What happens when you put ivory soap in the microwave????

The Weaning Story

So I have been wanting to post this but haven't had time. First off, for those who don't know me, some back ground. I am a certified lactation counselor. I nursed my oldest for 6months(i was 21, had some issues nursing that i was uneducated about namely birth control drying up my milk) I nursed my next two boys for 2 1/2 years. This was the right amount of time for us. I assumed Indigo would be about the same. I was so wrong.
Everything started off normal. He wasn't a great nurser, had some tongue thrust issues but nothing i couldn't handle.(um, I'm like a professional!) He did nurse all night long. That was tough, I wish he would nurse all night long now.
This past summer, just before his first birthday I started to give him vanilla soy milk in a bottle. I had a wedding to go to that was five hours away. I would have to be gone all day and most of the night. Indigo would not drink pumped milk out of a bottle. My theory was if it tasted yummy enough, he would drink it. He did. He also started to take the pumped milk. I was thrilled. After the wedding, and his first birthday, i introduced the sippy cup. Pretty standard. I was also desperately trying to get him into his own bed.
I honestly don't mind babies sleeping with us.Honestly, I love to cuddle with them. Mike loves it less, but usually does not complain. Forrest and Gaynor slept with us. Gaynor until he was four. Harland loved his crib and slept so much better there.(this made me sad too) Indigo seemed to want to be in our bed. The only problem was he writhed and kicked and hit and kicked and (my favorite) head butted us, litterally all night long. No one was sleeping. I even bled a few times! Nothing like a fat lip at 3 am. So, i, in desperation, purchased "THE THREE DAY SLEEP SOLUTION" It comes with a money back garuntee, how could I go wrong! I followed it to the T. Don't let any one tell you different, this IS the Cry it out method. It took two nights and he was sleeping, no binky, no more up in the night....GREAT....RIGHT? Not really.
Indigo was furious! He was awful all day long! clingy, cranky, angry. He immediately associated nursing with going into the crib and refused to nurse, period! This went on for about 5 days, i thought it would get better. He was after all sleeping all night long, in his own bed. Well, it did not. I gave back the binky, stopped the whole process, took him back to bed (head butts and all) and returned the program and got a full refund!
Phew......no, i believe the damage was done. He still would rarely nurse. He just kept asking for a cup. By November, he had weaned completely. I even tried taking the cup away. I was pretty upset.
Mike was confused, "Isn't it ideal for a child to wean himself?" Ya, i said, but at like two, not one! Sad Mamma.

So now, months later, here is how it goes. I am super inconsistent. Like that is any big news. In my defense, so is Indigo. He always takes naps and goes into bed at night with no tears and no problem. (yes he still has the binky in bed only....I'm weak and I'm guilty) He wakes up at night usually just as i am starting to doze off. I swear he has some type of alerting system! ** I sometimes take him into our bed and he will go right back to sleep, all is well. Sometimes I take him into our bed and he beats us up all night. Sometimes I super nanny him, which works really well. I go in to his room, lay him back down with binky, elmo and grover, and sit on the floor near his bed with my head down. He occasionally cries for a minute but usually settles right down. Once he is asleep i go back to bed. Some nights I do this once or twice, all is well. Sometimes, on like the third or fourth time i find myself about to freeze my butt off sitting on his bedroom floor. I just take him to my bed. See ** above. And so the vicious, inconsistent cycle continues.
He has also had staff infection. NO IDEA how this happened. But not one of my "I am the best mom" moments. He continues to get killer diaper rashes often. I even tried disposables, no change. I of course, attribute all of this to him no longer nursing. Yes, I have guilt. It is especially hard on me as this could very well be my last little nursing monkey. I miss it terribly.

Chess (or chest) and Icey window

Harland playing "his own version of chest" (please pay no attention to the half dead tomato plant (not allowed to throw it away) or the lovely spray foam insulation, there will be trim there soon.)





not sure what is going on here, forrest took this one.


This is the ice on the INSIDE of the big boys bed room window. it was 26below zero on this morning.

I'm still not sure

its hard to photograph the color. although we do have daylight, the room is north facing, its cloudy, and there is nothing in the room to contrast the color against. It seems to actually photograph lighter than it is. It is dark. Darker than I would have picked. Here is how not to pick a paint color. Show husband pictures online of the color you want. Send husband 40 minutes away to hardware store with 5 year old to find a matching color using only his memory. It is the right color, just about 7 shades too dark. I'm gonna leave it and see what i think once the room is back together. If its not right, we will paint it again this spring. I think it will either grow on me or I'll hate it. Once the room is back together, i'll take more pics.

Ummmm See how brave I'm feeling?

WARNING......WARNING!..................GROSS PICTURES

Alright, Here they are everyone. Sorry Darcy and Conroy, you have been out voted. My sister thinks maybe an owl or hawk. I thought it was really strange that what ever it was, ate it right in the driveway, directly behind the car. We were home and every thing. I guess as long as it is not a bear, I'll be fine. The critters are loving the compost. Tracks of all kinds going in and out. It has become more of a "feed the critters" pile as opposed to a compost pile. Oh well.






Keep in mind this is a Raven I think. They are quite large! I was amazed at how the flesh was picked off the skeleton, but the skeleton was not disturbed. We say it was a bird of some kind because there were no tracks in or out.

Ok Here you go, enjoy, I guess.

These Are The Days....

Mike was home again today. I decided not to think about what that means in terms of money. He is going to work Saturday. Mike got the trim on our bedroom door and the littles' bedroom door done. I can't believe what a difference trim makes. He also sprayed insulation in around one of the big front windows and the french doors off the play room. Progress is being made. I washed sheets and comforters and made dough for 8 loaves. Indigo has been really rotten(in the cutest way possible of coarse). He is obsessed with the television. What have I done? He cried for literally hours today, starting from the minute he woke up. This is one persistant baby! It was so ridiculous but I will not give in! We need to cut back. I finally manged to distract him but i had to sit right in the play room with him while he played with trains. So, I worked on my new ">wristers.
He did take a little nap from 10-11:30. Then we had lunch and the tantrum started all over again. I just keep reminding myself this "persistence" will be a brilliant quality when he is an adult! So I bundled everyone up and we went outside to play. Nothing like 3 feet of snow as a distraction. He loves that darn sled. we just took turns pulling him around the driveway while the rest of us built rad snow forts. I made stairs up the back of a 6 foot snow bank and a sled path down the front. For a quick escape in case of attack. Sorry I didn't take any pictures today. I was too busy playing.
We came in for hot chocolate and would you believe he forgot about the TV for like 1 whole hour!!! I finally let him watch a movie but not because of a tantrum. I needed to cook dinner and Mike took Forrest to his guitar lesson and to run errands. Gaynor was down stairs playing his drums and Harland was downstairs riding his scooter. I was on my own. Indigo kept getting into the trash, the tools, the bathroom. So Madagascar, my best babysitter went in. I really do wish we didn't have a television, then i wouldn't be able to use it!
For dinner, roasted veggies (sweet potatoes, potatoes, parsnips, carrots, beets with garlic, salt, pepper, tarragon and nutmeg) brown rice, sauteed baby spinach and onions and bread of coarse. should be ready soon.
I love days like these, even with the tantrums. I will fall into bed tonight! But will probably work on my wristers a little more after falling. hee hee.