Waterlogged

On my husband's side of the family, they are all about water safety. My husband, his sister, and her mother were all lifeguards before and it's a subject dear to their hearts. Considering my own fear of water and my own terrible swimming ability that's taken years and much help/instruction on improving, I also wanted to make water safety a priority with my kids. This year, like last year, we focus on getting them not only used to the water, but to also have a respect for it. We also try to train them to instinctively go for the edge of the pool, if they fell/got in.

So, today was our first day in the pool this year. Here they are jumping into awaiting arms.

A Breastfeeding Checklist

Before ever having children, before even trying to conceive children, I knew I wanted to breastfeed. I had learned of the many benefits of breastfeeding. I was determined. Plus, I am an admitted hippie and it's honestly the hippie thing to do. And that was that.

While trying to conceive, I informed myself even more, now placing emphasis on improving the chances for success at breastfeeding. When I learned I was pregnant, and especially when it was discovered to be twins, well, I was even more revved up for it. I read books, websites, consulted with other moms who've breastfed. I did it all.

Despite my immense desire and drive to breastfeed, the whole time I also held a healthy acceptance of the fact that it may not work out. Indeed, many mothers don't breastfeed, for various reasons. Whether by lack of a healthy supply, not enough family support, or simply because for whatever reason, it's not a good fit for your family, and I fully support that. I admit- there are things about breastfeeding that are irksome and not at all glamorous as you'd imagine something so natural and elemental, and almost magical, to be. A large part of it is, or was for me, but that painful and annoying underbelly is indeed there. It's just something you have to decide for yourself. For me, I was excited and ready.

So when Oscar and Matilda was born 6 weeks early, I put forth every bit of knowledge I'd gleamed from my many resources, every aged tome, every acronym-laden mommy forum, every parenting magazine, every cheesy birth show on daytime cable, you name it. And come up with this lovely to-do list for myself. I followed it to the T for the first month or so, and most of it til Oscar was finally getting his milk from the tap versus pumped, which was around 3 months old. It makes me look/sound pretty OCD, I admit, but hey, maybe I am.

Either way, it's pretty cool I think. I still have it too, tucked in their keep-sake drawer.

28 months old!

So, the kids are now 28 months old. I have absolutely no idea on their height/weight, I'm guessing around 32-33 inches tall and 24-26 lbs? They haven't been to the doctor's since their 2 year check-up, which went smashingly. Healthy as can be! And I am so in love with their pediatrician, Dr. Amy Self. She is so knowledgeable and comforting, and so supportive of parents' right to parent as they see fit (within reason of course.) She just loved that I was still breastfeeding them. She walked in and immediately goes "ok, first things first, are you still breastfeeding?" When I replied that yes I was, she slapped her hand on her knee and goes "I KNEW it! I knew you could do it! That is just awesome!" It's nice getting that sort of support and encouragement, when you have had your fill of random strangers and distant family members sharing their negative opinions. It gets old, really quick and I don't mind saying it!

With a heavy heart however, I must confess, the kids are now weaned. I stopped them cold-turkey. It was getting were it felt strange and I felt like it was keeping them from eating more solids, and since they, or Oscar to be specific, was not eating much at all and not gaining weight, sometimes even losing it, I felt it was the best decision for our family. As much as I miss it, and believe me, I do, I still do feel it was the best decision. His appetite for solid foods have picked up, so I guess it was a success? They still ask for it, but they don't get upset like they did the first week. It was just so hard to arbitrarily decide to stop, when they were getting so much enjoyment out of it, and I enjoyed those special snuggles too. It was like for those moments, they were my teeny tiny babies still, comforted by their mommy like no one else could. Oh well...on to happier things...

They are both evolving from toddlers to little children, with the advent of their own little games. It is so intriguing to watch. One game in particular I think is something of their own invention. It seems basically like tag, except you sit there and just tag each other in the chest, while giggling and going "Gassy!" At first, you'd think they were saying "Got you" or "Gotcha" but they can say that clearly, so I have no idea what they are saying. But they love the game, so I guess that's all that matters. They also love kitchen play and working in the garden. Oscar especially loves helping me with chores, and his dearest favorite is to help me wash the laundry. He must assist in every step of the way, from transferring the wet laundry to the dryer, putting the dirty in the washer, adding the soap, twisting the knobs, turning it on, and then overseeing the water filling up. We cannot leave til he sees bubbles. It's funny...and a bit OCD I believe? LOL. And Matilda really couldn't care less about helping with chores, she is all about her jewelry and stickers. We've been trying to potty train them, or at least get Matilda not so terrified of pooping in general, so we've taken to giving them stickers as "potty prizes." I got them a roll of stickers from the Dollar Tree, a buck for a whole roll. Tilly only wants the pink one. She also only wants the orange vitamin. She is getting picky picky with colors!

So, that's our update. Here is a recent picture. This is from our family church's "homecoming" where everyone comes over one Sunday, brings a dish, and we sit around, socialize, and visit the graves of those who've passed before us.

After a hiatus...

We're back! Sorry for the lack of activity. Just kind of got carried away with other things. But now we're back, so be sure and come back to visit us. :)

First, a recap of our summer thus far...

I've been working with my garden pretty heavily this year, and was expecting a boon of strawberries. Well, the raccoons, slugs, beetles, and birds all have different ideas on that. But finally, I think we have such a plethora of berries, that even all the wildlife can't eat them all up. Here is a recent batch. Tiny, but so juicy and just the perfect tarty sweetness.



A bounty of herbs: coriander, chives, oregano, rosemary, lavender, italian basil, dill, sage, thyme...plus a single berry. This was when the various varmints were getting into my garden and absconding with the fruits of my labor. Literally!



And my pride and joy, my great great grandmother's rose. She lived in this house before we did, many years ago. The house changed hands, to non-family, several times I believe, and it now back to us. I've been struggling to identify the particular rose it is, but I feel confident now that it's Nurse Edith Cavell.



So, that's it for now, but I will update on the kiddos soon!