Top Ten of 2017

In no paticular order here are some of my favorite moments of 2017

1) Mallorys birthday was a fun time celebrating my baby turning one.

2) Mallory seeing Lake Michigan and enjoying it.

3) Taking the girls to the beach in September and having it almost to ourselves

4) Every time Mallory wakes up from naps and gives Eleanor a big hug I just melt. 

5) In February I went to Nashville to meet up with some of my mom friends from around the country.  I'd been chatting with these women for 4 years at that point so it was great to finally meet.

5) Our 6th anniversary.  We tried a new restaurant and I wanted to take a walk down by the river but it was so windy we kept getting belted with sand and dirt ruining that plan.

7) Great Wolf Lodge.  We ended up going twice and Eleanor loved it so much she still talks about it. 

 

8) Eleanor starting school

9) In April I took the girls to a baseball game by myself.  I missed most of the few innings we made it through, but Eleanor got choosen to go out on the field and say 'play ball'. 

10) This isn't a good moment necessarily but it stands out.  Around Halloween both girls got sick.  Eleanor had croup first, then Mallory got it and on Halloween she had temps of almost 104, and it lingered for nearly a week. It wasn't a fun time, and I didn't sleep much, but they recovered.

Are we at the end of nursing?

Mallory is 21 months.  I weaned Eleanor at 22 months so I think we are getting to end stages of nursing.

I've recently dropped our morning nursing session leaving us at two (nap time and bedtime) and although she wakes up and asks/whines for milk every morning I can usually distract her.  I do however miss the morning session because it allowed me to lay back in bed for a little bit.

I have mixed feelings.  On one hand it is the one thing that ONLY I can do for her.  One the other hand I have been constantly pregnant or nursing or both since January of 2013.  Since I got pregnant with Eleanor I have not had a single day where I have just been able to take a medicine without thinking if it's safe or just not have to worry about how what I do to my body is going to effect my girls.

I am planning a girls weekend right before Mallory turns 2 so I want to be done nursing/pumping then.  It was annoying having to deal with that and transporting milk through security and pumping in a dirty airport bathroom when I did it last year.

Generally though, while sometimes annoying having to plan around nursing I love it.  I love knowing that I'm giving my daughter nutritional benefits (while not her main source anymore it still has benefits) & a sense of stability and routine.

I love the way she snuggles into me when I nurse her, and her eyes get having and she drifts off to sleep.   Often I wish that I hadn't set the nursing to sleeping precedent but those are some of my favorite moments. 

I think there is nothing wrong with full term nursing but I know that nursing Mallory as long as I have isn't the norm.  I also know there is nothing wrong with people who choose not to nurse or not as long.  So I've never felt people question my choice to nurse as long as I did, and even if they did it's still my decision so no pressure.

Growing Girls

My kids are growing up. I know that's a duh statement but really they are.

Mallory is this talkative, ambitious, determined little toddler. We are still slightly locked in to that afternoon nap limiting flexibility but it's not a cycle of eat sleep play repeat anymore. I'm probably going to beginning the weaning process this fall.

That alone is a shot in the heart. I'm not one of those nurse forever girls but that's fine if you are. I nursed Eleanor until 22 months.

Maybe it's me clinging to those last moments of it being the one thing only I can do for her. Not to say that it's just for me because nursing in the second year still has her reaping lots of benefits. 

Then there is Eleanor. She's my thoughtful, generous, clever, silly girl with a occasional streak of sass. She constantly makes me laugh but also makes me take a pause in the business of life when she asks for mama snuggles. I tell her she's never allowed to grow up and when she says she has to I make her promise to always give me hugs and kisses. Even when she's a teenager. Especially when she's a teenage but that's a post for another time because slow time time.

She's starting preschool next month. 3 days a week for 3 Hours. I'm dreading the constant running around and loss of freedom but mostly knowing that our time is coming to an end. For nearly four years it's just been us (aside from Mallory joining obviously) every day and now I have to share her and send her into the world and hope she thrives. 

Everyday I feel like I take to many pictures and videos on my phone but I need to have something to look back on.  Moments are fleeting and my memory will fade but those pictures and videos will capture that time in life when my girls weren't all the way grown up. 

~Mallory~ 18 months

Mallory is still my little peanut.  At her 18 month check up she was 3% for height and 18% for weight. 

Shes is size 3 disposables, and mostly 12 month clothing with some 9 month stuff. Shoes are between a 3/4.

She's a climber.  Like does things months before Eleanor did.

We are nursing 3 times a day (wake up, nape and bedtime).  She has been a picky eater lately.  She'll eat a few bites and then want to be done.  But she loves cheese balls, veggie straws, berries, yogurt.

She's talking a lot. New words every single day.

Still not sleeping through the night.  She might once or twice a month.  She spends part of the night in bed with me.

She adores her big sister and looks for "sissy" when she wakes up in the morning or at nap time.

Her favorite toys/activites are her baby, putting on Eleanor's cowgirl boots, the swing and super simple songs on youtube.

She's a great helper when it comes to throwing things away and sometimes I think she listens better than Eleanor.

Mallory ~50 Weeks~

FIFTY!! 

Food:

Lots of it!  Nothing new but loving corn, chicken and triscut crackers this week. 

Oh I did fill a food pouch for her and she can manage to suck it down which is nice that she can manage that.  

Misc:

She's been pooping a lot lately.  Like most of her diapers are poopy.  I don't know what it is or why but I'm tired of butt wiping.

So she started standing this week.  Like for 3-4 seconds; she did 8 today!

She saying "hi" super clearly and she said what sounded like "got you" today. 

Sleep:

There have been a few nights where she has not gone down until 10/10:30 at night.  Its get her to sleep, lay her down, 5 minutes later she's up. Repeat several more times until I want to scream.  

Mallory 11 Months

Late as usual

Still in the size 3 disposable diapers.  I have so many of them so hopefully she stays in them for a while.  I think it's time to go down a rise on cloth diapers.

Mallory is wearing 6-9 month onesies, 9 month pants, and heading into 9 month jammies although some are still big

She got tooth 5 at eleven months exactly. 

This month she started clapping (which is legit the cutest thing ever), pulling up on all the things, pulling down all the thing, & getting into all the things.

Not sure about new foods, I'm terrible at keeping track.

She will usually take a good hour and a half to two hour nap around 10/11am.  Nights are rough, and she still doesn't sleep more than 3-4 hours at a time.  She often winds up in bed with me.

She is slowly getting better with her clinginess, but  it's still very much there.  Some days I can't even shower without her screaming outside the door.

35 weeks ~Mallory~

Sleep:  We are sill struggling at night getting her to sleep (and be we I mean me because Rob crashes in Eleanor's bed with her almost every single night).

And as if spending hours every night wasn't enough, she's up around 5:30 every single morning (plus a wakeup around 3ish).   I can nurse her and lay her in bed with me and she might give me another 45 minutes.

Oh and she only napped in short spurts for the majority of the week.  I'm so tired.

But Tuesday night she went to bed on the first attempt and slept for several hours, and although Wednesday night after finally getting her to bed she slept until 5:30 in her bed.

We did spend on night in a hotel and she spent that night in bed with me.

Food:
Apples were new I think.
I'm not sure if she's had pizza before but she enjoyed gnawing on a crust.
Ritz style crackers.
Frozen waffles

Misc:
She is making the best expressions lately.  I'm constantly cracking up!
I went to the grocery store on Sunday.  I fed her and she fell asleep and I left.  She slept most of the time and did okay with Rob while I was gone.  Then Monday I had to go get a tooth fixed and my mother in law watched her and she did okay then too!