8 months!

It seems just a week ago I was sitting down to write a 7 month update!!

Lillian,

In addition to being able to pull yourself up and crawling like a crazy lady, you are starting to wave "good-bye" and "hi." I say "hello" and "hi" to you a lot. I figured it was just a matter of time until you started connecting the word to the meaning.

You are extremely active. You crawl EVERYWHERE. I have had to really watch you. It doesn't take long for you to get a few red spots from bumping into things, though. Unless we react to you, you usually get up and keep going. You don't like to be contained -- whether it is in your playpen or jumperoo -- for too long now. You are ok for a few minutes, but nothing like you used to do. You like your walker, but you haven't figured out how to go forwards yet. You enjoy going backwards, though!

This month we took you to the park for the first time. Grandpa & Grandma Ruwe were camping so we took you to the campground. We all took turns taking you down the slide and pushing you in the swings. You LOVED the swings.

I was able to buy you some new shoes this month, too. Since you are getting more mobile, I thought shoes would be good. But all the shoes you had were too small! So you and I took a day to go shoe shopping!! You loved it! You tried on a lot of shoes. I even let you pick out a pair to try on. Your feet are big enough now (size 2) to have real soles! I still can't believe it. My baby. Big enough to have real shoes. Ugh. So we got you a pair of tennis shoes, boat shoes, play sandals, and jelly-sandals. So cute!

We've been doing a lot of shopping this past week. You like to eat cheerios from your stroller tray. You are a great trooper. But when you get bored, I just stand you behind the stroller. You hold on to the under basket and walk the stroller around the store. You can do it for a pretty long time, too.

You entertain yourself pretty well. It's fun to watch you play and explore. We have recently just been setting you on the floor and letting you go where ever you want while we do things. For instance, you are rarely contained when I am in the kitchen. You like to pull out drawers and open cabinets (all safe, of course). Daddy let you play in the tupperware cabinet; you had a blast! You got all of the containers out and then got into the cabinet! You especially enjoy going into the bathroom and playing with the garbage liner. You haven't gotten into the garbage yet, but we're buying a lock for the outside of the door this weekend anyway! Speaking of exploring -- as I'm typing this, you are scooting the dogs' water bowl on the floor and grinning up at me. You know you usually get in trouble for that. Take advantage of the time Mommy's being sentimental and doesn't want to tell you "no".....

Needless to say, you are a blast. Every month you learn new things that keep us on our toes. You are such a big girl and we love you. Very much.

Love,
Mommy

New Milestone!

This past weekend (March 11-13, 2011), Lillian began to crawl like a champ! Before, it was close, and we said she could crawl-ish, but now... she can CRAWL!! She could always get where she wanted to, but had to have determination and stamina. Now, it's no problem for her. She's there one second and here the next. Guess it's baby proofing time!

Also, she's a pro at pulling herself into the standing position. She was sitting on the floor playing in her room while I put away laundry. We buy diapers in bulk, so we had a big box full of diapers on her floor, too. I turned around to put something away and when I turned back -- standing baby!! It was amazing! She was super proud of herself. The next day, she pulled herself up in her crib. She does that almost every time we put her in it now. Luckily, we anticipated this day when we saw her able to go from laying to sitting pretty quickly, so we've already lowered her mattress. She'll stand about anywhere she can. Then, she'll look around and make sure everyone is saying, "Yay, Lillian!" :)

She's pretty mobile now. We are really proud of her and how much she is growing up!

It's over...

This past weekend was the last nursing session Lillian and I had. It was a really tough decision for me. I can totally see how some moms bf until their kids are like, 10.... although, maybe not.

It all started when I was starting to go back to work. I was only going 1 day a week, so I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. However, since Lil and I were together 24/7, I nursed her every time and never pumped. When I was able to pump, I didn't get near enough for a feeding.

So, the weekend before I knew I had to work on a Tuesday, I freaked out about what I was going to do about feeding times while I was gone. I am lucky enough to have my mom as my babysitter and to work only 5 minutes from her house. Although I called our lactation consultant, I hadn't heard back from her by the time I needed a solution. So, I bought the formula brand that the hospital sent us home with when Lil was born. I arranged that my mom would bring Lil to me at lunch time so I could nurse her. Between that and the few bottles I was able to pump, we didn't have to use formula at all that day. However, it took me a couple weeks to get one day's worth of milk pumped.

Therefore, my thoughts were always on my production. My lactation consultant called me back and gave me a few pointers on getting some pumped in storage. The solutions were so ridiculous. I mean, they were doable, sure... if I had someone to help me. But at a lot of feeding times, it's just me and Lil. So, after talking with Brandon, I decided that I would nurse until I had to work, then she could have formula when I'm not there. It was a fine solution. Until we started thinking about having another baby...


That just blew my mind. I mean, I've had Lillian dependent upon me since Nov. 2009. That's almost a year and a half! Then, to go straight from bf to being pregnant to bf-ing again!?!? It's totally selfish, I know. But I need my body back first. I need/want to get into better shape for the next pregnancy. I want to focus on my body without thinking about what I am doing affecting Lillian. (Brandon told me, & I know it's true, that this really isn't a valid point, but...)

So, I started transitioning her to a bottle of formula instead of a feeding every day. The first time, I was thinking she would put up a horrible fight. But, no. Since she's used to a bottle, she drank fine. Didn't spit up at all. Slept like a champ after. So, my guilt slowly faded. I would give it about a week, then change another feeding to formula. I wanted to do it slow for her - give her the bmilk as long as possible... slow for me - as much as I felt it was time, it was still tearing me up knowing she wouldn't need me in that way anymore... and slow for me - b/c I just KNEW it would hurt!

This past weekend I realized I was only feeding her in the middle of the night and before her morning nap. Since those were the two times she ate for the least amount of time, I knew it wouldn't be long until we were done. Saturday, I nursed her before her afternoon nap. She ate really well and we enjoyed the time together. I told her this would be one of the last times we would be like this.

Then Saturday night, during the night feeding, she was not getting satisfied. She ate for a few minutes then she would suck then pull off and whine and cry, then try again. It wasn't like when she was teething. She wanted to eat, but there was not enough for her. So I decided it was time. Time for me to suck it up and be a big girl.

Since 5 AM Sunday morning, we've been on formula. It's different, strange, and kind of sad. But I am excited to bf my next baby. I know what to expect now. I know what I'll do differently. But most importantly, I know I'll enjoy it.

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