Breastfeeding Article

This is for all you moms out there who have successfully or unsuccessfully or apathetically breastfed your child.

Check out my friend's blog entry on the subject.

And also be sure to read the article he is referring to.

In Dan's perfect words -- It's a level-headed and refreshingly skeptical look at the hype, over-selling and judgmental posturing that attaches to contemporary breast-feeding.

Take a minute to read it -- seriously. Please do it now. Latch on and don't stop until you've finished the rich hind-milk of it. You won't be let down.

(and while you read it, note my beef with the subject: even in professional literature the presentation of the word is inconsistent -- breastfeeding, breast-feeding, breast feeding...)

Oh, I went down south for to see my gal...

We are finally almost recouperated from our trip this past weekend. My best friend from college, Timberly, got married to Josh on Saturday down at Nottoway Plantation just outside of Baton Rouge. I was a bridesmaid. It's a terrible time of year for Tory to be away for any length of time, so I asked my mother to go with me to help take care of Hazel.

Our flight left at 6am Friday morning, so Mom & I were up by 3:45 and out the door at 4:30. Quite a different process trying to fly with a baby! You've got to take so much more stuff, and going through security is a mess. But we made our flight (barely), and Hazel was perfect the whole time. We got to the plantation a little early and our room wasn't ready for us yet; since we were so so so tired, we just slept in the car for awhile like a bunch of vagabonds.

Nottoway Plantation is gorgeous! The grounds were verdant (except for some areas of construction), the buildings were amazing, and the rooms were perfect. And don't even get me started on the furnishings & linens! The property sits right behind the levee of the Mississippi, and is the largest plantation in Louisiana. There were snapdragons & pansies planted everywhere, along with a variety of palms -- and then, of course, the stately oaks. A gorgeous spot to spend a weekend.

Speaking of gorgeous -- my friend Timberly... I stopped taking pictures once the photographers got there, so I didn't really get any of her in her wedding dress, but oh--my--goodness, she was breathtaking. The wedding was very girly and pretty -- very Timberly. Her mom did all the flowers (silk), and the decorations seemed straight out of fairly land. Pretty, pretty, pretty....

It was great to see some of her friends from high school again (I was the only one from MNU), and we all had a fabulous time. She couldn't have asked for more perfect weather. Blue skies, sunshine, and always a nice little breeze. There was a restaurant and gift shop on the grounds, so we never had to leave or want for anything!

Second to the bride, Hazel was a superstar. She was passed around nonstop; I don't think her bottom touched a seat for two days. It was great for my mom to get to spend that much time with her, and I know Hazel loved it too. Everytime I looked at them they were cracking each other up or cuddling or doing something sweet together. There's no way I would have been able to enjoy the trip without bringing her along.

The only downside of the trip was that during the reception, I felt a little nauseous and went back to the room -- and came down with the stomach flu! It was awful! I was laid up until Sunday afternoon when we had to leave to catch a 4pm flight back home. Still felt pretty weak, but managed to move my legs & get myself through the airports. Sheesh... That bug sucks for sure. Luckily neither Hazel nor my mom got it from me.

Here are a few pics!

Sit Up, Spit Up

The other night, I decided to get a pic of the brand new little sitter... and ~OOPS~ look what happened!
And then it looks like she's saying, "Well, Mom, you should have known!"

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Later that night, she had a playdate with Nellers. They are finally starting to notice and be interested in each other.

Hazel Jane, 5 Months

Wow! Time flies -- this post is late! I've been pretty good about a monthly update, but with our recent trip down south, time got away from me.

Hazel was 5 months old on March 17th. Five months seems pretty accurate -- doesn't seem like time is going by too fast or too slow. But when I think about her almost being 6 months, it scares me to death! Now that seems too old! I'm just not going to think about it for now.....

Hazel can sit up now. At some point, she tumbles over, but she can usually sit up for at least a few minutes. Often she leans forward and touches the floor for some support. Almost looks like she's folding herself in half sometimes. You would think her being able to sit up would make taking her picture a little easier, but it's quite the opposite in fact. She is rarely content to sit back anymore, so she's always bobbing all around. I'm still thankful that she hasn't started moving around yet -- just for the sake of the floor maintenance it's going to require of me.

She has a pretty set schedule now. She wakes up about 7-8am and eats, then plays in her exersaucer while I do some chores. (I know she's awake when I hear her talking to herself in bed -- so cute.) We do some more fun morning-time activities, and then when she starts to get a little fussy, she has her second breakfast followed by a morning nap. She will eat 3-4 more times in the day with an afternoon nap thrown in there somewhere. And then she usually falls asleep somewhere between 7 and 9pm. She sleeps in her crib downstairs, which took awhile for me to get used to, but it's great now (she was previously in the bassinet upstairs down the hall from us).

Some of her favorite activities include playing in her exersaucer or playgym, reading books with mama, "donkey rides" with dad, talking to people (loves this a lot), playing piano & singing with me, taking stroller rides, looking at groceries in the store, and watching her mobile. The books say 5 month olds are supposed to be over their mobiles by now, but she still loves it -- especially if she's a little tired. She loves-loves-loves to have fuzzy fabrics in her hand, but doesn't have a preference for a particular blanket or animal. She seems to really enjoy diaper time, and sometimes we'll talk and play at the changing table for quite awhile.

This fifth month has also included some not-so-pleasant happenings. She's gotten sick a few times -- a cold, throwing up, being constipated. She's also continued to spit up quite a bit, and always seems to do it right before I get the burp cloth up in the right spot. She wants to put everything in her mouth, but hasn't quite developed the coordination to get things in there correctly, which is one reason I think she favors cloth so much -- she can just bunch it up & stuff it all in there. She's also still quite a drooler. I guess it's possible she's teething, but the doc doesn't think so and I haven't seen any visible teeth trying to push up yet.

She eats really well. Well, she eats well from me. But boy, try to get her to take a bottle and you would think someone was pinching off her nose. She hates it! She gets sooooo mad. She was taking them for awhile there, and then just stopped. I've tried different bottles, different nipples, different positions -- nothing seems to work. It's not really a big deal because I'm available to nurse, but it makes it pretty much impossible for me to leave her for very long. We have a wedding & reception on April 4th, so I'm not sure what we're going to do for that. I'm just going to keep trying! (Funny: if I take a phone call when she is nursing, she will stop eating to look up & talk to me -- she thinks I am talking to her I guess!)

Hazel is starting to move into 6-12 month clothing. At her last doctor's visit (in Feb) she was 14 lbs 11.5 oz (75%), so she's a little ahead of the game, but not too much. It seems to me she's starting to lengthen out a bit and become more proportional, but maybe I'm imagining things.

She has started really laughing, and it's fun to see what will get her going. She's only really up for silly business, though, when she's really relaxed.

She seems to be amicable with almost anyone, and is quick to smile at anyone who smiles at her. I think her smile is absolutely amazing -- I'm sure this isn't the first time I've gone on about it. But it really is delightful, charming, gleeful... I mean, the girl is just HAPPY.

She does get unhappy from time to time. Mostly in the evenings in environments with too much stimulation. This doesn't bother me at all -- I suffer the same calamity. I know everyone says she looks just like Tory, but on the whole she really reminds me of me. I look back at my baby pictures, and the spirit seems identical.

It has been interesting to watch her relationship with Tory grow. He has a very different parenting style than I do (surprise, surprise), and at times I think that if I were a baby I wouldn't care for it. :) But she is so comfortable with him, and when he is in the room she watches him with awe & wonder. They cuddle a lot and I know Tory is looking forward to really introducing her to the outdoors when it gets just a bit nicer out.

Aaaannd she continues to lose hair after hair after hair. So I continue to buy hat after hat after hat. Vanity, thy name is motherhood.

We love her so much.

New Baby, Charlotte!

A previous post, Brunches & Lunches featured one of my dear friends, Becca, on her due date. She had dear little Charlotte the following Sunday, and Hazel and I got a chance to drop by that week to visit. Charlotte had the sweetest little cry and would strike the cutest poses. It was funny -- when Charlotte would cry, Hazel would pout her lower lip and start to get sad as well. Here is a pic of all the lovely ladies together. Charlotte is so cute in the little onesie I stitched for her, and doesn't Becca look amazing?

And now Hazel is a superstar on the world wide web! Becca posted a few pictures of their playdate on her blog, so be sure to follow the link and check them out. They are gorgeous! We are blessed to have her as a friend, not just because she is a wonderful individual, but also because sometimes we end up in her amazing photographs. (wink, wink)

Little Hydrangea Head

This weekend we went to my friend Timberly's wedding at the Nottoway Plantation just outside of Baton Rouge, LA. As the date drew nearer, Hazel was losing more and more hair. I decided she needed some kind of bonnet to wear with her pretty dress, but I didn't find anything that I thought was quite cute enough. So I made one! I think it turned out fabulous!!! Timberly used this blue-purple hydrangea in all of her wedding flowers, so Hazel fit the festivities to a tee. Timberly loved it, and we got a few professional pictures with the bride in her wedding dress, me in my bridesmaid dress, and Hazel in her blue bonnet -- all taken in the white ballroom of the mansion. Those will be online in a few weeks, and I will post a link to them then. For now, here is a slideshow of our little homestyle photo shoot.

Brunches & Lunches

Anyone who has spent much R&R time with me probably knows that I LOVE going out to eat. I love it! Being served good food is such a respite from my everyday life of grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning up. And two of my favorite dining experiences (by far) are 1. BREAKFAST AT THE CLASSIC COOKIE and 2.THE CHOCOLATE BAG. It was such a treat this week to get to enjoy both.
Here we are at Classic Cookie. Hazel & I met Becca & Nicole there for some brunch. I love that they know us and they always welcome Hazel & shower her with affection. This visit was special because it was on Becca's actual due date. Doesn't she look radiant???!

And here we are having lunch with Grandma Pat & Aunt Julie. Grandma took us out for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, McCormick & Schmick's. It was such a nice lunch, and was concluded with what I consider to be the most perfect desert in the world -- the Chocolate Bag. Damn....that thing is GOOD! Thank you, Grandma Pat!

Second Pretty Day in a Row...

Finally! Nice weather!

I'm going to have to make this a quickie, because it's SO nice outside & we've got to get out and enjoy it. Well, really, I just need to work in the yard which is kind of the same thing sometimes, but not always. I've gotten so bad about consistent blogging, and in the effort to discipline consistency, my plan is to just throw stuff up here quickly for awhile until I get in the habit. Once the habit comes, I'll go for quality again. Hope you guys don't mind.....

Here are a few from yesterday. It was her first really nice day outside, and she loved it. Loved the sun, the wind, the dog walking around her -- all of it. I just put her in her seat and carried her around the yard with me. I told her all about plants & why we were working. I also told her all about these fabulous little things called FLOWERS and how her life will change completely once she sees them.

There's a video in the new Video Bar (on the right side of your screen) from this same afternoon.

still a thumb-sucker...
funny face...
curious Nelson (aka Ratters)