Well, I've been officially exclusively pumping for over 13 months now!
I am down to one pumping per day
(I'm pumping right now)
I try to do it in the middle of the night
It has been hard in more ways than one!
It's the emotional part that I didn't expect
I hate pumping.
At least I thought I did.
I've been so sad about it
about quitting.
I'm nourishing my baby
I'm giving him the best I can
It's hard to stop.
Yes, I have a couple months worth (tops) in the freezer
I've been trying to get Simeon used to whole milk,
he doesn't like it.
I've been mixing it with the breastmilk
to get him used to the new taste and texture
He's very much like my 2nd child,
A busy body!
The "awake" bottles,
I think he's growing out of
he's more interested in playing,
so he sips, and sits up sips and sits up
laughs, kicks his feet, and slowly slides off my lap
while I'm trying to give him the bottle!
I'm always sad when I do the final weaning from breastfeeding,
and am surprised to be feeling the same way about pumping.
There have been good things though
I've been able to read again
(for 2 minutes and 5 seconds)
Before the kids found me....
(yes, I wear ol' lady glasses to read, it's better than squinting!)
Little Stinker!
My kids are weird.
She has always loved my hair...she rubs it on her lips, on her cheeks,
her whole face and her tummy and even tries to rub it on her feet!!
That's when I say "No feet!"
She says she likes how it feels.
My 6 year old has a thing for hair too,
but she likes how it smells and feels
and she only likes to rub it on her face.
I've had more time to make good breakfasts again!
Muffin Mondays
Toast Tuesdays (cinnamon toast or toaster strudels)
Waffle Wednesdays
Pancake Thursdays (I couldn't find anything that starts with "th")
French Toast Fridays
Smoothie Saturdays
I've had a lot more time doing pretty much everything!
Our lives were totally scheduled around when I was pumping
So weaning is a good thing.
I'll get there....
My "mom tips" are these:
1.
Cut off those feet pajamas, it makes them last longer and it's great for your "hot" kids
I have mostly hot kids, they get hot easy (even in MN)
2.
Use baby bottles with lids for water bottles for your younger kiddos
Works great, they're sturdy and they are not too heavy even for your purse!
I wrote about abortion yesterday
and have still been thinking about it
and
I'm trying to be compassionate towards the mothers who have aborted
and the ones that are pro-abortion
But
It's hard.
It's hard to be merciful when one mother thinks it's OK to kill
her baby because of a birth defect at 35 weeks along,
while I gave birth to my first baby at 35 weeks along.
And I gave birth to my last at 36 weeks along.
and the one before the last one, at 37 weeks along.
It's hard to be merciful when there are mothers out there
like this one HERE
Who has so much love in her heart because of her daughter
Is life hard for her?
Yes.
But is it full of love?
Yes.
Is she doing God's will?
Yes.
What makes me mad is that people used to not KNOW that it was a baby
They were misinformed
They didn't understand what they were doing.
NOT ANYMORE!
If you go HERE
and click on "Blog for Choice Day"
You can read their sick to my stomach stories
I really think that like Mother Teresa said in the quote above,
the mother is only solving her own problems.
That mother I wrote about yesterday
killing her baby to (in her mind) save her baby,
is a crock!
It's a cop-out!
She didn't want her life to be any different,
Because if you have a baby with a birth defect,
your life will change
your life will change
your life will change
Your life will change!!!
These women know it's a baby!
And they still kill the babies!!!!!!
Because they can.
And this mother who killed her baby at 35 weeks, gets the
pity attention, the "Oh, I'm so sorry" "That must be so hard for you"
What about your baby?
It was harder being ripped out of your womb,
and then just before her head was out,
pierced in the back of the neck,
to make sure she was dead at delivery.
I'm mad
but I'm still praying and still trying to be compassionate
by praying
BUT
We also have to call it like it is
It is murder.
OK, I'll get off my soapbox.
It is murder.
ReplyDeleteplain and simple.
You look awesome in those glasses. Let me know if that is a good read. I am book-less right now.
That is sweet she likes your hair. At least that is some what normal. I still have a baby who sticks her hands in my armpits AND NEEDS TO DO THAT TO FALL ASLEEP! ugh.
Well...after 2 minutes 5 seconds...not sure if it's good yet or not....I'm mostly reading ADD books now, but that one is a neat one to do with your daughters!
DeleteYour armpit comment made me laugh outloud!!!
Great post! A is fascinated with my curls. I hope she has some one day. My hair was as straight as hers when I was little!
ReplyDeleteHaving babies made my hair curl...maybe the same will happen to her!
DeleteStay on your soapbox! So very true.
ReplyDeleteI loved the pics and the progression where it was just you, and then more! I have to wear glasses like that to read. Helps prevent wrinkles.
I hope the weaning goes well! And aren't you all like into the single digits in Minn. right now? I would FREEEEEZEEEE to death!
Oh, my gosh, YES---it's very cold here--it's funny when it's above 10 I'd say, it's livable, but this hovering around zero...just stinks.
Delete(Yes, I'm preventing wrinkles, that's why I wear those glasses!!)
Don't get off your soapbox, Jamie. Fight! Get mad!
ReplyDeleteYou are feeling how I felt the other day and just could not write. I'm pissed off at people who are intellectually dishonest -- they lie to themselves -- about who that baby is. He is her son. She is her daughter. Gosh it just makes me feel so very defeated. Which is why I can not be civil about it right now.
But don't stop, sweet thing!
You know the thing is this particular person, stated that in her post, she called it her daughter. See? They KNOW!!! AND THEY DO IT ANYWAY!!!!
DeleteI won't stop, just in this post.
I know Jamie. I feel the same way. You know I do. I haven't been able to sleep right since the 22nd (the 40th anniversary). Even now I'm in tears again reading this.
ReplyDeleteSOMEONE needs to be angry about this! We can be compassionate towards the mothers, of course we can, but so many of the arguments for abortion are so flawed, so full of holes and though many women feel "trapped"... some DO make this decision purely out of selfishness. They don't want their life to change. They don't want to change... or grow. Obviously this is not the case with everyone who chooses abortion, but it is with some... and we should feel angry about what the child has had to endure.
As for the rest of your post... I absolutely loved it. Gives me reason to visit ANY day of the week. YOu're such a great mom! I'm so proud of you. Can I be like you when I grow up!? And that little Sweetie pie? Ugh... I just want to kiss her up.
I know it's not all cases where the mother chooses abortion, but I really think that now, in this time, with being able to google everything, well, there is no excuse, people know. They know what they are doing.
DeleteSweetie Pie is a snuggler, I do kiss her up all the time!! Simeon, on the other hand gets kisses whether he likes it or not, he is not a snuggler!! He's a go getter!!
Jamie, I'm so glad you wrote this. You are right - it isn't about sparing the baby suffering. We still have to be compassionate towards them because they have pursued a path of evil that will cause them great suffering or ultimate ruin. But you are right, they are lying to themselves, to others, and to the rest of society.They are contributing greatly to the utilitarian view of the person that our society is so infected with, and we are all supposed to withhold judgment because we haven't walked in their exact shoes, or because each woman is presumed to want the best for her child - how dare we question it!
ReplyDeleteI've read too many of these stories, and I think it is one of those big issues that is almost never talked about. But it's happening every day. These women talk about sparing their child pain, but most (yes - MOST, according to my unscientific research of reading their stories, threads, and even internal group polls) elect to have a D&E if they are in the second trimester! And they want to "meet" their baby, but they forgo it in order to spare themselves the pain of the procedure, the memory, and even of saying goodbye. It's all bull. They talk about asking the doctor if it's possible to keep the baby intact enough for pictures, etc. But, no, it isn't. They are sad about that BUT DO IT ANYWAY. Some docs said they would try their best... And I have never seen so much patting themselves and each other on the back for their compassion and love for their child. They are riddled with agonizing doubts, but always rush to reassure each other they did the right thing, the only thing that could be done.
I probably sound angry, too. And I hope I haven't made anyone sick, but this is what's happening. And it's encouraged by doctors, and by much of society. All because there is a cost to love. But the cost of failure to love is infinitely higher. No one talks about abortion for "medical" reasons. Maybe because it's too shocking and horrifying. Maybe because they know its wrong, deep down. But we are all supposed to ignore it out of compassion. No, we don't want to hurt women who are already hurting, but....then what? Just stand silent with the view that this is ok becoming the norm? I don't have the answers, but I glad to hear it brought into the open just amongst pro-lifers. What, if anything, can we do other than pray?
Robin--I read one story where the woman had them put her to sleep, she had the abortion, (earlier than the 3rd trimester) and when she woke up, the baby was gone and she has never looked back since, she went on and did amazing things (according to her) in her life!!
DeleteI kind of feel used by some of these women, when they tell their sob stories and get our compassion....well, if you are sorry, you will get my compassion, but if not, then well, all my compassion goes to your baby.
I know, pray pray pray.....
I like you on your soapbox, Jamie. Your kind and sweetness still comes through, love it! Preach it sister!
ReplyDeleteI saw the glasses and thought they were so cute on you...even if they are old person glasses. :)
You are such a great mom to have sacrificed so much and pumped all that you could. I am still amazed at your awesomeness!! Your free time will be blessed and it will be good to get back to the things you maybe couldn't do while pumping. You've done good, Jamie. Sim thanks you, I'm sure.
Stay cozy and warm while we are in this deep freeze!
Oh, my gosh, I look like my dad with those glasses on, Never saw a picture of me til I saw these...he always looks up through them like that.
DeleteQuitting pumping has been a gradual thing, otherwise my breasts would have exploded!! I should be completely done in about a week....it's hardest to give up this final one though....
Gosh, you stay warm too!!!
Your children are so precious! I never get much of a chance to read either, they start talking to me and wanting me to read them their books instead.
ReplyDeleteKari--EXACTLY!!! "Read to me!"
DeleteOh, and if I read at night, when they are in bed, I fall asleep. I actually fall asleep feeding the baby!
DeleteI wasn't going to read the "choice" blogs. I didn't want the turn in my stomach. But I did....
ReplyDeleteI hurt for their arrogance.
I am angered @ the disregard to science facts that it is a life that is killed.
I am saddened @ their false belief that they r right.
Such foolish and destructive thinking!
God have mercy on them and may their hearts soften and convert...
Thx for sharing the link Jamie.
Elizabeth--I could only read a couple stories...I think I looked at 3 different ones. I couldn't take any more, I could feel the evil around me like I was doing something bad. Like I was reading the devils journal.
DeleteYes, God have mercy on them....we will continue to pray for them and their babies!!
One of the hardest things I do in my life is to lovingly expect abortion supporters to act exactly like pagens until they come to Christ.
ReplyDeleteThe other is to pump to prepare to leave my baby behind as I head off for brain surgery and trust that I will return. (and trust if I don't)
oish.
OK, I need to call you today.
DeleteNo problem with you on your soapbox. I can't even find words most of the time. Especially with these late pregnancy abortions.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I agree with the others. The glasses are cute. ;)
Do you think you're sad to stop because it's a change? Sounds weird, I know thinking of going from one thing to something that should be nicer in some way and feel sad over it. I dislike change so I always have this "grieving" period even though I feel completely silly feeling that way.
I look forward to your thankful post.
Gosh, I don't know, I think it's that I'm giving him part of me thing...I'm sacrificing for him...this is all for him....this has been like a prayer for me, sacrificing and all of a sudden, You are right CHANGE! I also feel a little guilty, I wish I could pump til his next surgery, but that will be months away, and my family needs me now. It's make up time.
DeleteYou do have some stored away so it will be close. By the way, if he dislikes cow's milk so much does he need it? My kids have never really liked drinking milk and their pediatrician said cheese and yogurt were just fine. Just a thought if it makes that part easier.
DeleteI want to spread out the breastmilk with half whole milk, half breastmilk....so when I'm totally out, hopefully he will like it. (we don't really do juice, he just pukes it up)
DeleteIf we get off of our soapboxes, then the volume of the battle cry "abortion is wrong. It's murder" decreases. The pro-abortion groups are all over and very loud in our society. They blur out the true message of life. It's hard, but we must! Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteI Know--you are right Noreen. I'm just off the soapbox for this post! :)
DeleteWhat? No one liked my "mom tips"?
ReplyDeleteHa! I think they were lost among the rest of the post. ;) For me, I don't think I could cut the feet off purposely. Nor do I think my kids would appreciate it (they can be weird like that).
DeleteAs for #2, it sounds like a good idea but I don't have any baby bottles to try it!
hahah!! I admit, it is hard cutting the feed off, because they are so darn cute, but if you have hot kids, like me, at least the jammies get worn then! My 2nd daughter (my hottest one) never even wore any, because I couldn't cut off the feet! :)
DeleteI didnt' have bottles til Simeon--but they are cheap at Wal-mart! But, I guess I get those lids from the hospital....
Jamie, this is a wonderful post and I wish I could write like that. Every time I try, the wording is all wrong.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I don't see any wrinkles, so those reading glasses must be the ticket!
Wonderful post...my kids always play with my hair and smell it as well :) I always have a hard time with weaning/stopping nursing...I cry a lot...hang in there. It will get better!
ReplyDelete