Stay cool!

It's gonna be a scorcher of a holiday weekend, so I thought these pics of Joe might help cool you down.

(Ok, well the pictures themselves will have no effect on your body temperature. But they might encourage you to go grab yourself a popsicle, so you can thank Joe for the cool down that it brings. And if you're single/childless/male, the mess on his face & the high chair might give you a mini panic attack and encourage you to go grab yourself a beer, in which case you can also thank Joe for the cool down that that brings.)

"I'm not sure what you're putting in my mouth, but I won't complain because I want everything to be in my mouth at all times."

 "Hold the phone! That thing is craaaazy cold, woman."

 "Do I like this? Do I hate this? I can't decide."

 "It's official: I like it!"

Stay cool this weekend, friends!

Another year.

We doubled the number of kids we had.
We survived a family vacation with an infant and a toddler.
We had only one visit from the fire department and made zero trips to the emergency room.
We discovered the joy that can come from a bottle of Riesling.
We weathered teething & potty training & oh so many trips to time out.
Together.

Of the 9 years we've been together and the 4 we've been married, this one has been our very best yet.

Happy Anniversary.
Love you.

An end.

Tomorrow morning, I will nurse my baby boy for the last time.

It's one of the most bittersweet parts of motherhood, I think. To me, it means the end of his infancy. He's no longer a tiny baby boy; rather, he's grown into this little guy with a personality. He doesn't need his mama to provide for him in that very special way anymore. I sorta feel like this is my way of letting him grow up.

Why are we stopping? Well...it's just time. For both of us. But mostly me, which is why I'm riddled with guilt over it. With Brooke, weaning was a fast process, brought on by some new teeth that were just wreaking havoc on my body. And it was painful for both of us; she hated/refused bottles and I had to endure the unfortunate experience of going cold turkey and waiting for my body to realize it wasn't a milk factory anymore. And it definitely wasn't the way or the time I wanted it to end. This time, weaning has gone exactly as planned and on my schedule. It's been a very slow process, dropping one feeding at a time for about 2 months now. Joe is completely used to and accepting of bottles and formula. So it should be relatively painless for both of us. Except for the guilt.

Why so much guilt? Well...I feel like I'm just giving up. There really isn't a great reason to stop. No, scratch that. There isn't a need to stop; I've got plenty of great (as trivial as they may be) reasons.

I won't be tied to a feeding schedule anymore. I'm no longer the only one that can feed him. I can be away from him longer than 3 or 4 hours without having to rush home to a starving baby. Essentially, I can start to get some more time to myself, which will lead to a much happier and healthy mama. And I'll get my body back. I'm beyond excited to wear real bras again and for my Girls to be one consistent size the whole day. And oh good heavens am I eager to not have to sleep in a bra anymore! (If any of my brothers still read this blog on occasion, you're welcome.)

Oh yeah, and the peanut butter and alcohol aren't bad consolation prizes either. You better believe I'll have more than my fair share of both this week. Especially the peanut butter. My diet has been 100% peanut-free since the day Joe was born just in case he has his sister's allergies. Not a single PB&J, one of my most most favorite foods, since September, you guys. I even had to live through Reese's Egg season watching everyone else around me devour those little delights without taking one little bite. That's love, Joe. (p.s. I have two packages of Reese's eggs waiting for me in the pantry with a "Husband, if you touch these I will stab you" sign on them as we speak.)

See? Plenty of good reasons. Not to mention the fact that I have no interest in being on the cover of Time anytime soon. (I had originally only hoped to go for 10 months, so I'm really just about 6 weeks shy of that goal.) I just have to get over this nagging feeling.

Besides, he really doesn't need me after all. He has moved on to new dairy sources.

Eight Months.

Dear Joe,

You are a movin' man these days, kiddo! You learned how to crawl this month and haven't turned back. You are all over the place now, and we just love to see how independent you're becoming! We can't turn our backs on you anymore, as you've even learned how to climb stairs! All that moving around must be contributing to your slow (read: no) growth this month. Mommy has started weaning you from nursing, but you're taking the formula bottles without any complaint. In addition, you're scarfing down 3 meals a day of baby food. You're also starting to get bits & pieces of table food, too. You've gotten really good at clapping and waving. One of the most exciting things to happen this month is you said your first word: Mama! "M" is the only consonant sound you've learned so far, and Mommy is just thrilled every time you say it! Here are a few of your favorite and not-so-favorite things in your 8th month:

Favorites
Standing - You are no longer satisfied viewing the world from the floor. You like to get up on those feet as often as you can, pulling yourself up on just about anything. And just recently you've started letting go of things and practicing your balance. In fact, you've made a little game out of letting go of our hands, standing on your own for several seconds, and then falling forward into our arms.
Snacks - You are such a little snacker. You love to sit in your high chair and have a snack. Your favorites include Cheerios, pretzel rods, and wagon wheels. When you're crawling around, you even snack on the food you've dropped on the floor (that's gross, buddy, you've got to stop doing that.)
Brooke's Toys - Your favorite room in the house is definitely the play room. Why? Because it is filled with things for you to get your hands on (and your mouth!) You especially love to mess with your sister's toys. Thankfully, she has enough toys that she doesn't mind. One of your favorites is her kitchen; you love to open and shut the door to her little fridge and oven over and over again.
Balls - To the delight of your Daddy, you LOVE playing with balls. You'll be a sportsman for sure! Big, little, hard, soft - you aren't picky. But you especially seem to love the giant bouncy balls we have.
Emptying things - You haven't met a basket you wouldn't empty. Nothing delights you more than finding a container or basket full of things you can pull out. And you do it methodically, choosing what you want and pulling things out one at a time.

Not-so-Favorites
Diaper Changes - You have become the biggest squirmer during diaper changes. It is such a battle to change you! Not even Mommy's iPhone is enough of a distraction to get you to lay still while being changed. All too often we see that cute bare bottom of yours in the air as you roll over and take off crawling before we can get the new diaper on.
Getting Dressed - Your squirminess is not limited to diaper changes. You do not like getting dressed one bit! Most of the time, before we can get your second leg in your pants, you've already kicked the first one out. You just do not like anything that involves sitting still!
Hard Surfaces - This one is pretty hilarious. You really don't like crawling on hard surfaces, like the tile or hardwood floor. Instead, you get up on your hands and toes and do the most adorable bear crawl. You're getting really fast moving that way, too. No more hurt knees for you!

You are the most cheerful little guy! Another one of your favorite things to do is to laugh. And it doesn't take much to get you to do it - you think so many things are hysterical, like your big sister's antics and playing ball with Daddy. You are so happy almost all of the time. So much so that when you're crabby, we know something's wrong. A third tooth pushed through this month, which we know must have been painful, as you were such a sad little man. But you powered through, and we got our super smiley baby boy back!

Thanks for being such a sweet little guy. Mommy loves her Joseph Boy and Daddy loves his Jose!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy