurse and attend nursing groups. This week I told a local newspaper reporter about world breastfeeding week (she is doing an article on it next week) and then I responded to a letter to the editor that frowned upon women who nurse in public (although they never posted my comment! Lol). I am also going on 9 months of nursing Colin and have been hearing comments about how I should quit now that he has teeth.

Well... we've been through a lot in our breastfeeding journey and quitting because some teeth have popped through is just not going to happen.

I feel like we've come so far and overcome so many hurdles that we can't stop now. We are so successful, even with me working full time (until next week... ha!) and being able to still provide breastmilk is pretty awesome and no easy task, but a totally worthwhile task! :)

I feel like I want to shout out to the world, encourage everyone to try it, who may have thought it was weird and let all the mothers know how wonderful it really is.  Although I understand many choose to not nurse and many have difficulties nursing.... heck I'd say we had more difficulties than most. But I truly wish people were more educated about it and that they at least give it a try before dismissing it as an option. I'm not going to lie I was very scared to nurse. The thought was weird and foreign... but I read a lot about the health benefits for both me and baby and thought, you know... I'm going to do this and at least try. I know I say my goal was 6 months... but I'll be honest, I was really just hoping I'd make it to 3 months!  Any little bit, even a week or a month is better than none at all. So if you are reading this and tried breast feeding and feel like you failed, I hope you are proud of yourself for giving it a shot and trying because that in itself is a success.

I told someone today that nursing your baby is addicting. I know, that sounds weird to some, but for me it is true. You build a connection with your child that is so strong and unlike anything else. It is beautiful and a bond that cannot be replaced.


And now, because I am going all crazy breastfeeding hippy on you... Here are pictures of me nursing my baby. GASP! I know... Going all out there! The first two are from when he was little little and the last two are like this week...

Friday Phone Dump!!

Helping me unload the dishwasher

"Drinking" water

I think these are afids (sp?)

Love that face!

Chowing down!

reorganizing my tuperware cabinet...

Ha Ha, look what I found.... shiny billiard balls!

Not quite awake yet.... early in the morning.

His new best friend... I am not a fan of this silly bear.

Again with the bear.

Watching the fishies swim at Walmart! Lol

I got this in the mail last week... to help us remember our trip to Durango!

Trying to drive

LOVE this picture... Marcie's pug Fiona was a big hit in Colin's eyes!

Water baby

Wave or Milk... he' got it down!

I'm not quite sure if it is the sign for milk or he is waving, but either way he has been doing it like crazy and I think it is soo cute and neat to watch him learn and grow! :)

Bathroom remodel

Since we moved into our house we've not been happy with our master bathroom. The two main reasons were the tub was old and disgusting and there wasn't any ventilation in the bathroom and it molded up very easily. Soo... we finally (4 years later... I can't believe we've lived her for 4 years!) got around to getting it fixed!  We hired a contractor to come in and we took out the tub and put in a shower stall and a ceiling vent... and while they were at it, he re tiled (although it didn't need it). Can I just say, I LOVE it.... and Colin does too! :)


BEFORE:

Colin actually figured out how to turn on the water in this picture! Lol

DURING:

AFTER::

Part time-ish

Well,  next week I officially start working part time. But part time being 32 hours a week instead of 40. I will work 4 days and have Tuesdays off. I can do this for about 7 months if  I wanted to... but there will be days where I will have something going on or need to work that I won't take off. I am very excited! This weekend will be my first 3 day weekend with Colin. He will get 4 days with his parents and then 3 days with the babysitter, which I like too.

I am already  wondering what fun stuff I can do with him on Tuesdays.... of course selfishly, napping with him, is on my list... and getting some more house cleaning done... but who knows what other adventures we can get into! I hope he enjoys this as much as I plan to! :) Yay!

My only regret is not asking my boss sooner... BUT, better late than never, right?!

Camera Dump!

I have some camera photos I never posted.... the first few are Colin's first time in his baby pool. Bailey kept trying to drink all his pool water. Maybe she thought she was saving him! Lol And the last one is Colin in his new favorite spot... staring out the back door at Bailey!

Adventures in eating

I was goling through my camera and found some eating pictures.  My kid likes to eat. The first two really make me laugh! Tonight he was eating plums, which I think is his new favorite food... that or I just got a really sweet one from the store this week! 

No Daddy... MY food!

Plum Fun!

Food face! Full of Plums!

Exercise... or lack there of...

I wish I could exercise.

I feel good about how far I've come since having the baby. I've lost more than what I was at before I had him... BUT my tummy is still big and flabby, in my opinion... much more than before I had him and I want it gone!

I was doing really good at exercising before I came back to work, then I came back to work and that took a toll. I got back into it and was going to Zumba like 2 days a week (for me 2 days a week is good! Ha!) Then our sitter went on vacation and our family came into town to babysit. Instead of exercising I hung out with the family... I couldn't dare come home and say thanks for watching my kid all day, can I go change and you watch him for another hour while I go exercise too? I just couldn't do it.  So I stopped for like 3 weeks. And I just tried going back again.  Last week I went once....  And this week I doubt I'll be able to go at all because I rely on Ryan to watch him so I can go.

Ryan started a big work project and yesterday worked 13 hours. No way in heck I can get to exercise this week with that schedule! Soo... I've been trying to find a babysitter to watch Colin for 1 hour one or 2 days a week after I get off work so I can go to zumba. And I've not been successful.  This one little girl that I used to coach in soccer and I coached with her dad, kept pestering me to babysit when I first had Colin. She immediatley came to mind.. BUT she's been busy with soccer and basketball camps and has been out of town and I can't get ahold of her. I tried asking the neighbors several times and they are also busy chasing their 3 kids around that it hasn't worked out either.

Sigh... somedays I wish we had family here.... or our gyms had a daycare center... or I had a jogging stroller!  Lol  

I miss the days when I could throw Colin in his bouncer and hop on the treadmill and he wouldn't move and just stare at me or out the window. Not so much anymore. Needless to say I do Zumba moves for 2 minutes while I wait for my oatmeal to come out of the microwave in the morning and this morning  I did situps too!  Now if only my mom hadn't given me chocolate zucchini bread that was soo very delicious that I've practically ate all of it already!!! At least there are some green things mixed into it... so can't be that bad for me, right??!?

Last weekend

Last weekend we went to Socorro to visit our family. We stayed at my parents house and Colin had a great time. Every morning when he woke up, my dad would take him outside and they would play in the grass and watch the birds (my parents have like a mini bird sanctuary, I swear!). He got to see his first sheep, my parents also have sheep. He was intrigued by the sheep, but not very impressed. One evening we went to the local park/duck pond. I never really appreciated that area when  I lived there, but it is really very beautiful and I think I will make it a habit of taking Colin there every time we go visit. There are two swing sets there and they both had baby swings (I've yet to find one with a baby swing in our town! Ha!) So Colin got to swing for the first time too and had a great time. I unfortunately left my camera home.... But took crappy pictures with my camera phone.... and here they are:

Update

Update:

I know I'm a broken record, but we have been soo busy I barely have time to pee by myself, let alone blog!

* We've been getting our bathroom remodeled. Don't worry I am taking pictures and will post the progression. We had an old iron bathtub in there that someone tried to paint once upon a time. The paint was chipping and looked horrible. So we are getting a shower stall put in instead. So far it looks really good and should be finished up very soon... hoping tomorrow! Meanwhile, our house is kind of in shambles because everything is not in its place. I am very much looking forward to things to be back to normal so everything can go in its place again.

* Some big news is that I asked my boss to work part time. Even if it is just one extra day home with Colin it would be nice. I actually thought my boss would be very against it, but he surprisingly wasn't. I REALLY regret not asking him sooner. We are supposed to go meet with our HR lady and see what she has to say. I am pretty nervous to meet with her... but I guess if you don't ask you will never know the answer, right? I'll keep ya posted on what the outcome is.

*I feel like we haven't spent a weekend home in forever... and this weekend it might not happen either! Sigh... Hoping to spend some time at home doing NOTHING soon! I need to catch up with life at home!

* Ryan's family is fighting at court next week.I think it has been stressing everyone out and I am counting down the days until it will be over and we won't have to worry about it and praying for peace.


That's all for now.I have another blog to post about our weekend trip to Socorro... but that will have to wait for another day because this momma is TIRED!

Family photos

Our family photos are ready and I am so excited! Mostly because it is the first family photos we've done... but they came out exceptional and I LOVE them so much.

Here is the link,
http://lspears.photobiz.com/viewing/?slideshowID=346446
password lobo.


I am getting a cd of all the photos, so I will post them when I get them! Until then, enjoy the website! :)

I think I am going to have a climber!

Giveaway

I've followed the Southern Belle & her boys blog I think since she was pregnant with her first born. She is hilarious and often reminds me of myself! Any who she is doing a rad giveaway on her blog right now and I'd love to win... and I figured so would some of my readers (not that I have very many, but you know!)
Here is the link to her giveaway blog:
http://www.thesouthernbellebaby.com/2012/07/diaper-disasters.html

It reminded me how fortunate we are that we haven't had *too* many major diaper disasters as of yet. But my very favorite one ever was the first time Ryan changed Colin's diaper in the hospital. Poor kid and pooed all over the place and Ryan, being the proud new daddy jumped up to change the diaper. He took the diaper off and was commenting on how massive of a mess it was and was trying his darnedest to clean it up. The next second I look up and there is pee flying EVERYWHERE! Lol Ryan had no clue. I started screaming, he's Peeing! Poor kid peed all over himself, his clothes and his little hospital bassinet! What an initiation to baby boys and diaper changes!  Ha! 

Good luck my friends! If I win... it will probably go to diapers... but her idea of a pedicuree sounds tempting! (Although you all know how much more I would need a nap... a shame those are priceless... literally!)

Phone Dump

Hi!!

Blooming cactus

Chewing on mom's new Coach diaper bag!

sucking on a teething cookie for the first time... I love his expression, he looks like he is eating something he knows he shouldnt!

A boy and his dog

belly down, butt up

Opening up Dad's new Keurig!

Playing with Grandpa

New pool that we have yet to use as a pool... just an indoor toy!

Inspecting his food!

Durango

Sleepy boys on vacation

Happy 4th!

Chillin'

Later!