Toddlers are something
We called some family today and Emily sat with my ear phone in her ear and left a message on two different answering machines. Just two months ago, she would have grabbed the phone from me, run away, and thrown it in some water or something. Today, though, she
wanted to make phone calls. I remember when I was a kid my mom would always be exasperated and say something like, "but you loved bologna last week, what happened?" I think I understand that a little more now.
In the mean time, I have a draft of my dissertation done! I now have to revise, write an introduction, change a chapter into an article, and write a talk. No biggie :-)
Rhode Island?
I am very excited because I have a second phone interview with a job in RI today! It would be ideal because I could be closer to some of my family (thus so could my children and that would make them happy). Fingers are crossed!
Oh, and here's a pic of my little dahling on her birthday.
Little Girl #2
Well, I thought I would finish my grad school years before the next baby, but life had other plans. I am pregnant again! I am due on November 28th and the little baby will be Annabelle Louise. Right now, in week 26, I am feeling exhausted and a lot of kicking in there. I am also writing the last chapter of my dissertation, yay!
Juicy Turkey
I had a pretty good success with the turkey this year, so I want to be sure to write it down for next year.
I took the 12 lb turkey, put three strips of uncooked bacon on top of it, and roasted it at 325 for a little more than 3 hours (in the last 45 minutes, I put foil over the top). It was juicy and perfect and the gravy was yummy!
Walking!
E took her first steps on 9/25 and she just takes a few more each day. Her waddling is adorable.
Speaking of speaking
E said quack, as you know, but she has added to her vocabulary--she can also say baby, bath, ball, milk, more, and bird. When she is not saying things that are intelligible, she wags her tongue inside her mouth to make nonsense noises--very cute.
No more nursing during the day
E demands milk all day long when we are together. I do not want to wean her or anything--she is welcome to nurse until she's done. But it really messes with my body to nurse every two hours on days when I am home and then not for many hours while I am at work (she is fine then and does not even ask for it). So, I have started denying her milk between 9 and 5. This breaks my heart, but she seems actually pretty fine with it. She'll ask, I will say no and offer her something else (a hug, water, a snack, whatever), and then she will go play. She nurses on demand at all other times and is fine. Meanwhile, I feel like a big mean mom.
Mommy guilt
There is so much guilt in mothering these days. I thought I would share an exchange I had with a friend recently:
Friend:
On 8/23/07, Friend wrote:
Hi mommies, I am trying to wean baby from breastfeeding and on to the bottle, but it is very difficult right now. My cousin told me to just let her cry it out and others said wait until her 1st b-day. I just wanted to get some input from you all. It's so hard for me to hear her cry. I also know that it is my fault for not continuing her on the bottle and stopping her at about 6mo.
Take care,
Friend
My Response:
Hi Friend,
It disturbs me beyond belief that you use the phrase "my fault" in this email. You have been doing the things that work best for you (whatever that means) and it is
not your fault for not listening to a textbook or a mom-zilla. Trust me, as moms we will be blamed for plenty of things in our children's lives; let's not add to the list :-) Baby is a happy, beautiful, and healthy child; you rock!
If you have leisurely time to wean her then why not try "don't offer don't refuse." Give her a formula bottle to replace one feeding, then two, etc. and let it take a while. By the time she's one, maybe she will want your milk only at night, and then hopefully she will let go all together.
In my opinion, if you cannot deal with her crying, then no matter what anyone says, that method is not for you. Except in cases of destructive behavior, I think the best parents are those who do what feels right.
xo, me
