guest post: traveling with a toddler

 

i wrote a guest post over at parentsavvy.com today on my tips for traveling with a toddler. check it out here!

 

diy updated hutch

 

well it’s been a while since i have blogged… i think life got in the way. i have been doing lots of projects around the house and this happens to be one of them. this hutch has been in the family (brian’s side) for a long time and was passed down to brian and me. i have always loved it but wanted to update it without losing it’s rustic charm.

i decided to pain the interior of the cabinets and clean all the fixtures. cleaning all the fixtures was a bit of a process, and a lot of the metal lost its patina over the years, but with a little bar keeper’s friend and some elbow grease, they cleaned up nicely. i decided to paint the inside of the hutch white because it will go with anything. i was debating stenciling a pattern over top, but figured i would stick to the simple white for a while until i get a wild hair and need a project to do.

i am really really bad at staging… as you can see. i just kind of grabbed random crap that i had in the hutch before or laying around the house. the cupboards are a little dark and they almost need under-lighting, but that will be another day. overall i am really happy with it and think it gave this little hutch a nice modern makeover.

ps. i have done a little bathroom update that literally has taken forever… and it’s almost done and ready to share!

my journey breastfeeding: extended breastfeeding

(above was a video when bastian was 3.5 weeks old…my heart bursts watching it)

this week is national breastfeeding week, so i thought i would share a little bit about my extended journey in breastfeeding. before coming a mother, i knew i wanted to breastfeed but never really gave too much thought to how long. i didn’t set a goal for myself or feel one way or the other about the topic.

after having bastian, and having developed a successful breastfeeding relationship, it seemed like a no-brainer to nurse for a year. i remember the months leading up to his first birthday, it was so hard for me to wrap my head around quiting. it didn’t make sense to me how he could go from nursing 4-5 times a day to just stopping. was he going to like cow’s milk? how was he going to fill up? it became clearer the closer we got – there was no reason to stop at a year.

one thing i was ready to stop was pumping. i had talked to moms who continued to breastfeed their kids while at home but stopped having to pump at work. if you are a working (or part-timer like me) breastfeeding mom, you know exciting it is to not have to pump at work. i did get so used to spending that time with my trusty pump, but i was thrilled about not having to wash those damn pump parts every night. the week before his birthday, i went from pumping 3 times at work to 2, then the next week once, then to none. i was never engorged or uncomfortable. i continued to breastfeed like normal when i was home with bastian.

after a year, i didn’t plan on cutting down feedings, bastian did his own weening. i found i was the one who kept him on a breastfeeding schedule after his birthday. for the next month i would feed him before his naps, in the morning and at night. i would offer him my breast and sometimes he would refuse. after a month i decided i wouldn’t refuse him of nursing, but just not offer it at the times i normally would have. i realized bastian didn’t miss it. he didn’t need to nurse before naps (whaaa? was i in denial?). within a month and a half we were down to just two feedings a day, morning and night.

we have a great thing going, and although bastian isn’t getting his daily nutrition from the trickle that is left in my boobs, i know there’s more to it than that. we use that time to relax together. when you have an incredibly active toddler, getting more than 10 minutes of cuddles is like heaven – not to mention the time i can read texts and check social media. is there a part of me that is hanging on? emotionally, i don’t think so. habitually? maybe. again…am i in denial? i feel like when he is ready, he will let me know.

there is a part of me that is really proud that i am still a breastfeeding mother, but there is also a part that feels embarrassment when saying it out loud. i usually make a funny face while saying “yup, i still breastfeed” and then follow up that statement with a bunch of rambling mumbo jumbo, like i need to justify something. well, people, there is nothing to be ashamed of.

do some people think i am crazy? yes, probably. are some people grossed out? probably. do some people think i will end up on the next cover of time magazine nursing my 7 year old…maybe haha.

bastian is almost ready to give up the night feeding. i am going to let him run the show (don’t most kids do that anyways?). i wonder about the last time i feed bastian and how i will feel. i am sure it will be bitter-sweet. i haven’t felt much emotion so far in the weening process…well besides the hormones. while having your baby go from baby to toddler to teen to adult is sad, it’s also so exciting. i love seeing how bastian is turning into a little person with personality and opinions.

so whether you breastfeed for one day to 7 years, you shouldn’t be ashamed. our job as a mom is hard enough, we don’t need to add more guilt on top of it. my name is amalia, and i breastfeed a toddler.

three years down

photos by dana damewood

happy anniversary to my husband brian.

brian, i wanted to thank you for being my biggest supporter, for being the best dad and role model to our son, and for always loving me even when i can be a pain in your ass 🙂

although it has only been three years, it feels like i have known you a lifetime. you are my best friend. we have had a lot of fun times together and now with bastian in our lives, we have grown and matured into parents. we are no longer just husband and wife, we are mom and dad – a title you 100% live up to.

the day we read our vows to each other, my heart was bursting with love – i didn’t think it could get any fuller. i knew it was right. there was no question, doubt or worry in my heart or head that you were that right guy. that feeling hasn’t gone away.

thank you for being such a good guy, someone that everyone enjoys and loves being around. being married to you is more than just a ring on my finger and legal document. it means forever. it means no matter how mad or frustrated we can get, we never give up. i look forward to more children in our future and many more years of feeling blessed to have you in my life. love you bri!