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Emily Rumsey Photography Nursing is a challenge, and there are lots of little tips along the way that help ease that challenge. Personally, I’ve found that meeting with a lactation consultant somewhere along the way, preferably in the beginning of your first attempt, gives you a great tool set to continue. I wrote about my amazing lactation consultant and midwife friend, Aszani, here {3 Postpartum Health Tips}. Three tips I’ve picked up along the way: 1) Try different positions. Every baby is different. SuperBoy liked to nurse in a different position initially than SweetPea does. Shake it up. Change it up. Don’t be afraid to flaunt the conventional cradle hold. Right now, SweetPea only loves it when she’s nursing along the maternal contour, meaning her…
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We keep this enormo strainer under our sink for containing the compost indoors. And it gets full pretty quickly. I’d recommend keeping your compost covered to avoid fruit flies (we use an aluminum pizza pan that also has holes in it)–ours is improvised, but you can easily purchase an actual indoor compost pail at Target or on Amazon, or whatnot. Here’s our post on composting for beginners from last summer: here {Composting For Beginners}. What we’ve learned since last year is that compost is truly amazing insofar as it builds on itself, and springtime means lots of compost for your garden. So the second year in means a lot more fertilizer for you. I also learned that I wish I had an indoor composter during…
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Most people have seen the controversial cover of Time Magazine, or perhaps read the Motherhood vs. Feminism debate at the New York Times revolving around Attachment Parenting, the parenting theory coined by Dr. William Sears that emphasizes breastfeeding, sharing sleep, and wearing your baby. So is attachment parenting this weirdo hippie movement wherein parents stifle their children and impose martyrdom on themselves with endless efforts at a childcentric life complete with nursing, carrying, tending-to on demand with organic food on the side? I don’t think so. Nor do the others parents we know who follow Dr. Sears’ theory. It’s not a take-it-or-leave-it kind of thing. Lots of parents incorporate his suggestions into their parenting style. We follow many of his suggestions and I’d like to…
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SuperBoy and SweetPea have a wonderful relationship–so long as you don’t force SuperBoy to sit for a photo with his baby sister. We had to take these photos sideways. They’re adjusting to life together. SuperBoy occasionally shouts “No!” and then “No, thank you!” (once corrected) in her direction. But overall, he pets her head, asks her for kisses when he’s injured, and helps me awaken her to nurse by saying “Wakey wakey, eggs & bakey!” Note the sequence: she begins & ends her photo shoot alone.
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Nina’s been watching our every move outside this spring, and ensuring that SuperBoy doesn’t get hurt playing around. She’s 135 pounds of love. And he loves her. Our pets are part of our family (2 dogs, 2 cats), so it’s wonderful to see how much fun SuperBoy can have goofing around with her. See evidence of their love, here. In other outdoor news, AA has become a regenerative gardener. He’s replanted the stalk of romaine lettuce & celery. I had no idea this would result in a life-bearing plant. Reduce & reuse! So maybe we will never have to plant celery again? Or romaine? Or other vegetables? This was done at the suggestion of one of his sisters. Thank you, sis-in-law! There are more ornate…
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Close family is critical when you have your own little family for the support, love, and time they give to assist in the development and growth of your little people. I’m very blessed with a wonderfully close and supportive family. SuperBoy has lucked out in the fact that my second eldest sister is particularly attuned to children and attentive to him. And she’ll be SweetPea’s Godmother on Mother’s Day, so both of my children will be specially bonded to this sister. Here’s a typical example of SuperBoy’s relationship with his “Tia KKake” as he calls her. Recently she took him to the community center down the street which also has a little library. Just a little nephew-tia-time. Not only did they run the bases at…
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