Favorite Snack

Sophie's favorite snack is sliced apples.

She LOVES them!

And has some almost every day.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away!!!

Another Pamida Ad

Sophie was in another Pamida ad, with a fake family this time. Here is the direct link: http://www.pamida.com/20081129/574866.asp

Dry Diaper

Something happened this morning that shocked and perplexed me. This was the very first morning that Sophie woke up dry. Not one drop in her diaper. I don't understand, she had her regular amounts of milk and water throughout the evening last night. What does this mean? Is this the first step to potty training? We will see. It could just be a freak incident. I will keep you all posted.

Thanksgiving dinner with the Lindeman's

Sarah playing with Soph.
Sophie trying to give Rylee her pacifier.

Petting 'Louie' the cat.

Putting a puzzle together with Aunt Lindsi and Uncle Robby and Cousin Skyler.

Reading a book with Aunt Abby.

And another book with grandma.

Daddy taking a nap with Sophie's blanket.

Playing with grandpa and laughing!!!

Thanksgiving Lunch at G&G Schlueter's

Sophie eating a great Turkey lunch at the big table all by herself. She loved it.
Sitting with grandma looking at photos.

Giving grandpa a hug.

Chillin'

Sophie was imitating mama putting her feet up on the ottoman.
Sitting on her potty chair, watching the parade.

Happy Turkey Day from Sophie!

We hope your day with family is relaxing and enjoyable!

Toddler Babble

I have wanted to get Sophie babbling on video for a long time now, I guess she just seems to stop 'talking' once I grab the camera. Not tonight. She was jabbering away and almost singing. I think it is so funny how she just knows what she is saying and it all makes sense to her.

We can say our "F's" now!

We got Sophie to say her name correctly. It's not Sozie anymore it's Sophie!!!! We are still working on Sophia.

Tuesday troubles

Um, Soph....you have something on your pants.

Unfortunately, as you can see, we are still not over our phase of diaper removal.

Hey, at least she is still clothed!

My little brown elf.

Our Little Helper

Lovin on Raja

Sophie loves to sit on Raja.
Some days she is so lovey with her. Hugging her and kissing her.

Sittin on the couch with mama.

Cheese

She was running at me trying to 'get me'.

Fun Friday

Here she was this morning with her baby. She always wants me to swaddle her baby up in a blanket. Then she carries it around and kisses it's head. Too cute.
Just playing around.

Petting Raja.

We moved her potty seat down to the bathroom. She comes and sits on it when mommy goes to the bathroom. And there she has her swaddled baby again.

Daddy was trying to sit on Sophie because she was in his chair. It's a game they play almost every night.

When I have my hot tea in the morning Sophie asks to have some too. She loves it and drinks it when it is hot! I love the way she says hot tea. It cracks me up.

Random Photos

A sleepy girl that just woke up from a nap, not quite awake yet.

She likes wrapping herself up like a burrito in her blanket.

Sophie playing in my chair. She thinks its a game getting in my chair and playing with everything on the side table. It get VERY frustrating.

We attended 3 weddings the first 3 weeks of November. Here we are at the most recent one with my new do. Not much different, just basically a trim and a few subtle highlights.

Mommy's Milk

Days of nursing: 530
Times getting up in the middle of the night: 1,060
Total number of feedings: 2,650
Nursing your first born to almost 18 months old: PRICELESS

Although I knew this day would come and a couple times wished for it, I feel a little sad. I reflect on our breastfeeding journey and thought about how we had come to this point. I had planned on nursing Sophie for really no less than one year. Sophie was such a good eater from the beginning. I never worried about her getting enough to eat and nursing came so naturally and easy. Things couldn't have gone any better.

I never gave much thought to weaning when I gave birth almost 18 months ago. Having attended a lactation class, I had felt prepared to handle the technical aspects of nursing a newborn. I studied the various holding positions and consulted books on the proper way to latch my baby on ever since I was about 22 years old (no joke-ask Joy).

When Sophia arrived in the dark, early hours of a June morning, I put her to breast immediately after the c-section delivery and she latched on perfectly. At that miraculous moment, a swell of love enveloped me such as I had never experienced before. With the sunrise just peaking over the horizon and soft beams of light beginning to shine in the room, I marveled at my beautiful daughter, nursing at my breast like a pro. I had created life with Vernon, carried this life within my body, and my body was now providing her with all the nutrients she needed. I felt powerful humbled and overjoyed at the same time.

After we came home from the hospital, I set out to nurse her on her schedule, day or night, whenever she seemed hungry. I was feeding my daughter and she was thriving. I recall beaming and so proud at her obvious growth during her doctor visits.

We survived those first few months. As we developed a pattern of nursing and I learned to understand her cries, breastfeeding evolved. My confidence grew in direct proportion to Sophie's' continued development, and nothing seemed more beautiful or natural than nursing. She was a smiling and cheerful baby, and on more than one occasion people commented to me that she seemed so content and such a happy baby. We were so tuned in to each other that I could anticipate her needs almost before hearing her cry.

As her first birthday approached, I began fielding questions about my plans for weaning her. It soon became apparent to me that I had not put any energy into weaning whatsoever. It seemed as if Sophie had no immediate intention in her 12th month to suddenly stop nursing, so neither did I. At that point I didn't know how long I was going to continue, I was just going to go with the flow and see what happened.

When I found out I was pregnant with baby #2 back in August, I had mixed feeling about continuing to nurse. All the doctors were all for me continuing as long as I was wanting to. Part of me did not want to stop at all. Things were so easy and getting Sophie to sleep was a snap with nursing (especially in the middle of the night). Since she wasn't ready to stop, I still didn't want to either. So, I kept going just thinking that maybe she would stop on her own. That was ideally what I wanted. I wanted her to tell me she didn't want to continue anymore, I didn't want to have to be the one that made her stop.

Around October I did decide to start the weaning process just to see how it would go, knowing that I didn't really want to tandem nurse. I wanted a break in between babies. I slowly started taking out one feeding at a time. Toward the end I was only nursing her about 3 times in 24 hours.

I am now in my 4th month of pregnancy and was to the point where I was just too sore and tender to continue. I have NEVER been sore EVER, so it was new to me and not enjoyable anymore. I was to the point where I would cringe every time she latched on. I knew it was time to end it. Reluctantly, I stopped offering it to her. Luckily, she only cried two times and that was it. She has not asked for it anymore and seems perfectly fine to have just stopped cold turkey. It went a lot smoother than I thought it would. I thought she would struggle for a good 2 weeks or more. I was only engorged for 2 days and am not producing any more milk.

She still likes to cuddle up to me at night and likes to rock and read a book. I am going through a weaning process of my own. I don't feel as though I have a baby any more. I have learned a lot from this journey and I am glad that I had such a wonderful little girl to help me find my way. I am comforted in the realization that she will always be my daughter, my firstborn, and my special girl.

I realize that nursing is only one aspect of motherhood. One way of connecting. One way of comforting. On the other side of the nursing journey now, motherhood continues, of course. And, in some ways, for me, it is just beginning again.

All too soon it will be time to start all over!!!

Our New Dance Moves

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Weaning has begun

I have been trying to slowly wean Sophie for about the past couple months or so. I was nursing her just before her two naps during the day and bedtime and during the middle of the night. On some days I am not around to put her down for naps (like on weekends when I work and on Wednesdays when Vernon gets home with Sophie before I do and puts her down). Anyway, this past weekend I decided I want to be done. It has really been hurting when she nurses because I am pretty tender from the pregnancy and they get kind of sore going a long time in between feedings. Plus I kind of want a break before the new baby arrives. Since weekends she doesn't really nurse hardly at all, I decided that I would just keep that going during the week. Yesterday I didn't nurse her at all except before bed and in the middle of the night. The feeding before bed was a little painful. I was so full I could feel each individual milk duct and they were bursting full. So, I nursed her once in the middle of the night last night and I haven't again since then. All day today I didn't nurse her. Not even before bed. The two naps she was not happy with me. She kept tugging at my shirt trying to lift it up saying 'More" which is what she says when she wants to nurse. Then she cried for less than five minutes before each nap and then was out. BUT, tonight after her bath I asked her if she wanted to go cuddle. We went in and rocked and as I sat down she said 'Baby?' Which I have been preparing her to wean saying the new baby needs mommy's milk, you're a big girl and she would point to my stomach. So when she said baby tonight I think she knew the baby needed mommy's milk. I really do think she gets it. She just laid down on my chest and I rubbed her back and rocked her. She didn't even say more or try to get me to nurse and she didn't cry at all when I put her in her crib. I am a little full tonight, but nothing like last night. So hopefully this is the beginning of the end. I don't think I am going to get by without not doing an overnight feedings at least for now.

Just playing around in the curtain today.

Diaper Defeat

I consider myself to have taken to motherhood very easily. Everything came so naturally and seemed so easy. But, there is one thing that I have struggled with since Sophie was born. I am horrible about knowing when to change to the next size in diapers. That is the one thing that I can not get right. I don't know why it is so hard for me, it just is. I either have left her in a size that was too small for too long or thought she was in the next size up and they ended up HUGE and almost falling off her. It is really frustrating and I just can't seem to get it right, even until now.

Early Morning Issue

I have been forgetting to write about what happened yesterday morning. I went to work at 6:00am and Vernon had to get Sophie up and to his parent's house before he went to work. He also had to run to the bank, post office and dry cleaners, so he had to leave extra early to get everything done. Well, Sophie had woken up when I was leaving for work and wouldn't go back to sleep. She wanted to get out of her crib and play. Vernon was still sleeping and so I turned Sophie's light on and put some books in her crib for her to look at until Vernon got up. She was sitting there peacefully reading her books and saying bye bye to me when I left for work.
I called Vernon for his wake up call to make sure he was up on time to get everything done. About an hour later I get a call from Vernon while he was going to work. He was telling me how his morning had gone so far. It was not good. So, after I had called him to wake him up, he got up and took a quick shower while Sophie was still reading her books in her crib. When he got out of the shower, he went to get her and discovered a not so pleasant sight. (She has been taking her pajamas & diapers off -as you may have read in previous posts) Well, when Vernon went in there he saw she was still sitting there reading her books but she was not dressed nor did she have her diaper on. It was next to her and it was poopy. Yep, she had poop of course on her butt still and had gotten it on her sheets. Thankfully she didn't seem to have moved very much after she took it off and it wasn't AS bad of a mess as you would think. But still she had poop on her legs and back, so Vernon had to give her an unexpected bath, clean up the crib and wash everything that was in there. He was not very happy about all of that. All I could do was laugh on the phone. I did feel bad for him that he had to deal with all that, but it was still pretty comical.

Tea Party

The girls having a tea party at grandmas.

Ricky & Robby blowing out their candles.

She can say her NAME!!!

We have been practicing, trying to get Sophie to say her name. She repeats everything else we say, but she just wouldn't say her own name. Finally, tonight daddy broke it down to 'So' and 'Fee', and kept repeating and repeating it and finally she SAID IT!!!!! Except she says Sozie. Which is really cute anyway. Here we got it on video.

Airplanes & Pipecleaners

We played airplane for the first time. She thought it was fun.
She was too sacred to put her arms out to the side.

Today we played with pipe cleaners and strung beads onto them. It kept her entertained for a long time. She had to use a lot of hand/eye coordination and steadiness to get the hole over the top of the pipe cleaner. She really had fun.

Then we made the baby have curly hair.

And boing daddy's nose

Fruit Snacks & Playdough

Sophie was having some fruit snacks. She loved them.
Playing around

This was her first time playing with Playdough.

She really didn't know what to do with it.