Wordless Wednesday

Because I am stuck on the topic of breastfeeding, my booby baby after his first time nursing.

Breastfeeding Isn't a Dirty Word

My blood has been boiling for over 48 hours. Maybe one day, I'll be one of those chill moms, who doesn't care. Go with the flow, chill, and just enjoy everything...not care about idiots. So this may be a bit long winded, but after this morning when I couldn't gather all my thoughts, I had to get it in writing somewhere!

I saw this post on a DJ's Facebook page, who I was a fan of about his wife: "Stacey is appalled by a woman at this restaurant that is breast feeding her child that has a full set of teeth."

Ok, here are some of the worst responses:

"Gross."

"That is crazy!!!!!! Are you in a third world country? If so, it is ok."

"Ahhh, ya. I would be too. Nasty. It gets to a point that it's not for the child anymore, and instead is replaced by this misguided belief that she is helping her child. Nasty!"

"kid prolly standing up to her tit... is he wearing a bib or using the restaurants dinner napkin? it's all about etiquette."

"I thought they banned this....they need to."

"Some people need sterilization!!"

"Ouch! Not while we're eating ladies, please. Don't get me started on the child's age."

"hope they crank up the air & he starts chattering. that's nasty."

Most people's suggestion? Go nurse your baby in the restroom. YES, for real.

Here are my comments:

"These rude comments are appalling and totally uneducated. Are you as disgusted to see babies/toddlers drinking bottles or sucking pacifiers? Breastfeeding is a way to feed or comfort a child, the same as a bottle or pacifier, and women shouldn't have to go to the germ filled bathroom or their car to feed their babies. And babies don't realize, Oh I have to wait to eat. An older child who still nurses may understand that, but a full set of teeth has nothing to do with it. Look the other way and get a grip. There's no need to stare at something way more natural than a bottle. Its hard to keep a blanket over a baby while nursing. Babies dont have blankets over their heads while drinking a bottle. Breasts were made to feed children. Society has Sexualized them so much, and thats Why you are uncomfortable. Would staring at a half naked picture Of a model while you're eating make you "sick" or "disgusted"?? Give me a break. Breastfeeding IS allowed in public and restaurants everywhere so get used to it! And before everyone starts in on how this child wasn't a baby, I get that. I'm just responding to an array of idiotic comments. The sterilization one was probably the most outrageous, so pat yourself on the back for that load of crap!!"

I actually called in and was on the radio this morning too. I didn't get all of my points across because it was early, I hadn't had any coffee, and I was nervous and shaking like a leaf and watching Parker and Lily play on the stairs. But it felt good to serve as a representative for breastfeeding mothers.

I hate to break it to everyone, but breastfeeding is not gross, inappropriate, or sexual. It is one of the most natural things a woman can for her child. It is more natural than bottles and formula. God made breasts so that women could nurish their children. It makes you uncomfortable because you are uneducated about breastfeeding or you are equating the breast to sexuality, largely due to society and the media's influence. It is so so SO sad that the United States is so uncomfortable with breastfeeding. If everyone didn't act so weird about it, we would save millions of dollars by not supplying formula through the WIC program. Even doctors are paid to encourage mothers to try different types of formula samples. It is sad and pathetic that we think breastfeeding is weird, when, in actuality, formula and bottles are extremely unnatural. We would also have healthier children who are less likely to get sick or become obese.

Furthermore, many children do not stop breastfeeding at the magic age of one. Children breastfeed for nutrition, comfort, and bonding with their mothers. Teeth have nothing to do with it. When Parker got his first teeth, he did bite or time or two, and people would say, "Uh oh, he has teeth. Time to start formula." Uh, give me a break. Saying ouch! once or twice did the trick.

Parker is 12.5 months and still nurses at least 5 times a day. When he doesn't eat well during the day, I'm glad I can nourish him with breastmilk, instead of having to supplement with something like formula. He gets everything he needs from it. He is very healthy due to all the antibodies that I give him through the milk. He is comforted and knows that he is safe. Just as a pacifier, blanket, or bottle that many children have until they are 3 or 4, breastfeeding serves as a calming and comforting tool for him.

I don't know how long I will breastfeed him. He is more inclined to nurse when he first wakes up and when he goes to sleep. He eats lots of big people food. He is a busy little boy with his toys and his sister during the day. But he still nurses, and I will not go through some forced weaning scenario just because people think its "gross" or like they just arrived in "some third world country."

If you breastfeed--I encourage you to do it in public! Make everyone aware that it is not gross, perverted, or weird. It is the most natural thing you can do, and one of the best gifts you can EVER give to your baby.

Also, I know lots and lots of people who give their babies formula. I would never talk ugly to them or stare at them in disgust or make judging misconceptions about them. I am still respectful of them, and people MUST respect nursing mothers. I do however, try to encourage every expectant mother I know to at least TRY breastfeeding. I didn't breastfeed Lily, but thanks to two VERY special and dear friends who gave me tons of advice and offered support, I have had a very successful breastfeeding relationship with Parker.

The most skin I ever show: (this is actually the first nursing picture I have ever posted of Parker)

Edit: I almost forgot-I'm linking up with Toddle Along Tuesday!

Speaking of Growing Up

Big news. Parker is walking everywhere. Legit toddling everywhere-does that mean he is now a toddler? I need to post a video soon of this said walking. Also:

He's been to a major sporting event...

He's tried to drive the car...

He is beating up little babies at Walmart...

He is wearing shoes for about five minutes...

He even got to play at the play place at the mall with his sister...

Showing off his adorable booty...


These kids need to slow down. Or I'll just have to have another baby. :)

Ah, one moment of regression. The child who hasn't had a bottle of pumped breastmilk since age four months gladly chugged down some milk that his gracious sister put in a bottle for him. The bottle has since disappeared.

Loosening the Reigns

I feel like the older I get, the more paranoid parent I become. I hate it when Lily spends the night away from home and I worry about her almost the whole time. I like it best when she is at home, inside, playing with her toys or watching a movie or playing with her little brother.



But, she wants to be freeeeeeeeeee. She wants to walk into her friends house when I drop her off without me watching her, or she'll glare at me and motion me to drive off. She wants to ride her bike to the stop sign, or even further. She wants to play outside with the neighborhood kids. She even wanted to drink Coke the other day (um, no!)



Lily's almost seven. I wish she wasn't, but she's a big girl now. And even though I want her to still be a baby, I'm loving looking at the world through her eyes. Fixing her own drink and cereal. Holding her brother. Ordering her own food when we go out to eat. Helping me by grabbing diapers when we need them, moving laundry from upstairs to downstairs, taking care of her dog. Making new friends weekly at the ball park. These things make her an adult, in her eyes. And it is really adorable. She is so outgoing and confident, I think its one of my favorite qualities about her, since she is so opposite of me.



So, I've been letting her play outside with her friends, and she's spent the night a few times this summer (with Shane's aunt and uncle and cousins or my mom). I'm loosening the reigns a little bit. And it makes me sad when she doesn't want to ride to the store with me, but I have to realize that if she thinks I'm less cool now, I'll be in for tons more by the time she's 12. Now I see how I got so many Starbucks drinks when I was in high school, it was the perfect way for my mom to spend time with me. I'll have to use that one!

Parker's First Birthday Party

In case you're not sick of pictures from this party, here are some shots from our great day at the house! We had over 40 people here, including babies, kids, and adults. But it all was fun and went off without a hitch! Thanks to my wonderful mom for helping with everything, to Shane and Lily for putting up with my insanity, to my friend Anna who brought yummy Buffalo Chicken dip, and to everyone who came to wish Parker a Happy Birthday!

Decorations from the Party

This is where our theme started. I found this owl iron on on Etsy and ordered it. Parker wore this to his birthday party.



The banner: We used cardstock from Michaels. My mom traced the letters with the wooden letters they also sell there. She cut the paper into flag shapes, and glued the paper letters on. Then we glued them onto the ribbon. I'm going to hang this banner in his room now because I love it so much.



We used the wooden P and glued cardstock paper over it too.



Pictures: We glued some of my favorite pictures of Parker to cardstock and also glued to ribbon. It was a bit heavy, and this was the best way we could hang it, but it came out adorable!



Mantel Decoration: We bought this cute owl from a store at the mall called EarthBound. Then we made some little candy bags with the little owl tags that we made from cardstock and used an owl stamp. The kids got to tie their goody bags with the rest of the owl tags. My mom made some paper flowers out of tissue paper. We got the idea from the Martha Stewart website.



We made this little decoration to go outside by the front door, and we used his invitation. I glued his invitation to a dowel that I bought at Walmart for .25 and painted blue. To make the bottom, I wrapped a roll of toilet paper with tissue paper and tied with ribbon.



I made the centerpiece for the table the same way. My mom made this owl out of felt, and glued it to cardstock.



We made some cupcake toppers by cutting out little flags of cardstock paper, and gluing them to toothpicks.



Candy Table: We filled up tons and tons of candy into various sized apothecary jars and other serving bowls. I also made a little handmade sign that said "Sweet Shop."



Here are a few other shots:




Lots of work, but so much fun. I don't think the pictures do everything justice. It all looked amazing. Lots of cardstock, glue, tissue, and ribbon!

Recipes/Food Ideas from Parker's Birthday Party

A few people asked me about some of the dips from the party. I wish I had individual pictures of all the food, but I don't. I played it very low key with the food, but just had lots of it!

Here is the food table:


Here are some of my favorite recipes: (please be advised I don't always have exact measurements. I eyeball and taste test rather frequently)

1.(Everything but the....)Baked Potato Dip (served with Kettle Potato Chips) :
1 16 oz. container of sour cream
1 package of the dry ranch dip
Real bacon bits
Shredded cheddar Cheese
Chives
Mix all together, and chill until ready to eat.

2. Hot Spinach Dip (served with french bread)
1 16 oz. container of sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1 frozen pack of spinach, thawed and drained
Cheddar Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Seasoning
Bake 325 for 30-45 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.

3. Strawberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1 cup oil
1 cup frozen strawberries, thawed and drained
Bake 20 minutes (longer if you make a cake) until the fork comes out clean

Frosting:
1 8 oz container softened cream cheese
1/2 cup softened butter
3-4 cups confection sugar
Blend all together until desired consistency is reached

We also had guacamole and salsa with tortilla chips, goldfish for the kids, veggie cups(carrots and celery with ranch in the bottom, so no double dippers allowed!), fruit kabobs (strawberries, grapes, and melon on wooden kabob sticks) and a huge candy table. We used pounds and pounds of candy. The kids had a ball with it!

Update and a Braves Game

Summer has been great and not too busy so far. I'm always cleaning or organizing something, so needless to say, our drawers, cabinets, and closets have been organized, rearranged, and freed of most of the clutter! The garage DID look good, but a certain mister keeps cluttering it up with this and that. :0) wink!

We have been swimming a lot, and Lily has gotten to see a few movies. She has also gone bowling with our church, and her VBS is coming up next week. We had a great fourth of July-we went to a Fireworks show on Sunday at our church that was spectacular! Shane even volunteered with me in the nursery for the first time last Sunday, and naturally, all the babies were obsessed with him.

We have worked on some crafts, blown up our little wading pool, ate lots of ice cream, and we have spent countless hours on Parker's first birthday (expect an EXTRA long post next week!) This party will hopefully turn out adorable-we are going low-key with appetizers, lemonade, and a candy table, but we have made all the decorations ourselves, and this has taken some serious time. Luckily, I have an amazing mother who has helped me out so much with all her creative ideas.

We have two vacations coming up at the end of the month, and Parker will be taking his first plane flights. We are first going to New Jersey to see my dad for 3.5 days, and then the following weekend, we are flying to Cape Cod to see my aunt and uncle for 4.5 days. We cannot wait for both trips! Lily is a veteran-she was on a plane multiple times before even turning one. She loves flying and traveling...she already wants to pack her suitcase.

Last night we took Lily, Parker, and Shane's little brother Chase to the first Braves game of the season. We had tickets and a parking pass from Shane's work. We had amazing seats, and it wasn't TOO hot, since it was a 7:10 game. We all shared a huge and ridiculously expensive pizza, and we actually sat and watched the whole game. The Braves won, and overall it was a great night as a family! I will say, Turner Field has a great secret-their amazing family restrooms! So much nicer than the regular restrooms. I would have actually even nursed in there on the nice wooden benches (Parker was too excited to nurse at the field though!) So anyone who needs to change diapers or take multiple kiddos to the bathroom-I encourage you to find them.

My view of the evening:

Instagram

I am obsessed with my new Iphone and the Instagram app! I have such a crappy regular camera that I really prefer these pictures to my regular ones. Here are my adorable children in some of my favorite Instagram photos.

Fried Rice

I made this last week. I forgot to post, but it's easy, and yummier than my local Chinese place.



Ingredients:
1 medium onion
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
4 tablespoons oil for stir-frying, or as needed
4 cups cold cooked rice
Soy sauce-about 3 tablespoons, but I added more when I ate it
Whatever veggies you want-I used snow peas, or you could add chicken if you wanted to

(This made a lot, more than we could eat for dinner. But it was yummy the next day for lunch too!)

Wash and chop onion. Lightly beat the eggs with the salt and pepper.

Heat frying pan and add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the eggs. Cook until they are lightly scrambled but not too dry. Remove the eggs and clean out the pan.

Add 2 tablespoons oil. Add the rice. Stir in the soy sauce. Sautee or steam whatever veggies as well (I steamed some snow peas in the microwave, shhh! And I sauteed the onion)

When the rice is heated through, add the scrambled eggs and sauteed veggies back into the pan. Mix thoroughly.

Voila!
I served with egg rolls (not homemade though.)