I love playing in the water, being on a boat or just sitting outside reading a book. I love the heat.
Growing up I always said I was born in the wrong region. This area is not known for it’s nice weather.
I always get depressed when summer ends and the fall, meaning constant rain, begins. Fall also brings weakened immune systems, the flu, bronchitis, and always being cold. Have I mentioned how much I hate being cold?
Well, I will now. I hate being cold! It is the worst. OK, I know, there is really no such thing as cold, only the absence of heat. Just another reason why I love summer; HEAT!
This year is a little harder cause fall also means my baby boy turned one! And Ian started school! They are growing up right before my eyes!
Here is the kicker. I love the holidays that come with the cold weather months. And I couldn’t possible spend a Christmas in an area that doesn’t require me to wear a winter coat. Or where you don’t have to wear a layer of thermal and waterproof gear under your Halloween costume.
I know crazy right?
I haven’t always LOVED Halloween; I have always enjoyed it, but never really loved it. Well I do now!
Not just the costumes but all the decorations and fun things. It is another holiday where creative juices don’t just flow, they burst the dam with tsunami sized waves.
This is even more apparent now that we all have Pinterest. I can’t believe all the great decorating and costume ideas I have found on there.
Both last year and this year I have let Ian pick out his costumes. We do this while it is still summer, because if it has to be made, my mom doesn’t want to make it at the last-minute. I am absolutely amazed how after he makes a decision about his costume he sticks with it. For months! Let me remind you that he is three. It doesn’t matter how many times we look at costumes, once he made up his mind, it is set.
Since Sid is a year old and can’t make these kinds of choices on his own, I picked his costume. And of course it is in theme with Ian’s. They are going to be so cute!
Even as I am writing this I am looking forward to all the wonderful things we will be doing this fall and winter. And I am getting happy and excited. It doesn’t hurt that today the sun is shining through my window, even if I am freezing.
With not as much sadness as I would have thought, I am saying goodbye to summer and hello to fall. Even if it means I have to deal with constant rain, wetness and cold. Even if it means putting away the bikes, pools and lawn chairs and bring out our winter clothes and rain boots.
I would like to warn you this post is about breastfeeding.
I understand not everyone has the same views on breastfeeding and breastfeeding in public. This post is about something I recently experienced. These are my opinions, and I hope that you respect them, even if you don’t agree, as I respect yours.
At the end of November 2012 our zoo welcomed a new member to the elephant family. This is the second child of two of our elephants, this one a girl named Lilly. Elephants will nurse exclusively for the first three months. After a year the young elephant has the ability to feed itself independently but will still nurse till around three years of age. It is thought that suckling after two years helps maintain growth rate and body condition.
Mama and Baby Lilly in March 2013
Since Lilly is still less then nine months she is still nursing fairly regular.
The other week the boys and I were visiting the zoo and were inside the elephant exhibit. We have a building where we can go inside to observe them, usually eating and this is where we went.
Both mom, Rose-Tu, and Lilly, were inside eating when we were there. Lilly draws a pretty big crowd, as she is still little and really cute.
Mama and Baby Lilly July 2013
Also watching the elephants were two women who had at least four children between them, one was still an infant less then three months old. The others were a girl around the age of 10 and two kids about 3 and 5. I don’t know their story, or if there was other kids with them. These are just the ones I saw them interacting with. I do know that the older woman was mother to the three older kids, at least, by the way she was addressing them and the things she said.
This woman, the older one, talked in a very loud patronizing voice. The kind of voice that she thinks she is educating and helping, but really just comes off as condescending.
I couldn’t help but notice these things and think about them while trying to watch the elephants because she was just so loud and made her self known to everyone.
Now, the reason I bring this up is because while sitting there watching the Ian and the elephants this woman exclaims “Look, [someone’s name]! It’s her TEET! The baby elephant is feeding! OH MY GOD! Isn’t it the most beautiful thing? Come look!” She was practically yelling it, and the room echos.
It made me feel embarrassed. And she wasn’t even talking to me, or about me.
My baby is still breastfeeding and is under a year old. I have always thought it very important that babies get breast milk till at least a year old. By the time they no longer need milk as a meal, and their bodies can digest cow’s milk, it is the time to ween them off mother’s milk.
The World Health Organizationrecommends exclusive breastfeeding until six months of age, and then to breastfeed with the addition of foods until at least two years of age. The main reason for this recommendation is due to the antibodies that are passed from mother to child through breast milk, and to maintain adequate nutrition.
My personal belief, remember this is my opinion, is that it is not necessary after a year. My children get adequate nutrition from their diet and we don’t live in an area with out appropriate medical care. So I have made the decision to completely ween my children off breast milk after twelve months.
That doesn’t mean that on their first birthday I cut them off. It is a gradual process, with Ian it took a two months. But shortly after that we also eliminated bottles, so there was no need for it.
I think everyone who can, should breastfeed their babies. Again my opinion, but I don’t judge those who have decided it is not for them, or who simply can’t. You have to do what you think is best and what works for your family.
I think breastfeeding is great, and wonderful, and yes also beautiful. But I also think it is something personal between a mother and her baby.
This is why I had such an issue with this woman and her drawing attention to the nursing elephant. I wouldn’t want someone to walk by me while I was feeding my baby and shout and point at us.
I agree, that it was wonderful and amazing that the baby elephant was nursing, but I could help but feel that I was invading their privacy. That we were all intruding on something so personal.
OK, yes I understand that elephants don’t understand English, and these ones are used to people standing on the other side of the glass watching them, but that doesn’t mean we have to be evasive of their personal lives. Does it?
Ian and the Elephants
I am pretty sure the elephants didn’t notice or minded. But I couldn’t help but think that if I had tried to breastfeed Sid while sitting there, she would have made a big deal of it, or at least drawn attention to the fact. I know crazy thoughts, but what else do expect from me.
It is hard enough for us mothers to breastfeed that others shouldn’t also make it social awkward for us. Especially if we are nursing in public and accidentally have a some boob showing!
But Motherhood has amplified this characterization. And it has also made me project everything on to my children.
It doesn’t matter what horrible thing I see in the news or on TV, I then fear it will happen to my boys.
At times, the fear, is almost too much to handle. I have to forcibly calm it down, or we would never leave the house! I do manage to keep this craziness in check.
Typically I don’t remember my dreams. And I don’t have nightmares. I do sometimes, although rarely, have deeply emotional dreams, that leave me feeling very sad upon waking.
Since becoming a mother, when I have these types of dreams they involve my kids.
This morning in the minutes between hitting the snooze button I was having one of these dreams.
It was a very sad dream about my child, although it was not about Ian or Sid. It was my child, in the way that dreams are. I can’t tell you what happened, but when the alarm went off for the third time, I really wanted the dream to end. But at the same time I didn’t ever want it to end, because that would mean the loss of this child.
Dreams are weird.
This dream made me want to rush into the boys rooms and give them giant hugs and never let them go.
But since they were still sleeping, I decided to get ready for work.
So today I just want to take a minute to appreciate my children.
I Tri and Craft 