I am...17 Months Old

New Things:
Hanging out in his playpen (and trying to climb out)
Sleeping (mostly) through the night
Loves trains (and makes the cutest noise for them)
Temper tantrums (enough said)

Not So New Things:
Climbing
"Talking"
Removing his diaper any chance he gets
Breastfeeding (more than usual)

Liam has been so active over the past month. He is still climbing everything and we now have to keep the bathroom door closed at all times because he climbed onto the sink. He loves to be outside and gets really excited when we go for walks (which we need to do more often). He's trying to talk more and I wouldn't be surprised if he just starts putting words together and forming sentences (he already uses "read" and "book" together).

He's a really fun guy although he has been showing signs of aggression and anger lately. He gets really upset when he's told he can't do something and has started to hit things (and sometimes people) to show his frustration. This is something we really want to work on. Actually, our whole parenting method is something we need to work on. I tend to be the disciplinarian while Will is the "fun" parent. Even if Liam is doing something that Will knows he shouldn't, 80% of the time, Will will not correct the action. We will definitely need to get on the same page if we want to tackle Liam's temper tantrums and bouts of aggression.

Overall, we are loving this stage of Liam's growth especially when he gives hugs and kisses. He really is a sweet guy.

What We've Been Up To...

So, I haven't been updating like I should (do you forgive me??). No worries though, things are good here (except for a little car trouble but that's taken care of now). We've been chugging along and things really seem to be falling into place. Liam has turned into Spiderman and is climbing everything. He decided that he wanted the car keys off the dining room table this morning and figured he'd just climb onto a chair and make his way on top of the table. I almost had a heart attack. That boy is trying to kill me!

In recent news (well, sort of recent news). Will and I celebrated our two year anniversary on March 24th. We just went to a nice baby-free dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Houlihan's. If you get a chance to go there, try their Seared Tuna Wontons. Best App Ever!

I mentioned that I am now working as a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor. I'm still super stoked about this job and really hope I can live up to the expectations of the program. I'm still trying to figure out exactly how everything will work (and so is everyone else since this is the first time the health department has offered this position). Once I get things perfected, I'll definitely do an update.

We also celebrated a low key Easter with family and friends. The weather was perfect and even though we decided to just do a small, fun Easter egg hunt at home instead of going to our town's annual event. Liam did not understand the concept of finding eggs so maybe it was a good thing we put off the actual Easter egg hunt until next year.

We also celebrated another low key event: My 27th birthday! I never do much for my birthday and honestly woke up that morning and didn't even remember it was my special day. The intake manifold on our Mustang cracked the day before so it was in the shop and I got to drive around our roommates Altima (definitely didn't want to give that back). I had a breastfeeding seminar during the day and went grocery shopping with my mom afterwards. When I got home, Will and Marks (our roommate) surprised me with a cake and ice cream. I was not expecting that at all since we had just planned on going to dinner this weekend to celebrate my birthday. That, along with all the Facebook love, made my day super special.

So, needless to say, things are good here. And here's a little visual entertainment courtesy of my Galaxy S2 (since I have no clue where my camera is) for you guys.

I Know What I Want To Be When I Grow Up...

Over the last few weeks, I've done a lot of soul searching. Reflecting.
Trying to figure out who I am when I'm not Will's wife and Liam's mommy.

There are things that I want to have figured out before Liam is in school and before we decide to have another child (although my baby fever has been out of control lately). I have always had the desire to work with women (I even majored in Women's Studies while in college) but I wasn't exactly sure how to go about finding a career that would work for our lives. As I started looking into portable careers, working in the medical field started to seem more and more appealing to me. I began to get excited at the thought of working as a nurse in a maternity ward (or birthing center) until I thought about the downside of a job like that. Then it clicked with me.

I want to be a Lactation Consultant! Breastfeeding has become a huge part of my life and it is something that I feel very passionate about. Since making this life altering discovery, I have been researching the pathways I can take to make this a reality. One of the things I will need to do in order to becoming a certified l.c. is log hours assisting nursing moms. I was wondering how I would be able to achieve this until I ran across an ad for a Breastfeeding Peer Consultant at our local health department. I decided to apply and guess what?! I got the job!! I am beyond excited for this opportunity and to be able to do something I enjoy. Everything seems to be falling into place and I feel great! Oh, and Liam and Will are great as well.

Not Again! (Boob Problems)

I've had a few posts about clogged milk ducts and here I am again with, you guess it, clogged milk ducts. Liam was nursing today and something just didn't feel right. I decided to take a quick hot shower to hand express when I was surprised to find out that I had clogged milk ducts in both breasts (noooooo!!).

I really need to figure out why this keeps happening. Liam nurses off and on during the day but mostly at night. I'm going to try to pay attention to Liam's night feedings and try to record the times that he eats (which is hard since I usually sleep right through the feedings).

When I mention clogged ducts, a lot of people ask if I plan to start weaning Liam soon and the answer is no. I am dedicated to breastfeeding and if I have to deal with clogged ducts so be it. I love the bond breastfeeding has created between Liam and I (at least for the next 7-8 months).

"Rude" Nurser

Liam and I are still breastfeeding and besides a one day nursing strike a few weeks ago, things are going pretty good. Well, except for the fact that he's a "rude" nurser. I'm sure other breastfeeding moms know what I mean but if you don't, I'll give you a few examples. Liam likes to slap my boob, put his feet on my face, put his hand in my mouth while I'm talking, pinch my boob, try to poke me in the eyes, this list could really continue for awhile. The last few months have been so different than the beginning of our nursing relationship.
Now, none of these things will keep me from nursing but I hope this is just a phase. And even if it isn't a phase, as long as the "high pitched screaming when boob is removed from his mouth while he sleeps" is, I can deal with everything else.
Anyone else have a "rude" nurser? What "fun" things did your little one like to do while nursing?

Co-Sleeping is a Go!

A couple months ago, I blogged about Operation Get Liam Out The Bed (OGLOTB). Well, let's just say OGLOTB is officially on hold. Will and I talked things over and we've decided that we will co-sleep until it proves to be an issue for us.

I must admit, I love co-sleeping (well, most of the time) just as much as I love breastfeeding (also, most of the time). It seems that a lot of advice that I receive from (well meaning) mothers, friends and relatives suggest that I should make Liam conform to my schedule and life but I've come to the realization that Will and I wanted Liam here and not vice versa. Don't get me wrong, I don't plan to change everything in our lives to fit Liam's schedule (that would be madness!) but I also don't expect him to be a strict schedule when I don't even have our dogs on one. I just plan to do what feels right for us and breastfeeding and co-sleeping are comfortable for us right now.

My only question is whether or not I should buy a new crib or not (the one we had was recalled) or just wait to see how long we continue to co-sleep once Will is home. Decisions, decisions.

Starting Solids...Where to Begin?!?!

According to Kellymom:

Signs that indicate baby is developmentally ready for solids include:

• Baby can sit up well without support.
• Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.
• Baby is ready and willing to chew.
• Baby is developing a “pincer” grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger. Using the fingers and scraping the food into the palm of the hand (palmar grasp) does not substitute for pincer grasp development.
• Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth

Well, Liam is definitely doing these things and has been for a little while. He will be six months old next week and I plan to start solids soon (I have given him applesauce, banana, avocado and mango, just to see if he liked them), I just don't know how to start. I looked at a few feeding schedules that other breastfeeding moms have used and think that I'm going to start by offering him food (although I haven't decided which one to start with but I have decided not to do infant cereal) after one of his feedings (I'm thinking after his evening feeding but I'm not sure yet).


Any ideas? What was your first choice in baby food? Did you buy or make your baby food?

My First Plugged Milk Duct

Yesterday was not a good day in the land of Mommy/Liam breastfeeding. Monday, I had a horrible headache so my mom watched Liam for me so I could lay down. Well, laying down = 4 hour nap, a missed breastfeeding session and a plugged milk duct.

Okay, I will admit it. I am a bit of a worrier. I can turn any problem into something huge so I was pretty sure I had mastitis. I googled my butt off and once I felt confident, I started the treatment process. After lots of massaging, pumping and three hot showers (Sorry Mother Earth), I finally was able to get the duct unplugged. Oh, Happy Day! It was still a little sore and I had a little pain when Liam nursed last night but this morning I feel great.

Lesson learned: I will definitely take more time during feedings and while pumping. Oh, and no more four hour naps for me.