Seth and I knew it was inevitable and we decided to get the toddler bed that the last tenants left up four flights of stairs to his room.
Here are the results:
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| Tiger in his new big boy bed. |
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Big Boy Bed
I know it is a bit late but once Tiger figured out he could climb out of his crib there was no going back. The next morning he was at my bedside greeting me with kisses and cuddles (cute but a little annoying when you want to sleep until 7).
Seth and I knew it was inevitable and we decided to get the toddler bed that the last tenants left up four flights of stairs to his room.
Here are the results:
He thinks he is awesome, and he is.
Seth and I knew it was inevitable and we decided to get the toddler bed that the last tenants left up four flights of stairs to his room.
Here are the results:
Sunday, May 27, 2012
A Long List of Lovely
The month of May has and always will continue to be a month of celebration in our home. If it isn't mother's day, my birthday, Tiger's birthday then it's Memorial Day, and if it isn't that then it is Whit Monday here in Belgium.
It has been an incredible month leading to our one year mark here in Belgium.
Tiger turned three. The week he turned three he was able to work his scoot bike like a pro (instead of carefully walking on it like he had a load of hemorrhoids), he figured out how to climb out of his crib (boo, and double boo to all those who judge me for keeping him in a crib. Why would I want to have a toddler go down deathly stairs in the night? The crib was dreamy for him and me), and he loves to tell his own stories. He is quite the charmer and we love him.
For his birthday we decided to forgo the fighting and tears of inviting other three year-olds and just let him play with his new toys all day long, with the comfort that he could play with kids this weekend. Stella stayed home from school to "help" him play and it was awesome. We went to our favorite pizza store, got ice cream, and scooted along George Henri Parc which is paved with tombstones, we still wonder where they put the bodies.
The weather decided to become perfect and we had a visit from an old Manila friend and her new husband. I love, love, love the foreign service and the connection you have with folks from an old post. You don't get to have extended family when you live abroad so your friends became deeper, closer, friends and unlike family you get to be a bit more choosy.
It has been an incredible month leading to our one year mark here in Belgium.
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| He finally learned how to get only three fingers up to properly inform everyone he is now three. |
For his birthday we decided to forgo the fighting and tears of inviting other three year-olds and just let him play with his new toys all day long, with the comfort that he could play with kids this weekend. Stella stayed home from school to "help" him play and it was awesome. We went to our favorite pizza store, got ice cream, and scooted along George Henri Parc which is paved with tombstones, we still wonder where they put the bodies.
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| George Henri Parc is paved with tombstones |
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| Hanging with old Manila peeps, coincidentally once again at George Henri Parc. |
At the park we were enjoying ourselves with the other 30,000 Belgians who were at the park, the conversation got good and I lost track of Tiger for a minute. I went to find him, and after ten minutes I was in a panic. I started running and screaming his name, no Tiger. Finally I left the playground and found my tear streaked baby boy in the arms of a French speaking mom who knew the look of panic on a three year old. It was a relief and a terrible moment.
We are enjoying are tour here. I have decided to put a few FAQs about Belgium for those thinking about bidding because it is that time of year. More to come!
We are enjoying are tour here. I have decided to put a few FAQs about Belgium for those thinking about bidding because it is that time of year. More to come!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Fluff and Stuff
We are hitting our one year mark in Brussels in a few weeks. I feel like we just got here, I have yet to organize every room how I wanted and I am starting to suspect I never will.
Today I awoke to a perfectly clean house, the result of my midnight cleaning. Within five minutes it was a disaster zone.
I called Seth in near tears and informed him we needed to go to the nanny belt next and that I was done with four story homes with deathly stairs and overly-regulated countries, until of course I got a text from my weekly cleaning lady telling me she couldn't come tomorrow because of a bloody nose she had this morning, that text reminded me how wonderful it is to have my house to myself and to not manage a staff, but sometimes I miss it.
This past weekend we went to the Tervuren Blvd Street festival. We ate what we call cotton candy but in French it translates to "Papa's Beard." Check out this papa's beard.
Looks a little too much like a Matthew Barney art project.
Today I awoke to a perfectly clean house, the result of my midnight cleaning. Within five minutes it was a disaster zone.
I called Seth in near tears and informed him we needed to go to the nanny belt next and that I was done with four story homes with deathly stairs and overly-regulated countries, until of course I got a text from my weekly cleaning lady telling me she couldn't come tomorrow because of a bloody nose she had this morning, that text reminded me how wonderful it is to have my house to myself and to not manage a staff, but sometimes I miss it.
This past weekend we went to the Tervuren Blvd Street festival. We ate what we call cotton candy but in French it translates to "Papa's Beard." Check out this papa's beard.
Looks a little too much like a Matthew Barney art project.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Am I Mom Enough?
This past week there was a provocative Time Magazine cover with an article about attachment parenting.
Of course people are up in arms about this both for and against. As I read the comments my stomach churned a bit.
You see, while I would not define myself one who subscribes to Dr. Sear's attachment parent (stroller toting, separate bed sleeping, Feberizing mom) I did end up nursing my son 35 months. Tiger has been weaned now for just a month and I have always been closeted about my extended breastfeeding because I was well aware of the attitudes that exist and have very publicly been declared in the comments section of the Time article.
I never set out to be an extended breastfeeder it just sort of happened.
When I had Stella she was born c-section (see not a hippie there). She was born at 9lbs 13oz but after 5 days she had lost almost two pounds because my milk hadn't come in. Despite that I kept nursing and trying and then the dam of mother-milk burst. I was never without a supply from then on.
I don't think it was a coincidence that Stella gained a 1/2 pound every week for the first four months of her life. She was 24 pounds at 4 months old. That is a 14 pound weight gain in a season! It was crazy, she was exclusively breastfed until six months.
Then we moved and I didn't want to wean Stella before the Philippines and then I got pregnant.
Being pregnant and nursing, for me, was about the most painful thing I ever did. So at 19 months I weaned Stella. It was awful for her and me. She had depended on nursing for naps so once that stopped she stopped sleeping as well or not at all. She cried for weeks and begged to nurse but I just couldn't do it anymore. At two she completely dropped her nap and never has gone back.
Tiger was also a big baby at 9 lbs 7 oz. He was born in the Philippines. This time my body knew what to do and my milk came back immediately. I was lucky. My baby liked nursing and I loved the downtime it gave me to relax and bond with my little guy. I had enough milk that I was able to nurse Tiger and pump for a premie orphan that lived nearby and was being fostered by a neighbor.
Tiger also depended on nursing to sleep and unlike his sister he slept for long three hour stretches. THREE HOURS. As in, I get three hours to myself to clean, relax, think, prepare, cook and be a normal person.
Tiger hit one but he was still a baby to me and I saw no reason to stop plus we had the impending move back to the US, so I kept it up.
Once we moved back to the US, I knew we were hitting the point that it was socially not-cool to breast feed but he was taking naps and he still seemed like a baby and I still loved my down time. People who did find out were a little surprised but he was still under two and I had yet to cross that line into social pariah, so I kept it up.
I nursed my barely two year old on the flight to Brussels to get him to sleep and while some may have thought it was weird I can promise you him not screaming during the seven hour flight is so much better than the idea that a kid is getting a snack from his mom in the back of the plane.
We moved to Brussels and Tiger was still nursing and still taking amazing dreamy naps. I would nurse him for less than five minutes and he would sleep for three even three and half hours. It was a devils bargain but I would be lying if I said I just did it for the nap freedom, I loved it. I loved holding him, cuddling him, and reading my book on my kindle while he sat there.
And then came April and the realization that my son is going to be three in a month and he was still nursing. It just felt like it was time to stop, despite my mother's pretending-not-to-be concerned phone calls. When we went to Spain and we were in a new place with two parents on deck full time I took the opportunity to stop nursing. He didn't really ask for it and was busy sharing a big kid bed with his sister on vacation so it wasn't an issue.
When we came home he asked a few times and I told him I didn't have any anymore. So now he goes into the kitchen and brings me Hershey's syrup and a bottle of milk and asks if I will feed him milk in the rocking chair. It's pretty cute and he is super sneaky to try to get me to give him chocolate milk like that. He usually gets chocolate milk when he presents it as a breast milk substitute.
And now this is where you get to hear my opinions on the comments of the day. No, my child is not going to be messed up for life because his mother nursed him for 35 months. He is fine, totally adjusted and a normal three year-old, I wasn't giving him orange soda it was just human milk from the tap.
No, I do not have a problem that I chose to nurse him until 35 months. It just wasn't a big deal. It was just a time for him to chill and for me to cuddle him for a few minutes. It always just seemed natural, what didn't feel natural was weaning my other baby at 19 months and having her cry for weeks about it.
As for those who find the nursing a toddler part of the EWWWW club, well, I just never did it in public and you need to calm down about boobs. Why would I nurse in public? He was almost three, he didn't ever need it out and about and since we has old enough to talk and eat a peanut butter sandwich, that was just part of the rules. He was only allowed to nurse at nap time in his room in the dark with the light of my ipod as he sucked away.
So here I am, no longer nursing anyone and I admit I miss the closeness but I feel like I have done what is right and best for my kids. I am sharing this, in my opinion boring story, to give courage to other moms. If a mom wants to feed her kid while they are still a toddler so be it. It is her choice and it certainly isn't hurting the kid. People who say it is wrong and disgusting are ridiculous. They must not know the joy of three hour naps, because anyone in my situation would have made that same devil's bargain. So worth it, and I am not even going into science and WHO recommendations, why? Because it didn't even play into my decision and women can do with their boobs what they want to do. Men have certainly claimed that right, we can have a few years sharing them with the babes.
And to answer the headline in Time Magazine asking me if I am mom enough? Well yeah, but even if I didn't nurse I would be as well. Being a mom is just trying to do and react to your situation. Some people nurse, some people don't. It doesn't matter we are all just trying to bring up our little people and do the best we can.
If society could give even an ounce of the passion they extend to this woman nursing her child at three to something that actually mattered (perhaps, oh say, childhood starvation and nutrition which last I hear breastfeeding can fix) it would make this world a lot better.
To those other closeted moms like me who are still nursing a toddler, who cares? Just do what you need to do until it feels right. Don't let society pressure you and tell you when your child is done nursing, you know what feels right for both of you.
For this Mother's Day I plan on spending my day with the two little faces who light up my life. I hope the other moms in this world, regardless of what they chose to do with their breasts, can have a moment where they are honored for loving children and bring life into the world.
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| The mom pictured is breastfeeding a very tall three year-old. |
Of course people are up in arms about this both for and against. As I read the comments my stomach churned a bit.
You see, while I would not define myself one who subscribes to Dr. Sear's attachment parent (stroller toting, separate bed sleeping, Feberizing mom) I did end up nursing my son 35 months. Tiger has been weaned now for just a month and I have always been closeted about my extended breastfeeding because I was well aware of the attitudes that exist and have very publicly been declared in the comments section of the Time article.
I never set out to be an extended breastfeeder it just sort of happened.
When I had Stella she was born c-section (see not a hippie there). She was born at 9lbs 13oz but after 5 days she had lost almost two pounds because my milk hadn't come in. Despite that I kept nursing and trying and then the dam of mother-milk burst. I was never without a supply from then on.
I don't think it was a coincidence that Stella gained a 1/2 pound every week for the first four months of her life. She was 24 pounds at 4 months old. That is a 14 pound weight gain in a season! It was crazy, she was exclusively breastfed until six months.
Then we moved and I didn't want to wean Stella before the Philippines and then I got pregnant.
Being pregnant and nursing, for me, was about the most painful thing I ever did. So at 19 months I weaned Stella. It was awful for her and me. She had depended on nursing for naps so once that stopped she stopped sleeping as well or not at all. She cried for weeks and begged to nurse but I just couldn't do it anymore. At two she completely dropped her nap and never has gone back.
Tiger was also a big baby at 9 lbs 7 oz. He was born in the Philippines. This time my body knew what to do and my milk came back immediately. I was lucky. My baby liked nursing and I loved the downtime it gave me to relax and bond with my little guy. I had enough milk that I was able to nurse Tiger and pump for a premie orphan that lived nearby and was being fostered by a neighbor.
Tiger also depended on nursing to sleep and unlike his sister he slept for long three hour stretches. THREE HOURS. As in, I get three hours to myself to clean, relax, think, prepare, cook and be a normal person.
Tiger hit one but he was still a baby to me and I saw no reason to stop plus we had the impending move back to the US, so I kept it up.
Once we moved back to the US, I knew we were hitting the point that it was socially not-cool to breast feed but he was taking naps and he still seemed like a baby and I still loved my down time. People who did find out were a little surprised but he was still under two and I had yet to cross that line into social pariah, so I kept it up.
I nursed my barely two year old on the flight to Brussels to get him to sleep and while some may have thought it was weird I can promise you him not screaming during the seven hour flight is so much better than the idea that a kid is getting a snack from his mom in the back of the plane.
We moved to Brussels and Tiger was still nursing and still taking amazing dreamy naps. I would nurse him for less than five minutes and he would sleep for three even three and half hours. It was a devils bargain but I would be lying if I said I just did it for the nap freedom, I loved it. I loved holding him, cuddling him, and reading my book on my kindle while he sat there.
And then came April and the realization that my son is going to be three in a month and he was still nursing. It just felt like it was time to stop, despite my mother's pretending-not-to-be concerned phone calls. When we went to Spain and we were in a new place with two parents on deck full time I took the opportunity to stop nursing. He didn't really ask for it and was busy sharing a big kid bed with his sister on vacation so it wasn't an issue.
When we came home he asked a few times and I told him I didn't have any anymore. So now he goes into the kitchen and brings me Hershey's syrup and a bottle of milk and asks if I will feed him milk in the rocking chair. It's pretty cute and he is super sneaky to try to get me to give him chocolate milk like that. He usually gets chocolate milk when he presents it as a breast milk substitute.
And now this is where you get to hear my opinions on the comments of the day. No, my child is not going to be messed up for life because his mother nursed him for 35 months. He is fine, totally adjusted and a normal three year-old, I wasn't giving him orange soda it was just human milk from the tap.
No, I do not have a problem that I chose to nurse him until 35 months. It just wasn't a big deal. It was just a time for him to chill and for me to cuddle him for a few minutes. It always just seemed natural, what didn't feel natural was weaning my other baby at 19 months and having her cry for weeks about it.
As for those who find the nursing a toddler part of the EWWWW club, well, I just never did it in public and you need to calm down about boobs. Why would I nurse in public? He was almost three, he didn't ever need it out and about and since we has old enough to talk and eat a peanut butter sandwich, that was just part of the rules. He was only allowed to nurse at nap time in his room in the dark with the light of my ipod as he sucked away.
So here I am, no longer nursing anyone and I admit I miss the closeness but I feel like I have done what is right and best for my kids. I am sharing this, in my opinion boring story, to give courage to other moms. If a mom wants to feed her kid while they are still a toddler so be it. It is her choice and it certainly isn't hurting the kid. People who say it is wrong and disgusting are ridiculous. They must not know the joy of three hour naps, because anyone in my situation would have made that same devil's bargain. So worth it, and I am not even going into science and WHO recommendations, why? Because it didn't even play into my decision and women can do with their boobs what they want to do. Men have certainly claimed that right, we can have a few years sharing them with the babes.
And to answer the headline in Time Magazine asking me if I am mom enough? Well yeah, but even if I didn't nurse I would be as well. Being a mom is just trying to do and react to your situation. Some people nurse, some people don't. It doesn't matter we are all just trying to bring up our little people and do the best we can.
If society could give even an ounce of the passion they extend to this woman nursing her child at three to something that actually mattered (perhaps, oh say, childhood starvation and nutrition which last I hear breastfeeding can fix) it would make this world a lot better.
To those other closeted moms like me who are still nursing a toddler, who cares? Just do what you need to do until it feels right. Don't let society pressure you and tell you when your child is done nursing, you know what feels right for both of you.
For this Mother's Day I plan on spending my day with the two little faces who light up my life. I hope the other moms in this world, regardless of what they chose to do with their breasts, can have a moment where they are honored for loving children and bring life into the world.
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
April Showers Bring May Showers
My only consolation is that we unexpectedly bought tickets back the US for my baby brother John's wedding. John and Cassie are visiting right now. We have been played tour guide this past weekend for them and this week kicked them out to discover Europe themselves.
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| These were one of my favorite tulips. No photoshopping or color saturation on this photo. |
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| Stella and Tiger try on some wooden shoes. Just a tad too big. |
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| Sunny and Stella do Keukenhof, Holland |
After a trip to Keukenhof we decided the next day to check out the Royal Gardens of Belgium. The king opens up his gardens for three weeks out of the year and lets the plebeians wander his amazing glass greenhouses. Think Charlie and the Chocolate factory but with plants instead of candy. It was gorgeous.
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| John and Cassie in front of one of the royal residences. |
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| The Royal Greenhouse of Laeken |
It may have been plant-appreciation overload but since it has been raining for two months non-stop it was nice to see something beautiful amidst the gray. To top it off we went to an indoor water park and then crashed, we were exhausted.
Yesterday John and Cassie went to Paris. They managed to get there and back without getting lost or killed. We are excited for these two kiddos to get married, if for no other reason than the promise of Utah sunshine.
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